Biology of the Inner Ear: Experimental and Analytical Approaches

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application proposes a course centered on the biology of the inner ear that is to be taught by a team of highly qualified scientists and clinicians during a two-week period in August 2007 at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. The course has adapted the intensive and focused approach that typifies other challenging and highly successful MBL courses to the specific needs of auditory and vestibular research. The course will recruit a mix of talented young scientists at graduate and postdoctoral levels and more established scientists from other research areas and provide them with instruction and hands-on laboratory training in cutting-edge techniques and many specialized methods that can present sizable barriers for individuals who wish to enter into investigations of the inner ear. Through lectures, research seminars, roundtable discussions, and informal interactions during two weeks when students and instructors will work side-by-side in the laboratory, the course will foster the development of the students as investigators, emphasizing not just what is known, but also the opportunities for important discoveries, innovative new approaches, and the translation of those discoveries into meaningful improvements in health care. The course is designed to expand the pipeline of gifted, highly motivated scientists entering the field; provide instruction that will challenge them and help them undertake independent, rigorous, and original research; introduce novel ideas and approaches; facilitate the establishment of innovative and productive collaborations; advance the pace of scientific discovery; and lead to the translation of more discoveries into meaningful improvements in the lives of persons affected by hearing and vestibular disorders. This proposal presents a request for a short intensive lecture-laboratory based course on the application of experimental and analytical approaches to study the Biology of the Inner Ear. Students will learn to appreciate the clinical manifestations of the diseases of the auditory and vestibular systems and the potential for conducting research that may improve the lives of patients. One of the aims of this course is to attract young investigators to research in this important area with a goal of developing therapies and cures.