2019 International Gap Junction Conference (IGJC), July 27-31, 2019; Victoria, B.C., Canada

该提案将支持年轻教师，代表性不足的少数民族科学家，沿着研究生和博士后出席2019年7月27日至31日在维多利亚，不列颠哥伦比亚省，加拿大的维多利亚会议中心举行的2019年国际间隙连接会议（IGJC）。 会议将包括4个全体会议，大量的简短会谈，海报会议，公共用餐，和对话，这将提供充分的机会分享最新的研究成果，并探索合作的可能性类似于戈登研究会议的设置。IGJC自1974年以来每两年举行一次，主要在北美和欧洲之间交替，也是唯一一次将国际上不同的基础科学研究人员聚集在一起的会议，这些研究人员专注于连接蛋白和泛连接蛋白，这两种蛋白质分别构成了差距连接和泛连接蛋白膜通道。该主题非常重要，因为直接的细胞间通讯对于多细胞生物体的细胞发育，分化和稳态的各个方面至关重要。为了更好地理解生理学和病理学中的细胞行为，需要更好地理解这一重要的细胞-细胞通道的复杂生物学。通常情况下，会议吸引了大约200名与会者，其中大约80-100人来自美国，大约三分之一的PI和三分之二的受训人员。申请的资金将用于免除美国研究生、博士后、初级科学家和三位美国主旨发言人的全部或部分注册费。特别要求提供财政援助，帮助代表人数不足的少数群体-其中有几个少数群体过去曾参加过这些会议。 国家科学基金会的资助将在会议网站上公布，并通过列表服务器的电子邮件，并将允许更多的年轻科学家，如女性和自我宣布的少数民族参加。 吸引一批年轻的研究人员参加这次会议是非常重要的，因为这有助于支持未来对这一重要研究领域的持续兴趣。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This proposal will support attendance of young faculty, under-represented minority scientists, along with graduate students and post-docs at the 2019 International Gap Junction conference (IGJC) held July 27-31, 2019 at the Victoria Conference Center in Victoria, BC, Canada. The meeting will consist of 4 plenary talks, a large number of short talks, poster sessions, communal dining, and conversations that will provide ample opportunity for sharing latest research results and for exploring collaborative possibilities similarly to the setting of Gordon Research Conferences.The IGJC has been held every 2 years since 1974, alternating mostly between North America and Europe, and really is the only meeting that brings together a diverse international community of basic science researchers that focus on connexins and pannexins, the proteins that comprise the gap junction and pannexin membrane channel, respectively. The topic is highly important as direct cell-to-cell communication is crucial to cells of multi-cellular organisms for all aspects of development, differentiation, and homeostasis. A better understanding of the complex biology of this important cell-cell channel will be needed to better understand cellular behavior in both, physiology and pathology. Typically, the meeting draws approximately 200 participants with about 80-100 from the US split about one-third PI and two-thirds trainees. Requested funds will be used to waive all or part of the registration fees for US-based graduate students, postdocs, junior scientists and three US-based keynote speakers. Financial assistance to assist under-represented minorities -several of which have attended these meetings in the past- is specifically requested. NSF funding will be announced on the conference web site and by list-server email and will allow more young scientists, e.g. female and self-declared minorities to attend. Drawing a consistent stream of young investigators to this conference is important as to support a continuous interest in this important research field in the future.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.