This conference will be held at Stonehill College in Easton Massachusetts from August 7-12, 2011. The conference is known for its cutting edge science and breadth of coverage, providing a forum for the exploration of a wide range of epigenetic phenomena and epigenetic regulatory mechanisms in numerous model organisms, as well as humans. By stressing the presentation of unpublished data, the conference will facilitate the exchange and dissemination of information that will help move the field into new areas of inquiry, employing the latest methods and technologies. This year the conference will have 9 sessions: 1-Epigenetic mechanisms I: DNA methylation; 2- Environment, aging, memory and behavioral epigenetics; 3 Epialleles and epigenetic inheritance; 4- Developmental programming and reprogramming; 5- Epigenetic mechanisms II: RNA-mediated heterochromatin formation and gene rearrangement; 6- Epigenetics and disease; 7- Gene dosage control mechanisms; 8- Epigenetics and the genome: position-effects, replication and nuclear organization; and 9- Instructing the next generation through DNA imprints and RNA signaling.
Broader Impacts In addition to invited, established investigators who are leaders in the field, the conference program developed by the organizers of the 2011 Epigenetics Gordon Research Conference includes a substantial number of young investigators who are new to the conference and whose exciting work expands the frontiers of the field. Registration and/or travel support will be made available to attendees from domestic minority-serving institutions. Sixteen (33%) of the confirmed speakers and discussion leaders for the 2011 conference are women.
The Gordon Research Conference on EPIGENETICS was held at Stonehill College, Easton, MA August 7-12, 2011. The Conference was well-attended with 199 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 199 attendees, 101 voluntarily responded to a general inquiry regarding ethnicity which appears on our registration forms. Of the 101 respondents, 22% were Minorities – 3% Hispanic, 17% Asian and 2% African American. Approximately 45% 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 In designing the formal speakers program, emphasis was placed on current unpublished research and discussion of the future target areas in this field.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. Thank you for your support of this Conference. As you know, in the interest of promoting the presentation of unpublished and frontier-breaking research, Gordon Research Conferences does not permit publication of meeting proceedings.
