2019 International Gap Junction Conference (IGJC), July 27-31, 2019; Victoria, B.C., Canada

这项提案将支持年轻教师、代表性不足的少数族裔科学家以及研究生和博士后参加2019年7月27日至31日在加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省维多利亚市维多利亚会议中心举行的2019年国际缝隙连接会议(IGJC)。这次会议将包括4次全体会议、大量的简短演讲、海报会议、社区餐饮和对话，这将为分享最新研究成果和探索合作可能性提供充足的机会，类似于戈登研究会议的背景。自1974年以来，IGJC每两年举行一次，主要在北美和欧洲之间交替举行，确实是唯一一次将不同的国际基础科学研究人员聚集在一起的会议，这些社区专注于连接蛋白和连接蛋白，这两种蛋白分别构成缝隙连接和连接蛋白膜通道。这一主题非常重要，因为细胞间的直接通信对多细胞生物体细胞的发育、分化和动态平衡的各个方面都至关重要。为了更好地理解细胞在生理学和病理学上的行为，需要更好地理解这一重要细胞-细胞通道的复杂生物学。通常，会议吸引了大约200名与会者，其中约80-100人来自美国，约三分之一的PI和三分之二的实习生参加。申请的资金将用于免除美国研究生、博士后、初级科学家和三名美国主旨演讲者的全部或部分注册费。特别要求提供财政援助，以帮助代表不足的少数群体--其中一些人过去曾参加过这些会议。NSF的资助将在会议网站和名单服务器电子邮件上宣布，并将允许更多的年轻科学家，例如女性和自我宣布的少数族裔参加。吸引源源不断的年轻研究人员参加这次会议，对于支持未来对这一重要研究领域的持续兴趣非常重要。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This proposal will support attendance of young faculty, under-represented minority scientists, along with graduate students and post-docs at the 2019 International Gap Junction conference (IGJC) held July 27-31, 2019 at the Victoria Conference Center in Victoria, BC, Canada. The meeting will consist of 4 plenary talks, a large number of short talks, poster sessions, communal dining, and conversations that will provide ample opportunity for sharing latest research results and for exploring collaborative possibilities similarly to the setting of Gordon Research Conferences.The IGJC has been held every 2 years since 1974, alternating mostly between North America and Europe, and really is the only meeting that brings together a diverse international community of basic science researchers that focus on connexins and pannexins, the proteins that comprise the gap junction and pannexin membrane channel, respectively. The topic is highly important as direct cell-to-cell communication is crucial to cells of multi-cellular organisms for all aspects of development, differentiation, and homeostasis. A better understanding of the complex biology of this important cell-cell channel will be needed to better understand cellular behavior in both, physiology and pathology. Typically, the meeting draws approximately 200 participants with about 80-100 from the US split about one-third PI and two-thirds trainees. Requested funds will be used to waive all or part of the registration fees for US-based graduate students, postdocs, junior scientists and three US-based keynote speakers. Financial assistance to assist under-represented minorities -several of which have attended these meetings in the past- is specifically requested. NSF funding will be announced on the conference web site and by list-server email and will allow more young scientists, e.g. female and self-declared minorities to attend. Drawing a consistent stream of young investigators to this conference is important as to support a continuous interest in this important research field in the future.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.