Meeting: Predator-Prey Interactions Evolution of Form and Function (GRC January 29-February 4th, 2022 in Lucca Italy)

该奖项将扩大参与2022年戈登研究会议（GRC）的捕食者-猎物相互作用，直接支持历史上被排斥的群体成员的出席，那些在本科或少数民族服务机构服务的人，以及早期职业研究人员。在会议上，与会者将参加许多正式和非正式的指导活动，包括为期两天的戈登研究研讨会（GRS），向研究生和博士后研究人员开放。这些活动的目的是提高支持与会者的研究的曝光率，促进与更资深的知名研究人员的互动和合作。除了要求所有参与者在GRS展示研究成果外，在主GRC还有8个展示机会，这些机会是为该奖项支持的参与者预留的。最后，与会者将被邀请在一本特刊上撰写来自会议讨论小组的主题的手稿，从而使合作能够在会议后继续进行。因此，该奖项促进了更多样化的早期职业研究人员群体的科学和专业发展，否则他们很可能无法参加。自2014年以来，戈登捕食者-猎物相互作用研究会议每两年举行一次，这些会议产生的见解和新颖的研究论文推动了捕食者-猎物相互作用领域的发展。鉴于捕食在动物物种和生态系统中的普遍和关键重要性，本次会议的目标是促进从进化和生态学到野生动物管理到神经生物学和生物医学等学科之间的思想交流。这次跨学科会议产生了各种新颖的方法、观点和出版物。2022年的会议将侧重于从功能整合、进化的角度理解表型和适合度之间的关系。因此，这将需要我们对动物形态、设计和策略的理解取得突破性进展，这些都是在各种环境中代表最佳解决方案的方法。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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 award will broaden participation at the 2022 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Predator-Prey Interactions by directly supporting the attendance of members of historically excluded groups, those serving in undergraduate or minority-serving institutions, and early career researchers. At the conference, attendees will participate in numerous formal and informal mentoring events, including a two-day Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) open to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. These events are designed to enhance the exposure of supported attendees’ research and promote interaction and collaboration with more senior established researchers. In addition to requiring all attendees to present research at the GRS, there are 8 presentation opportunities at the main GRC that have been set aside for attendees that are supported by this award. Lastly, attendees will be invited to lead manuscripts in a Special Issue publication with topics derived from the conference discussion groups, formalizing the process through which collaborations can continue post-conference. As such, this award enhances the scientific and professional development of a more diverse group of early-career researchers who would otherwise most likely not be able to attend. The Gordon Research Conference on Predator-Prey Interactions has occurred bi-annually since 2014 and the insights and novel research papers produced from these conferences have advanced the field of predator-prey interactions. Given the pervasive and critical importance of predation across animal species and ecosystems, the goal of this conference is to foster cross-pollination of ideas among disciplines from evolution and ecology to wildlife management to neurobiology and biomedicine. This interdisciplinary meeting has resulted in a variety of novel approaches, perspectives, and publications. The 2022 meeting will focus on understanding the relationship between phenotype and fitness from a functionally integrative, evolutionary perspective. As such, it will entail path-breaking advances in our understanding of animal forms, designs, and strategies that represent optimal solutions in a variety of environments.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.