Meeting Proposal: C. elegans and other nematodes, bridging the divide. Los Angeles June 26-30th, 2013.

线虫(蛔虫)是地球上数量最多的多细胞动物，几乎定居在所有陆地、海洋和淡水栖息地。虽然线虫实验室模型线虫是密集的、技术复杂的研究的重点，但对其他线虫的了解要少得多，尽管它们在生物学上具有重要意义。特别重要的是寄生线虫，占估计的28 000种线虫物种的一半以上；这些寄生虫对它们的动植物宿主的生物学有重要影响，威胁农作物，并引起影响全世界10亿多人的衰弱的人类疾病。通过促进线虫研究人员和寄生线虫研究人员之间的互动与合作，该项目将提高线虫科学家对寄生线虫研究人员面临的问题的认识，并将为线虫研究中开发的强大的分子和细胞技术在寄生线虫调查中的应用铺平道路。计划在国际线虫会议(洛杉矶，2013年6月26日至30日)上举行的专题讨论会将提供一个接触到大多数线虫研究人员的难得机会。六位国际公认的植物、动物和人类寄生线虫专家将就寄生物种的生活史和独特生物学以及各自领域的悬而未决的问题发表演讲。除了对线虫社区进行正式教育外，本次会议还将为两个社区的研究人员提供更多非正式互动的时间。研讨会旨在激励线虫研究人员思考寄生线虫研究和控制面临的问题，并将他们的专业知识应用于解决这些问题。这一课程对本科生、研究生和博士后来说尤其有价值，因为它让他们接触到新的可能的职业道路。还将为代表人数不足的少数族裔研究生提供参加本届会议的资金。

Nematodes (roundworms) are the most abundant multicellular animals on earth, colonizing virtually every terrestrial, marine and freshwater habitat. While the nematode laboratory model C. elegans is the focus of intense, technically sophisticated research, much less is known about other nematodes, despite their biological importance. Of particular significance are parasitic nematodes, which comprise more than half of the estimated 28,000 nematode species; these parasites have important effects on the biology of their plant and animal hosts, threatening agricultural crops, and causing debilitating human diseases that affect over a billion people worldwide. By promoting interactions and collaborations between C. elegans researchers and investigators of parasitic nematodes, this project will increase awareness among C. elegans scientists of the issues and problems that parasitic nematode researchers face, and will pave the way for application of the powerful molecular and cell techniques developed in C. elegans research to investigations of parasitic nematodes. The planned symposium at the International C. elegans Meeting (Los Angeles June 26-30th, 2013) will provide an exceptional opportunity to reach the majority of C. elegans researchers. Six internationally recognized experts on plant, animal and human parasitic nematodes will speak on the life history and unique biology of parasitic species and on the outstanding issues in their field. In addition to formal education of the C. elegans community, this session will provide time for researchers in the two communities to interact more informally as well. The symposium aims to stimulate C. elegans researchers to think about problems facing the study and control of parasitic nematodes and to apply their expertise toward solving these problems. This session will be particularly valuable for undergraduate and graduate students and post-docs by exposing them to new possible career paths. Funds will also be provided for under-represented minority graduate students to attend the session.