Midwest Auditory Research Conference

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Abstract Since 2005, the Midwest Auditory Research Conference (MARC) has provided an inclusive, accessible, and cost-effective venue to bring together scientists, clinicians, and trainees who share the common goal of advancing auditory and vestibular research. The most recent MARC was held in 2019 at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, and it was a great success with 156 in attendance, including 81 trainees. The next MARC is the 9th in the series and will be held at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor from June 23 – 25, 2022. The 9th MARC aims to provide a collegial and diverse forum for exchanging the latest ideas, techniques, and results related to auditory and vestibular research and translation, to foster collaborations, and to advance the scientific and professional training of the next generation of auditory and vestibular researchers. In addition, a key focus of the 9th MARC is to attract and engage a diverse set of attendees and to promote diversity in the field. To that end, travel awards will be reserved for trainees from underrepresented groups and the conference will be heavily advertised at Midwest universities serving large, underrepresented populations. Furthermore, the Friday evening event, at the University of Michigan Museum of Art, will feature a panel of experts on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion who will lead a group discussion on how to advance diversity in the field. The conference format will include podium and poster sessions, as well as professional development and networking opportunities. Each podium session will be anchored by a keynote speaker. Confirmed keynote speakers include: Ruth Anne Eatock, Maria Geffen, Gwenaelle Géléoc, Elisabeth Glowatzki, Matthew Kelley, Barbara Shinn-Cunningham, and Larry Trussell. In addition, an eighth podium session will focus on translation, featuring invited speakers from academia and from companies who are developing therapies to treat hearing and balance disorders. Half or more of the remaining podium slots are reserved for postdoctoral fellows, residents, and graduate students, who will be selected from the abstract submissions. The podium and poster sessions will cover a broad range of research topics relevant to the NIDCD mission, ranging from cellular/molecular biology in the cochlea to psychoacoustics and translational research, and will feature a diverse group of speakers. Breakfast, lunch, and coffee breaks will be provided to increase the number of informal opportunities for trainees to interact with PIs. A professional development session for trainees will focus on career paths and will feature representatives from industry, academia, and federal science administration. Outcomes from the conference will be assessed with an end-of-conference survey that will be provided during breakfast on the final day of the meeting. All attendees will receive a digital directory of conference participants to encourage the continuation of interactions that begin at the MARC.