Santa Cruz Meeting on Developmental Biology; August 5-9, 2004; Santa Cruz, CA

要求为将于2004年8月5日至9日在加州大学圣克鲁斯分校举行的2004年发育生物学会议提供资金。以前的圣克鲁斯发育生物学（SCDB）会议为发育生物学家讨论当前的研究提供了一个刺激和集中的论坛。SCDB会议是国际性的，初级教师、博士后研究员和研究生都可以参加。SCDB会议强调发育生物学在机制层面的概念统一，同时涵盖和折衷当前主题的范围。2004年会议的议题包括：模式形成；形态发生与细胞迁移；演变与发展；干细胞;非编码rna;细胞不对称;器官发生;神经系统的发育和疾病演讲者来自植物和动物发展领域。2004年会议将有40-50位讲台演讲者，其中10-15位将从提交给会议组织者的摘要中选出。组织平台会议，以便有充足的时间进行讨论；广泛的讨论时间被认为是以往SCDB会议的最佳特点之一。海报不断展示，会议安排了几次海报会议，以及非正式讨论的时间。2004年的SCDB会议将以本系列以前会议的成功为基础。SCDB会议由加州大学圣克鲁斯分校（UCSC）主持。会议场地的安排使会议平台、海报、住宿和餐饮设施离得很近；UCSC确保残疾参与者的访问。UCSC设置具有成本效益。会议后勤由UCSC会议服务部提供。加州大学圣地亚哥分校距离旧金山湾区不到一个小时的车程；从附近的机场出发很方便，但这个地点足够孤立和舒适，演讲者和与会者往往在整个会议期间都呆在家里。因此，SCDB会议虽然是以Gordon研究会议为模型的，但它有几个额外的优势，使它成为发育生物学社区的一个有价值的场所。学术价值：发育生物学的圣克鲁斯会议已经成为展示和讨论发育生物学领域最新成果的良好场所。与其他同等规模的会议不同，SCDB会议强调跨学科的方法，并且不关注特定的过程或组织。2004年会议的一个主题将是使用比较和进化的方法来理解发展；例如，除了经典的模型系统，会议还将包括软体动物、涡虫和棘鱼的演讲。贸发会议将强调这类研究对发展机制的一般影响。更广泛的影响：2004年SCDB会议将在促进发育生物学研究和培训方面产生更广泛的影响。以前的SCDB会议通过在大学环境中汇集一群积极的研究人员来促进合作研究。预计2004年会议也将促进新的合作。以前的SCDB会议在加强培养发育生物学领域的研究生、博士后研究员和初级教员方面也产生了更广泛的影响。SCDB会议的规模和组织允许所有与会者展示他们的研究并充分参与讨论。SCDB会议的与会者还定期包括来自主要科学期刊的代表。积极参加会议和接触该领域的杰出科学家都是科学家在其职业生涯早期阶段的重要培训目标。

Funding is requested for the 2004 Santa Cruz meeting on Developmental Biology, to be held 5-9 August 2004 at the University of California, Santa Cruz, California. Previous Santa Cruz Developmental Biology (SCDB) meetings have provided a stimulating and focused forum for discussion of current research by developmental biologists. SCDB meetings are international in scope and are accessible to junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students. SCDB meetings emphasize the conceptual unity of developmental biology at the level of mechanism, while covering and eclectic range of current topics. The topics for the 2004 meeting include: pattern formation; morphogenesis and cell migration; evolution and development; stem cells; non-coding RNAs; cellular asymmetry; organogenesis; development of the nervous system, and disease. Speakers are invited from both plant and animal development fields. The 2004 meeting will have 40-50 platform speakers, of which 10-15 will be chosen from abstracts submitted to the meeting organizers. Platform sessions are organized to allow ample time for discussions; the extensive discussion periods have been cited as one of the best features of previous SCDB meetings. Posters are continuously displayed and several poster sessions are scheduled in the meeting, as well as time for informal discussions. The 2004 SCDB meeting will build on the success of previous meetings in this series. SCDB meetings are hosted by the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). The conference site is arranged so that platform sessions, posters, accommodation, and dining facilities are in close proximity; access for disabled participants is ensured by UCSC. The UCSC setting is cost effective. Conference logistics are provided by UCSC Conference Services. The UCSC campus is within an hour's drive of the San Francisco Bay Area; travel from nearby airports is simple, but the site is sufficiently isolated and pleasant that speakers and participants tend to stay in residence for the entire meeting. Thus, the SCDB meeting, although modeled on a Gordon Research Conference, has several additional advantages that have made it a valued venue for the Developmental Biology community.Intellectual merit: The Santa Cruz meetings on Developmental Biology have become a well established venue for presentation and discussion of current results across the field of developmental biology. Unlike other comparably sized meetings, SCDB meetings emphasize interdisciplinary approaches, and are not focused on specific processes or organisms. One theme of the 2004 meeting will be the use of comparative and evolutionary approaches to understanding development; for example, in addition to classical model systems, the meeting will include presentations on mollusks, planarians, and stickleback fish. The SCDB meeting will emphasize the general implications of such studies for developmental mechanisms.Broader impact: The broader impacts of the 2004 SCDB meeting will be in fostering developmental biology research and in training. Previous SCDB meetings have stimulated collaborative research by bringing together an eclectic group of active investigators in a collegial setting. It is anticipated that the 2004 meeting will likewise foster new collaborations. Previous SCDB meetings have also had broader impact in enhancing the training of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty in the field of developmental biology. The size and organization of SCDB meetings allows all attendees to present their research and to fully participate in discussions. SCDB meeting attendees also regularly include representatives from major scientific journals. Active participation in meetings and exposure to prominent scientists in the field are both important training goals for scientists in the early stages of their careers.