The Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR) holds an annual scientific meeting attended by over 1000 scientists and trainees from research institutes and centers, university laboratories, medical schools, and clinics located in the U.S. and more than 30 other countries. The threefold goal of every meeting is 1) to present state-of-the-art research in the reproductive sciences in an environment that 2) encourages scientific dialogue and 3) promotes the professional development of trainees. Each meeting consists of plenary and state-of-the-art lectures by world-class scientists,15 minisymposia (with 3 speakers in each) focusing on subjects of current interest to scientists in biomedical, clinical, and animal science as well as those in wildlife preservation and environmental sectors. Oral platform talks (144) and posters (~450 or more) highlight individual research contributions by established researchers and trainees. These presentations are based on abstracts submitted online, each of which is reviewed by two or more members of the Program Committee. Abstracts submitted in competition for awards are reviewed also by the SSR's Awards Committee. This application is a competing renewal for partial support for the 2011 meeting and the ensuing meetings through 2013. The 2011 meeting will be held at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon;the 2012 meeting will take place on the campus of Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania;and the 2013 meeting will be at the Palais des Congr?s in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Support is requested specifically for travel, lodging, and meeting expenses for 1 Keynote speaker, 3 President's Symposium speakers, 1 State-of-the-Art speaker, and 15 Minisymposium speakers who are not SSR members, and funds for waiver of meeting expenses for 20 Minisymposia speakers who are SSR members. Support is requested also for travel grants for 100 trainees with documented need and who are not supported by an NRSA. For the 2011 meeting, it is anticipated that SSR will continue to offer CME credits under the joint sponsorship of SSR and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). Also, participation of underrepresented minorities is encouraged in all aspects of the meeting, the highlight being a Minority Affairs Committee-sponsored plenary lecture and reception. In designing this program, the Program Committee has incorporated translational research and clinical applications wherever possible. Exchange lectures with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the Society of Reproduction and Fertility (SRF), and the Society for Gynecological Investigation (SGI) will emphasize recent reproductive health care advances. The Program Committee has also ensured topic, gender, race, and geographic balance in designing this program. The SSR meeting provides an atmosphere of learning and collaboration with the goal of generating new knowledge and solutions in reproductive medicine, public health, agriculture, and conservation that will benefit mankind.
The Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR) seeks to be the international leader in promoting the integration of basic, applied, and translational research in reproductive biology and fostering interdisciplinary communication by reproductive biologists around the world. SSR prides itself in being a Training Society, encouraging and fostering the participation of students who will become the next generation of scientists. Each year, the SSR Annual Meeting generates new knowledge and solutions that address world-wide problems such as infertility in humans and in domestic and wild animal species, pregnancy risk, contraception, and the impact of the environment on reproductive health.
