Support is requested to enhance the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB). This annual meeting is the nation's principal forum for scientists and clinicians involved in basic and applied research in ingestive behavior. Two mechanisms are proposed: 1) establishment of young investigator awards to provide financial support for outstanding United States graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to attend the annual meeting and present their research findings; 2) establishment of an NIH sponsored symposium to inform the membership of important technical and conceptual advances in related fields. This symposium will permit SSIB to invite established investigators from other fields who are not currently SSIB members to present their latest work to our membership and interact with the members throughout the annual meeting. These programs will: 1) foster the development of young investigators in the field of ingestive behavior research, 2) increase the overall profile of ingestive behavior research and, 3) translate into new basic knowledge and improved clinical practice in such diverse areas as obesity, eating and metabolic disorders, and cardiovascular regulation.
