Meeting: Workshop on Plant Development and Drought Stress, to be held November 5-8, 2017 at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, CA.

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Part 1. Non-technical abstract:This project will promote interactions and information exchange among biologists using different scientific approaches to resolve how plants grow and develop and those studying how plants respond to drought stress. These interactions will take place at the second Workshop on Plant Development and Drought Stress, to be held November 5-8, 2017 at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, CA. This is a novel meeting of two scientific communities that normally attend separate conferences. Plant developmental biology is the study of how plants grow and produce different structures, such as roots, leaves, flowers and seeds that are critical to the economic value of crops. Plant development is regulated by many environmental factors, including moisture availability. Drought is a serious environmental stress that causes major crop loss. Plants adjust their development in response to environmental factors such as drought stress to improve their chances of survival and reproduction. Understanding the mechanisms by which plant development is regulated in response to drought could help produce crops better adapted to maintain productivity under moisture limitation. This project involves a relatively small meeting in a secluded location, producing an intimate atmosphere conducive to discussion of new ideas and emerging concepts, as well as developing professional networks. In addition, ample time will be devoted to presentations from early career, women and underrepresented minority scientists. A meeting summary will be submitted to a prominent scientific plant journal for dissemination to the wider scientific community. Part 2. Technical abstract:This is an important and novel scientific conference where the intersections of plant developmental biology and drought stress responses are explored through talks, poster sessions, and intensive scientific discussion. Leading researchers from academia, industry and government agencies present cutting edge research directed towards a fundamental understanding of how intrinsic and external signals regulate plant growth and development, how plants respond to drought stress, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding of how moisture status impacts development. This meeting will cover broad areas of plant development and stress, including roots and shoots, morphology, physiology, hormone biology, epigenetics and biomechanics. Examples of successful translation of fundamental research into improved crop performance will also be featured. The conference will promote education of diverse scientists at all career levels (graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, beginning and established investigators) from both the public and private sectors. Presentations include invited speakers, poster presentations and talks chosen from submitted abstracts. The conference will be advertised widely and participation by underrepresented minority and female scientists will be strongly encouraged. Conference results will be disseminated via abstract books provided to meeting participants or by request, and through a written summary of meeting highlights published in a leading plant scientific journal.