Workshop: Evolutionary Cell Biology, May 29-31, 2012, Warrenton, Virginia

进化细胞生物学研讨会将在弗吉尼亚州沃伦顿的艾尔利会议中心举行。这个多研究者项目的目标是组织一个研讨会，将汇集来自不同科学团体和不同观点的研究人员，包括进化生物学家、细胞生物学家和计算生物学家，以定义“进化细胞生物学”的新兴领域，并确定最迫切需要解决的关键问题和基本原则，以促进这一令人兴奋的新兴研究领域。由于分子进化、基因组进化甚至发育进化的研究领域已经相当成熟，进化细胞生物学还没有一个公认的研究领域。考虑到这一点，这对细胞生物学家和进化生物学家来说都是一个机会。因此，组织一次以进化生物学家和细胞生物学家为重点的会议的潜在回报是显著的。进化细胞生物学领域的发展应该对细胞和进化生物学以外的学科产生影响，例如，通过帮助科学家弄清楚如何合理地改变细胞生物学特征，甚至发明新的特征，从而为合成生物学和人工生命的新兴领域做出贡献。更广泛的影响进化细胞生物学领域的发展预计将对细胞生物学和进化生物学的学科产生重大影响，但它也将影响其他领域。建立对进化细胞生物学原理的理解将有助于科学家确定如何合理地改变细胞生物学特征，甚至发明新的细胞生物学特征，从而为合成生物学和人工生命的新兴领域做出贡献。申请的资金将用于支持来自美国和国际各地的35名参与者的旅行，膳食和/或住宿。

Intellectual Merit The Evolutionary Cell Biology Workshop will be held at the Airlie Conference Center in Warrenton, Virginia. The goal of this multi-investigator project is to organize a Workshop that will bring together investigators from diverse scientific communities and with diverse perspectives including evolutionary biologists, cell biologists and computational biologists to define the nascent field of "evolutionary cell biology" and to identify the key issues and fundamental principles that are in most urgent need to being addressed in order to foster this exciting and emerging area of research. With the fact that there are mature fields of molecular evolution, genome evolution and even developmental evolution, there is no recognizable field of evolutionary cell biology. With that in mind, this is an opportunity for both cell biologists and evolutionary biologists alike. Therefore, the potential payoff of organizing a meeting that focuses on evolutionary biologists and cell biologists is significant. The development of a field of evolutionary cell biology should have impacts on disciplines beyond cell and evolutionary biology, e.g., by helping scientists figure out how to rationally alter cell biological features or even to invent new ones, thereby contributing to the emerging fields of synthetic biology and artificial life. Broader ImpactsThe development of a field of evolutionary cell biology is expected to have major impacts on the disciplines of cell biology and evolutionary biology but it will influence other fields as well. Establishing an understanding of the principles of evolutionary cell biology should help scientists establish how to rationally alter cell biological features or even to invent new ones, thereby contributing to the emerging fields of synthetic biology and artificial life. The requested funding will be used to support travel, meals and/or lodging for 35 participants from US and international locations.