2015 Epigenetics Gordon Research Seminar



 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Epigenetics is a highly popular biennial conference that was established at the beginning of a rapidly growing and intensely investigated field. The science presented at this conference has focused on the myriad of ways in which genome responds, in a stable a heritable manner, to environmental changes. The mechanisms behind the phenomena observed and reported at this meeting, only now becoming superficially understood, define what are now embraced as "epigenetic processes". The Epigenetics GRC has been a cauldron for generating such paradigm shifts because of its restricted attendance coupled with its novel insistence that studies in a variety of organisms be broadly represented. It is this unusual mix of organisms, systems, and seemingly disparate phenomena that have made this conference particularly fruitful in propelling the field forward. An inherent problem in long-standing conferences, regardless of their diversity of systems and science, is the tendency for the participants to become less diverse and more insular over time. For this reason we are applying for NIH funds to support student and post-doc attendance at a two day Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) that will precede the 2015 Epigenetics GRC. The GRS will be organized, chaired, and largely run and attended by graduate students and post-docs who are currently engaged in epigenetics research. The majority of GRS participants are expected to attend the following GRC, and all applicants will be strongly encouraged to do so. The goals of the Epigenetics GRS are several: 1) to attract and maintain a more diverse group of young scientists into the field as it continues to expand; 2) to allow these young scientists to present their research to their peers in a less-intimidating environment and "prime" them for more direct participation in the subsequent conference; 3) to provide a social environment for interactions that will naturally develop into professional peer networks as they progress in their research careers; and 4) provide a workshop on how the successful development of research-oriented career goals can be achieved. The GRS program will match the Epigenetics GRC's historical insistence on diversity in system/organism representation, which will also provide the participants with the exposure to the variety of ideas, perspectives, and techniques that this conference provides-with the exposure provided by their own peers. Though targeted advertisements, a highly diverse group of young scientists will comprise the discussion leaders, speakers, and audience, which will both enhance the diversity of the subsequent GRC, and also increase the future diversity of researchers in this exciting field. The Epigenetics GRC has always been a highly dynamic conference, and the proposed GRS will help maintain that dynamism by recruiting and energizing a new generation of epigeneticists.