Oxidative stress results from the imbalance between free radical production and cellular detoxification and repair. At large interdisciplinary conferences, presentations addressing oxidative stress tend to be scattered throughout the program, often at concurrent sessions. Those conferences that focus on oxidative stress do so almost exclusively within the contexts of medicine or toxicology. Following a successful First International Conference on Oxidative Stress in Aquatic Habitats in 2012; this award will support portions of the Second International Conference on Oxidative Stress in Aquatic Habitats. Funds will support symposium speakers who integrate the 'omics' into their research programs and will support the conference attendance of U.S. students, postdoctoral associates, and early career scientists.
The conference structure will include three types of working group sessions that will create synergy across disciplines and nationalities and enhance the development of collaborations. The conference design creates a unique opportunity to contribute to the interdisciplinary and global workforce needed for the Genomes - Phenomes Grand Challenge. Summative assessments will provide valuable information about what components of the conference design were most effective at facilitating collaborations and bridging disciplines and nationalities. Support from this award will enable participation by students, postdoctoral associates and early career scientists who self-identify into one or more category of underrepresented status. This will help increase the diversity of the STEM workforce that participates in international collaborations and that is engaged in studying the genome - phenome continuum.
