GORDON CONFERENCE ON DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

请求为1999年戈登发育生物学研究会议(伊丽莎白·罗伯逊和芭芭拉·迈耶共同组织者)提供部分支助。戈登会议长期以来一直被认为是发育生物学的主要会议，吸引了大约150名杰出的资深和初级科学家参加，讨论了发育和细胞分化领域的最新进展。戈登发育生物学研究会议在其近30年的历史中的一个主要优势是，它故意跨越了各种各样的实验系统。选定的发言者不仅代表了一些最活跃的群体，而且也代表了有能力就自己的主题和其他主题进行有益讨论的个人。会议的理念不是试图简单地讨论这一领域，而是挑选出特别活跃或有希望的领域。九个主要会议中的每一个都旨在介绍在各种不同生物体的发展过程中重要的特定现象类别。通过将从事不同发育系统和实验方法的科学家聚集在一起，陈述和讨论自然会导致对结果进行更关键的分析，以及关于潜在机制的新问题。戈登会议的第二个主要优势是它的地理位置与世隔绝，让与会者在五天的讨论中保持密切联系，而不会受到附近滑雪场或城市的干扰。会议形式将包括简短的演讲(15-20分钟)，然后是讨论(至少10分钟)，主题从早期轴形成和细胞信号到进化和基因调控。很大一部分会议时间将保持不用，直到会议时间临近时，以确保在会议上介绍最新出现的工作。通过充分利用正式讨论和非正式互动，戈登发育生物学会议应有助于界定该领域的现状和未来。

Funds are requested for partial support of the 1999 Gordon Research Conference on Developmental Biology (Elizabeth Robertson and Barbara Meyer co-organizers). This Gordon Conference has long been recognized as the major meeting in Developmental Biology, bringing approximately 150 outstanding senior and junior scientists for discussions of the recent advances in the field of development and cell differentiation. A major advantage of the Gordon Research Conference on Developmental Biology over its nearly three decade history is that it intentionally spans a wide variety of experimental systems. The speakers chosen represent not only some of the most active groups, but also individuals with the capacity to generate useful discussion of their own and other topics. The concept of the meeting has been not to try to cover the field thinly, but to pick areas of exceptional activity or promise. Each of the nine major sessions are designed to present specific classes of phenomena important in the development of a wide variety of different organisms. By bringing together scientists working with different developmental systems and experimental approaches, the presentations and discussions naturally lead to a more critical analysis of the results, as well as new questions about the underlying mechanisms. A second major advantage of the Gordon Conference is its geographical isolation, keeping participants in close proximity for five days of discussion without the distractions of nearby ski-slopes or cities. The conference format will consist of short talks (15-20 minutes) followed by discussion (10 minutes minimum), on topics ranging from early axis formation and cell signaling to evolution and gene regulation. A significant fraction of the session time will be kept uncommitted until near the time of the conference to assure that the latest-emerging work can be presented at the meeting. By maximizing both formal discussion and informal interactions the Gordon Conference on Developmental Biology should help to define both the present state and future of the field.