Conference: 2018-2020 Rustbelt RNA Meetings

该奖项将支持早期职业研究人员参加将在俄亥俄州哥伦布(2018年10月26日至27日)、俄亥俄州克利夫兰(2019年)和宾夕法尼亚州匹兹堡(2020年)举行的锈带RNA年度会议。会议涵盖的主题包括RNA生物学的方方面面。这种形式是演讲和海报的结合，旨在促进正式和非正式环境中的科学交流。其他活动，包括讲习班和小组讨论，将为职业生涯早期的科学家提供专业发展和指导机会。将有足够的机会分享最新的研究成果和建立联系。近年来，RNA科学的各个领域都取得了突破，包括表转录组、RNA介导的调控、非编码RNA和RNA结合蛋白的功能表征，以及全基因组、多学科的方法来破译细胞和生物分化和发育的基础网络。即将举行的会议将涵盖这些主题的全部范围，并吸引区域参与，为学生和高级研究人员提供学习和分享与RNA有关的研究的机会。与会者将接触到新的概念发展以及新的工具，包括计算、生化和生物物理方法。会议已经并将继续促进来自不同类型和规模的机构的不同科学家之间的合作。这次会议的一个标志将继续是本科生、研究生和博士后学生的大力参与。奖学金和专门的招聘工作将旨在鼓励来自代表性不足群体的科学家参加。这次会议的目的是让学生(通常是第一次)接触到在国家会议上看到的研究的广度和质量，同时保持一个友好的、非正式的气氛。这些特点，加上会议的可及性和可负担性，使其成为中西部地区的无价资产。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award will support attendance by early career researchers at the annual Rust Belt RNA Meetings to be held in Columbus, OH (October 26-27, 2018); in Cleveland, OH (2019); and in Pittsburgh, PA (2020). The topics covered by the meetings include all aspects of RNA biology. The format is a combination of talks and posters, which aims to promote scientific exchange in both formal and informal settings. Additional activities, including workshops and panel discussions, will provide professional development and mentoring opportunities for early-career scientists. There will be ample opportunity for sharing latest research results and for networking. Recent years have witnessed breakthroughs in diverse areas of RNA science, including the epi-transcriptome, RNA-mediated regulation, functional characterization of non-coding RNAs and RNA-binding proteins, and genome-wide, multi-disciplinary approaches to decipher the networks that underlie cellular and organismal differentiation and development. The upcoming meetings will encompass the full scope of these topics and draw regional participation to provide students and senior researchers with opportunities to learn and share RNA-related research. Attendees will be exposed to new conceptual developments, as well as new tools, including computational, biochemical and biophysical approaches. The meeting has and will continue to foster collaborations among diverse scientists from institutions of various types and sizes. A hallmark of the meeting will continue to be strong participation by students at undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral levels. Scholarships and dedicated recruiting efforts will be aimed at encouraging attendance by scientists from underrepresented groups. This meeting serves to expose students (often for the first time) to the breadth and quality of research seen at national meetings, while preserving a welcoming, informal atmosphere. These qualities, in combination with the meeting's accessibility and affordability, make it an invaluable asset to the Midwest region.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.