Conference: 2012 Rustbelt RNA Meeting to be held October 19-20, 2012 at Crowne Plaza in Dayton, OH

智力优势。 2012年锈带RNA会议将于2012年10月19日至20日在俄亥俄州代顿的皇冠假日酒店举行。Rustbelt RNA会议是RNA研究人员的主要中西部地区会议。Rustbelt RNA会议的智力目标是为中西部的RNA研究人员提供一个廉价，高素质，跨学科的会议。RNA结构、功能和加工领域正在快速发展。RNA现在在许多重要的生物学现象中发挥着重要作用，例如癌的发生和发展。令人兴奋的新研究领域，例如，寻找长的非编码RNA的功能，正在爆发新的信息，进入细胞生物化学的意想不到的领域。这些功能远远超出了RNA作为转录产物、翻译模板或剪接体和核糖体的结构/催化组分的明显突出作用。与此同时，用于研究RNA的方法变得越来越多样化，从合成和物理化学到生物化学，遗传学和生物物理方法，一直到细胞成像和计算方法。关于这些主题的信息交流为提高对RNA介导的基因表达的基本机制的理解提供了极好的机会。 Rustbelt RNA会议的更广泛的影响是在实习生和初级教师的发展。Rustbelt RNA会议非常强调学员的参与。Rustbelt RNA会议的一个主要特点是来自广泛机构（从大型研究密集型大学到小型，主要是本科院校）的研究生和本科生的参与。除了提供与主要研究人员和其他学员互动的机会外，Rustbelt RNA会议还为学员提供了宝贵的经验，使他们能够在教育和支持的氛围中展示自己的研究。重要的是，学员占海报和口头介绍的大多数。这种介绍给学员灌输了信心，并激励听众中的学员今后口头介绍他们的成果。当演讲者是同学时，学生们会更容易提问。Rustbelt RNA会议的规模较小，也有利于实习演讲者，因为主要研究者对他们给予了更多的关注。为了鼓励一流的演讲，奖项颁发给优秀的口头和海报演讲。最后，Rustbelt RNA会议是初级研究人员建立网络以及展示他们新兴研究计划和发展新合作的绝佳论坛。

Intellectual Merit. The 2012 Rustbelt RNA Meeting will be held October 19-20, 2012, at the Crowne Plaza in Dayton, Ohio. The Rustbelt RNA Meeting is the major Midwest regional meeting of RNA researchers. The intellectual objective of the Rustbelt RNA Meeting is to provide an inexpensive, high-caliber, interdisciplinary meeting for RNA researchers in the Midwest. The field of RNA structure, function, and processing is growing at a rapid pace. RNA now has a demonstrated role in many important biological phenomena, such as carcinogenesis and development. Exciting new research areas, for example, to find functions for long noncoding RNAs, are bursting with new information that reaches into unexpected areas of cellular biochemistry. These functions are well beyond the obvious prominent role for RNA as a product of transcription, a template for translation, or as structural/catalytic components of spliceosomes and ribosomes. At the same time, the methods used to study RNA are becoming increasingly diverse, ranging from synthetic and physical chemistry to biochemistry, genetics, and biophysical approaches all the way to cellular imaging and computational methods. Exchange of information on topics such as these offers an excellent opportunity for improving understanding of basic mechanisms of gene expression mediated by RNA.Broader Impacts. The broader impact of the Rustbelt RNA Meeting is in trainee and junior faculty development. The Rustbelt RNA Meeting strongly emphasizes trainee participation. One major feature of the Rustbelt RNA Meeting is the participation of graduate and undergraduate students from a wide range of institutions (from large research-intensive universities to small, primarily undergraduate colleges). In addition to offering opportunities for interactions with principal investigators and other trainees, the Rustbelt RNA Meeting provides invaluable experience for trainees to present their research in an educational and supportive atmosphere. Importantly, trainees account for the majority of both poster and oral presentations. Such presentations instill confidence in the trainees and inspire trainees in the audience to present their results orally in the future. Students feel more comfortable to ask questions when the speaker is a fellow student. The smaller size of the Rustbelt RNA Meeting also benefits trainee presenters because of the greater attention paid to them by principal investigators. To encourage top-notch presentations, prizes are awarded for outstanding oral and poster presentations. Finally, the Rustbelt RNA Meeting is an excellent forum for junior investigators to network as well as to showcase their emerging research programs and develop new collaborations.