2020 Multiscale Plant Vascular Biology GRC/GRS, Newry, Maine, June 7-12,2020

2020年6月的戈登研究会议(GRC)“多尺度植物血管生物学”集中在“通过光学方法评估植物血管功能”这一副主题上。会议发言人将重点介绍目前正在部署的新的光学方法，以从细胞、组织、整个植物、景观和全球水平的基因表达水平评估植物的水分获取和移动。这次会议汇集了来自植物用水全领域的研究人员，并允许通常不参加相同会议的研究人员之间进行互动。召集人将分享前沿知识，研究进展，与会者将了解资源(人和想法)，以推动他们自己的研究。在初选会议之前，将有一个戈登研究研讨会(GRS)，旨在针对早期职业科学家和学生，帮助他们发展专业网络和学习该领域的新科学发展。在全球快速变化的时代，GRC和GRS都推进了一门对地球上所有有机体以及社会和政治机构都具有基本重要性的科学。地球上的所有生命都依赖于植物，以将太阳能固定在可用的形式，以及调节影响人类福祉和生存的气候、水和碳循环。这些会议将促进对地球上的水和碳循环以及植物在其中的作用的深入思考。主要的GRC计划包括科学界代表性不足的群体成员和来自不同职业水平的演讲者。在31名讲者中，有4人是副教授，7人是助理教授，4人是博士后助理。演讲者中有16位是女性。在极大的环境变化范围内，维管植物必须补充光合作用过程中叶片失去的水分，并为生长器官提供糖分。植物通过维持木质部和韧皮部与气孔的协调运输，利用一系列复杂的解剖特性、细胞过程，以及通过协调叶、茎和根中的维管特性来实现这一点。在过去的几十年里，人们认识到植物水分运输的重要性，加大了研究力度，而研究植物水分运输的众多尺度意味着研究人员需要聚集在不同的会议上，从而阻碍了跨专业领域的信息交流。考虑到这一点，这次会议聚集了研究植物水力学的研究人员，从基因表达到全球范围的通量。这次会议的目的是：1)在维管植物生物学所涵盖的领域和生物尺度上形成跨学科的互动；2)扩大未被充分代表的群体在所有职业阶段的参与。与整个外地相比，该会议在性别平衡和多样性方面有很好的记录。会议的安排是为了鼓励互动和讨论。它的特色是关于科学中的女性问题的讨论，一个社会项目，以及初级和高级科学家配对的机会，目的是指导和建立专业联系。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。

The June 2020 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) “Multiscale Plant Vascular Biology” concentrates on the subtopic “Assessing Plant Vascular Function Through Optical Approaches.” Conference speakers will highlight novel optical approaches that are currently being deployed to assess plant acquisition and movement of water from the scale of gene expression through cellular, tissue, whole plant, landscape, and global levels. The conference draws together researchers from the full spectrum of perspectives on water use by plants and allows interaction between researchers who typically do not attend the same conferences. The conveners will share cutting-edge state of knowledge research advances and attendees will learn about resources (people and ideas) to advance their own research. Preceding the primary conference, there will be a Gordon Research seminar (GRS) aimed at early career scientists and students to help them develop professional networks and learn new scientific developments in the field. Both the GRC and GRS advance a science that is of basic importance to all organisms and social and political institutions on Earth in an era of rapid global change. All life on Earth depends on plants for fixing solar energy in a usable form, as well as for regulation of climate, water, and carbon cycles that affect human well-being and survival. The conferences will facilitate deep thought on the water and carbon cycles on Earth, and the roles of plants within them. The primary GRC program includes members of underrepresented groups in science and presenters from a range of career levels. Of the thirty-one speakers, four are at the associate professor rank, seven at the assistant professor rank, and four are postdoctoral associates. Sixteen of the speakers are women. Across an exceedingly large range of environmental variation, vascular plants must replace water lost from leaves during photosynthesis, and supply sugars to growing organs. Plants accomplish this by maintaining xylem and phloem transport in coordination with stomata using a complex array of anatomical properties, cell processes, and by coordinating vascular traits in leaves, stems and roots. The recognized importance of plant water transport has increased research efforts over the last several decades, and the multitude of scales over which transport can be studied means that researchers gather at separate conferences; thus impeding information exchange across specialty areas. With this in mind, this conference brings together researchers who examine plant hydraulics from gene expression through to global-scale fluxes. This conference aims to 1) forge interdisciplinary interactions across the range of fields and biological scales encompassed by vascular plant biology and 2) broaden participation of underrepresented groups at all career stages. The conference has a strong track record of gender balance and diversity relative to the field as a whole. The meeting is structured to encourage interaction and discussion. It features a discussion on women’s issues in science, a social program, and an opportunity for junior and senior scientists to pair up with the aim of mentoring and establishing professional contacts.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.