International Symposium of Rice Functional Genomics Conference to be held at Jeju, Korea November 10 - 12, 2008

水稻是世界上最重要的粮食作物之一，也是美国一些州的主要作物。水稻还被用作谷类作物的模型系统，因为它的小基因组已被完全测序，而且还因为它的其他特性便于实验生物学，如易于转化。解开水稻中大约4万多个基因的功能，将对水稻和其他谷物的生物学和育种产生重大影响。国际水稻功能基因组学联盟（http://irfgc.irri.org/）由包括美国在内的10个主要国家的水稻研究人员组成，负责协调所有国际努力实现这一目标。该联盟的一项主要活动是水稻功能基因组学国际研讨会（ISRFG），该研讨会每年在不同的国家举行。ISRFG是水稻基因组学领域最重要的会议，吸引了广泛的国际参与。第六届ISRFG将于2008年11月10日至12日在韩国举行，预计将有来自30个国家的400人参加。本次会议将提供有关水稻功能基因组学研究现状的信息，促进思想交流，合作，以及实现了解所有水稻基因功能的有效策略。NSF提供的资金将用于扩大美国青年科学家的参与。他们参加这次会议将有利于并加强美国利用水稻作为实验系统的研究，以及对其他谷类作物的研究。

Rice is one of the world's most important food crops and a major crop in some U.S. states. Rice is also used as a model system for the cereals because of its small genome that has been completely sequenced and because of other features that facilitate experimental biology such as ease of transformation. Unraveling the functions of the estimated 40,000+ genes in rice will have a significant impact on the biology, as well as breeding, of rice and other cereals. The International Rice Functional Genomics Consortium (http://irfgc.irri.org/) of rice researchers from 10 leading countries including the USA is responsible for the coordination of all international efforts towards this end. A major activity of the Consortium is the International Symposium of Rice Functional Genomics (ISRFG), which is held in a different country each year. The ISRFG is the most important conference in rice genomics and attracts wide international participation. The 6th ISRFG will be held in Korea in November 10 - 12, 2008, and is expected to attract 400 participants from 30 countries. This conference will provide information about the current status of rice functional genomics research, stimulate exchanges of ideas, collaborations, and efficient strategies for achieving the goal of understanding the functions of all rice genes. The funding provided by NSF will be used to broaden participation of young scientists from the US community. Their participation in this conference will benefit and enhance research in the US using rice as an experimental system, as well as research into other cereal crops.