The 8th meeting of the International Workshops on Opportunistic Protists (IWOP 8) will be held with the International Conference on Anaerobic Protozoa (ICAP) in Hilo, Hawaii July 25-29, 2003. This Workshop series focuses on the AIDS-related opportunistic protists, Pneumocystis, Cryptosporidium, Toxoplasma, microsporidia as well as the free living amoebae. The goals of the Workshops, sponsored by The Society of Protozoologists, were first set at the initial Workshop held in Bristol, U.K., 1988 and remain generally the same: a free exchange of information facilitated by open admission to the meeting and rapid publication of the proceedings. The organisms discussed at these scientific meetings are responsible for much of the morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals. Although meetings sponsored by other organizations have had special sessions on one or several of these opportunistic pathogens, the Workshops on Opportunistic Protists have become the primary mechanism by which many investigators gather to obtain comprehensive information that focuses only on these eukaryotic pathogens. This is the one cross-disciplinary meeting in which most major research groups working on these organisms participate. The rapid publication of the proceedings resulting from these workshops in The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology ensures efficient dissemination of up to date information on these pathogens and the diseases they cause. One of the outstanding features of the Workshops is that participation (presentations by platform or poster) is open to anyone wishing to present their findings; the only requirement being registration and attendance. Another is the use of the Workshops as a forum to make community decisions on matters such as gene and species nomenclature. Previous NIH-funding of these Workshops has been used to promote participation by young investigators, minorities, and students by issuance of travel awards and remains a primary budgetary item in the present proposal. Additional support is requested for the rentals and supplies necessary to ensure a high quality meeting. For the first time in the history of the Workshops, specific and widespread advertisements for minority travel awards targeting students and young investigators will be implemented. We hope to not only increase diversity in this manner, but also foster the entrance of young investigators into these fields. The site of the meeting, Hilo Hawaiian International Hotel, is handicap accessible and adheres to all regulations and guidelines governing handicap access. The joint sponsor is the University of Hilo, Hawaii. The organizers of IWOP 8 reflect the population diversity of the USA and the meeting attendees: Cushion, Kaneshiro, Marciano-Cabral, and Mead are females; Lindsay and Weiss are males. Mead's and Cushion's ancestors include native Americans; Marciano-Cabral is Hispanic; Kaneshiro has Pacific-Asian ancestry; Lindsay, Weiss are white. Lindsay is a physically handicapped individual. ? ?
