This Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Neuroethology emphasizes the need for descriptions of behaviors, their underlying neural mechanisms, and ecological constraints to be described in a language comprehensible across disparate science and engineering communities. Understanding gene selection of behavioral traits within populations is of major concern to those investigating the development of behaviors and brain circuitry. Computational strategies describing complex interactions and genetic manipulations provide new insights into neuronal pathways mediating behaviors. The study of motor actions and behavior inspires engineers to develop innovative biomimetic tools. These exciting avenues into neuroethological research are major themes of this conference. Inclusion of underrepresented minorities is a requirement of the GRC Organization. Specific steps are being taken to include Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities. Advertising to ensure the strong participation by women and minorities will be strenuously pursued by the Chair and the two vice Co-Chairs, one of whom is a woman. Announcements target membership of the Association of Women in Science and Women in Neuroscience. Graduate students are being targeted by direct contact with predoctoral programs that recruit trainees through the Minority Access to Research Careers Program. At the last GRC on Neuroethology, 35% of the participants were women and 10% under-represented minority groups, attesting to this type of outreach. In this 2005 Conference 20 of the 44 speakers/session leaders will be women, a significant increase over past conferences. Estimates from the previous two conferences shows underrepresented minority trainees increasing to 15% of conferees. Concerted efforts to recruit attendance of Hispanic and African American ensures that during participant selection minority participants will be selected. It should be stressed that, as in the two previous GRC Conferences on Neuroethology, when the attendees are selected from the pool of applicants, principles of affirmative action with respect to minority groups, women, and junior scientists will be used as criteria. The dormitories, dining facilities, and poster-viewing/discussion facilities of Magdelen College, the conference venue, are accessible to persons with disabilities, as is the Lecture Theater. As in previous conferences, in the event of there being sufficient funds underrepresented minorities are considered first when assigning travel reimbursements to trainees. This GRC is designed to Promote and Develop Teaching Skills. The Conference Chair is also Chair of the University of Arizona's Center for Insect Science (CIS) Interdisciplinary Graduate Program and Co-Director of the Postdoctoral Excellence in Research and Teaching [PERT], a program specifically aimed at underrepresented minorities. He is committed to challenging teachers at all levels with emergent ideas and findings. While GRCs emphasize developments in basic research, attention given to the interdisciplinary nature of the field and the intense debate characterizing GRCs are of major long-term benefit to conferees in their role as present and future University teachers. Another goal of this GRC is to enhance Infrastructure for Research and Education through Interdisciplinary Collaboration. This GRC on Neuroethology uniquely brings together those working in Ecology, Population Genetics, Animal Behavior, Brain Sciences, Engineering, and Computer Sciences. The Conference will foster an intense atmosphere of intellectual exploration leading to long term collaborations at many levels. Such collaborations, and translational research arising from them will support, amongst others, development of neuromorphic circuits and systems for robotic exploration, remote sensing, and prosthetics.
