Conference: 18th International Conference on Arabidopsis Research to be held June 20-23, 2007 in Beijing, China

该项目将为将于2007年6月20日至23日在中国北京举行的第18届国际拟南芥研究会议提供支持。拟南芥作为基因分析的主题已经有四十多年了。全世界有成千上万的研究人员研究这种高度易学的参考植物，它被用于研究植物生物学的几乎所有方面。一年一度的拟南芥研究国际会议（ICAR）汇集了来自这个紧密联系的国际科学界的约1,000名与会者，以交流科学成果并报告该领域的进展。今年，第十八届ICAR将在中国北京九华温泉度假村（http://www.jiuhua.com.cn/enindex.asp）举行。这将是ICAR首次在亚洲国家举行，因此为亚洲国家和西方国家的研究人员之间建立联系提供了独特的机会。会议将包括细胞生物学、细胞信号传导、发育、代谢、蛋白质组学、生物和非生物相互作用、遗传和表观遗传机制、进化生物学、新工具、技术和资源等会议。会议的一个重要组成部分是由大约50位发言者和600多张海报介绍当前的研究。大部分口头报告将由研究生、博士后研究人员和初级教师进行。这将促进学生和博士后的培养，并为入选的演讲者提供重要的职业发展机会。会议更广泛的影响在于它能够加强世界范围内拟南芥研究前沿的信息交流，建立新的网络和合作。会议摘要将在会议网站上公开发布，该网站与拟南芥信息资源（TAIR）网站相连。此外，会议还通过向少数民族科学家提供旅费补贴来促进他们的参与。此外，今年的会议将强调将拟南芥研究扩展到其他植物物种，促进农业植物改良的创新策略。将有许多演讲者的研究不集中在拟南芥作为他们的主要生物。会议更广泛的影响在于它能够加强拟南芥研究前沿的信息交流，建立新的研究网络和合作。会议摘要将在会议网页和TAIR（拟南芥信息资源）上提供，供公众访问这些信息。正在组织一个关于在教室中使用拟南芥的讲习班。将为来自发展中国家的与会者提供旅费补贴，并为代表人数不足的少数民族和来自少数民族服务机构的与会者提供全部会议费用。

This project will provide support for the 18th International Conference on Arabidopsis Research to be held in Beijing, China on June 20 through 23, 2007. Arabidopsis thaliana has been the subject of genetic analysis for more than forty years. Thousands of researchers worldwide study this highly tractable reference plant, which is used to study nearly all aspects of plant biology. The annual International Conference on Arabidopsis Research (ICAR) brings together approximately 1,000 participants from this tightly-linked international scientific community to exchange scientific results and report on progress in the field. This year the 18th ICAR will be held in the Jiuhua Spa & Resort (http://www.jiuhua.com.cn/enindex.asp) in Beijing, China. This will be the first time ICAR will be held in an Asian country, and thus provides unique opportunities for building ties among researchers in Asian countries and the Western countries. The conference will include sessions on cell biology, cell signaling, development, metabolism, proteomics, biotic and abiotic interactions, genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, evolutionary biology, novel tools, and techniques and resources. An important component of the conference is the presentation of current research by approximately 50 speakers and more than 600 posters. The majority of the oral presentations will be by graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and junior faculty. This will promote the training of students and postdocs and provide important opportunities for career development for the selected speakers.The broader impact of the conference lies in its ability to enhance the exchange of information at the forefront of Arabidopsis research world-wide, creating new networks and collaborations. Conference abstracts will be publicly available on the conference Web site, which is linked to the Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR) Web site. In addition, the Conference fosters the participation of minority scientists by providing them with travel subsidies. Furthermore, this year's conference will emphasize extending Arabidopsis studies to other plant species, stimulating innovative strategies for improvement of agricultural plants. There will be many speakers who research does not focus on Arabidopsis as their primary organism. The broader impact of the conference lies in its ability to enhance the exchange of information at the forefront of Arabidopsis research creating new research networks and collaborations. Conference abstracts will be available on the conference webpage and at TAIR (the Arabidopsis Information Resource) providing for public access to this information. A workshop on the use of Arabidopsis in the classroom is being organized. Travel subsidies for conference participants from developing countries and full coverage for all conference costs for underrepresented minorities and participants from Minority Serving Institutions will be offered.