Conference: Society for Developmental Biology Annual Meetings 2023-2025

生物学中的一个关键问题是：单个受精的卵细胞是如何产生成年生物体的所有不同细胞类型、组织和器官的；是什么遗传、分子和细胞机制控制着这一过程？发育生物学领域解决了这个自古以来就令人类感兴趣的问题。在这一领域工作的科学家研究了各种生物，从细菌到无脊椎动物，再到脊椎动物，包括人类，还有植物。他们使用最新的技术和方法来回答他们的具体问题。世界各地的许多研究人员从这类研究中获得的知识丰富了我们对发育过程的理解，也为提高地球上生物有机体的健康和福祉的实际应用提供了基本基础。自1939年以来，发育生物学学会(前身为发育与生长研究学会)的年会一直是北美及其他地区发育生物学家报告发现、交流思想和建立合作的主要论坛。尖端技术已将该领域带入基因组时代，使研究人员能够在发育过程中询问单个细胞，并获得细胞和分子运动的高分辨率图像。这类研究还提供了关于细胞或组织在疾病状态下如何变化的信息；以及为什么一些组织能够再生，而另一些组织不能。这些新技术还提高了人们对伦理实践的认识；可持续发展委员会年会为理性讨论提供了重要场所，并提供了培训下一代发育生物学家的机会。发育生物学学会(SDB)拟召开的三次年会的目标是继续为全世界发育生物学及相关领域的科学家提供主要的会议场所。会议将包括全体会议和并行会议，由经验丰富的和新的调查人员进行演讲，专门的海报会议以及关于特别和当前感兴趣的专题的讲习班/圆桌会议。将从提交的摘要中选择多个演讲，以确保广度并鼓励新的和多样化的投入。为了与SDB的教育使命保持一致，这些计划还包括为受训人员和终身教职前教师举办的专业发展研讨会、博士后座谈会和为所有人提供的网络机会。这次会议的一个独特特点是希尔德·曼戈尔德博士后研讨会，在那里，两名博士后研究员审查来自他们同行的合格摘要，选出前七八名进行简短演讲，并共同主持研讨会。他们在SDB主席的指导下进行同行评议和会议主持，这对这些初级科学家来说是一个绝佳的职业发展机会。可持续发展委员会的会议计划是面对面的，但基于在CoVID大流行期间发展起来的虚拟会议经验，平台会议的录音将在会议结束后短期内提供给那些不能亲自出席的人，但需征得发言者的许可。虽然观众无法与演讲者进行现场交流，但他们可以通过电子邮件与演讲者联系，提出问题。SDB致力于为所有与会者提供一个欢迎、包容和尊重的环境，鼓励坦率的思想交流，并鼓励未来的合作。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。

A key question in biology is: “How does a single, fertilized egg cell produce all the different cell types, tissues and organs of the adult organism; what genetic, molecular and cellular mechanisms regulate this process?” The field of developmental biology addresses this question that has intrigued humans since ancient times. Scientists working in this field study various organisms, ranging from bacteria to invertebrates to vertebrates, including humans, and also plants. They use up-to-date techniques and methodologies to answer their specific questions. Knowledge acquired from such studies by numerous investigators around the world enriches our understanding of developmental processes, and also provides a fundamental basis for practical applications that enhance health and wellbeing of living organisms on this planet. Since 1939 the annual meetings of the Society for Developmental Biology (previously Society for the Study of Development and Growth) have been the major forum for reporting discoveries, exchanging ideas and establishing collaborations among developmental biologists in North America and beyond. Cutting edge technologies have moved the field into the genomic era, allowing investigators to interrogate single cells during development and obtain high resolution images of cellular and molecular movements. Such studies also provide information about how cells or tissues change in disease states; and why some tissues are able to regenerate while others cannot. These new technologies have also raised awareness of ethical practices; the SDB annual meetings have provided an important venue for rational discourse, as well as opportunities to train the next generation of developmental biologists. The goal of the three proposed annual Society for Developmental Biology (SDB) meetings is to continue to provide the primary meeting venue for scientists in developmental biology and related fields world-wide. Meetings will comprise plenary and concurrent sessions with talks by seasoned and new investigators, dedicated poster sessions and workshops/roundtables on topics of special and current interest. Multiple talks will be selected from submitted abstracts to ensure breadth and encourage new and diverse inputs. In keeping with SDB’s educational mission, the programs also include professional development workshops for trainees and pre-tenure faculty, postdoctoral symposia and networking opportunities for all. A unique feature of this meeting is the Hilde Mangold Postdoctoral Symposium, where two postdoctoral fellows review eligible abstracts from their peers, select the top seven/eight for short talks and co-chair the symposium. They practice peer review and session chairing under the mentorship of the SDB president, an outstanding career development opportunity for these junior scientists. The SDB meetings are planned to be in-person but building on virtual meeting experience developed during the COVID pandemic, recordings of platform sessions will be made available for a short period post meeting, with permission of the speakers, for those who could not attend in-person. While viewers will not be able to have live exchanges with speakers, they may contact the speakers via email with questions. SDB is committed to providing a welcoming, inclusive and respectful environment for all meeting participants, to encourage frank exchange of ideas and to inspire future collaborations.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.