The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Visual System Development is a biennial meeting that brings together investigators utilizing invertebrate and vertebrate animal models to study the development, disease, and evolution of the visual system. Over the years, this meeting has provided an exciting and unique forum in which to explore the similarities-and differences- between vertebrate and invertebrate visual systems. The goal of this GRC is to foster an appreciation of common principles that mediate the construction and function of the visual system in diverse organisms and to share the latest exciting new ideas and concepts. In addition, this coming meeting will enlarge its emphasis on disease; the goal is to encourage classically trained developmental biologists to consider turning their tools and approaches to issues of disease. The format of the GRC meetings provides a highly interactive and stimulating venue for cross-fertilization of ideas and for developing new collaborations. The scientists who share a common interest in the development of this sensory system, but who work on diverse model systems from flies to mammals, have few other opportunities to interact scientifically, because other relevant professional meetings are focused on either a specific organism (e.g., the Drosophila meeting, the Zebra fish meeting) or a much broader field (e.g., the Society for Neuroscience, the Association for Research on Vision and Ophthalmology). The Visual System Development GRC has established a reputation as the leading conference in its field. The current proposal requests funds to help defray the travel and conference fees for US scientists. In the selection of speakers and discussion leaders' careful attention has been paid to gender and ethnic diversity and to the inclusion of scientists at various stages of their careers, all of whom have exciting new work to share with their colleagues. ? ? ?
