The biennial Gordon Research Conference on Chromosome Dynamics will be held at Mount Snow Resort, West Dover, VT from July 10-15, 2011. This conference brings together researchers studying different aspects of chromosome biology. It is unusual in its broad scope, including genome structure, chromosome interactions and segregation, chromatin, telomere/centromere biology, epigenetics, DNA replication and repair. Unlike more specialized conferences, it seeks to foster communication among diverse investigators studying different aspects of chromosome dynamics. In addition to covering diverse areas of chromosome biology, the conference has traditionally featured biophysical approaches to structural and functional aspects of chromosome biology and this year's session, "Views of Chromosomes and Chromosomal Proteins" features speakers on state-of-the-art microscopy and single-molecule studies and other emerging technologies. For the first time, the 2011 conference will feature a session on "Genomic Structure and Evolution", an important feature of chromosome biology.
Broader Impacts The Gordon Research Conferences stress a highly interactive scale and format, with ample opportunity for intense discussion of current findings and ideas. This conference format allows new investigators, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students to have the opportunity to present their work in several venues (platform talks and poster sessions) and to interact with the many of leaders of the field. Two talks in each session have been reserved for speakers to be chosen from the submitted abstracts, allowing postdoctoral fellows and graduate students the opportunity to present their work, some for the first time. The program has been designed to represent the diversity of the field and 44% of the confirmed speakers are women. The conference will benefit both established and new investigators by providing an exposure to areas outside their specific fields and by providing interactions with some of the most thoughtful and innovative members of the field.
INTELLECTUAL MERIT: This award provided funding for the 2011 Gordon Research Conference on Chromosome Dynamics, which brought together researchers who study different aspects of chromosome biology. It was unusual in its broad scope and interdisciplinary character. Unlike more specialized conferences, it sought to foster communication among diverse investigators studying different aspects of chromosome dynamics. Participants benefited from detailed discussions of works with a wide array of different organisms. Almost all of the participants presented their ongoing, unpublished research in talks or in poster presentations. In addition to covering diverse areas of chromosome biology, the conference featured biophysical approaches to structural and functional aspects of chromosome biology and this year’s session, "Views of Chromosomes and Chromosomal Proteins" featured speakers on state-of-the-art microscopy and other emerging technologies. This interdisciplinary nature of the conference and the excellence of the speakers made this conference into one of the premiere gatherings of the field. BROADER IMPACTS: The Gordon Research Conferences stress a highly interactive scale and format, with ample opportunity for intense discussion of current findings and ideas. The developed conference format allowed new investigators, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students to have the opportunity to present their work in several venues (platform talks and poster sessions) and to interact with the many of leaders of the field. Two talks in each session were reserved for speakers that were chosen from the submitted abstracts, allowing postdoctoral fellows and graduate students the opportunity to present their work, some for the first time. The program was designed to represent the diversity of the field and participants included women and under-represented minority groups. The conference benefited both established and new investigators by providing an exposure to areas outside their specific fields and, with its small scale, by providing interactions with some of the most thoughtful and innovative members of the field. Last Modified: 09/07/2011 Submitted by: Susan T Lovett The Gordon Research Conference on CHROMOSOME DYNAMICS was held at Mount Snow Resort, West Dover, Vermont, July 10-15, 2011. The Conference was well-attended with 158 participants (attendees list attached). The attendees represented the spectrum of endeavor in this field coming from academia, industry, and government laboratories, both U.S. and foreign scientists, senior researchers, young investigators, and students. Of the 158 attendees, 72 voluntarily responded to a general inquiry regarding ethnicity which appears on our registration forms. Of the 72 respondents, 16% were Minorities – 1% Hispanic, 15% Asian and 0% African American. Approximately 41% of the participants at the 2011 meeting were women. In designing the formal speakers program, emphasis was placed on current unpublished research and discussion of the future target areas in this field. There was a conscious effort to stimulate lively discussion about the key issues in the field today. Time for formal presentations was limited in the interest of group discussions. In order that more scientists could communicate their most recent results, poster presentation time was scheduled. Attached is a copy of the formal schedule and speaker program and the poster program. In addition to these formal interactions, "free time" was scheduled to allow informal discussions. Such discussions are fostering new collaborations and joint efforts in the field.
