The objective of this proposal is to request funds to support the travel, registration, and hotel expenses of 15 predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows to attend the 2004 Teratology Society Annual Meeting in Vancouver, BC, Canada. This meeting will take place on June 26 to July I, 2004 at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver. It will consist of a two-day education course on signaling pathways and tissue interactions in organ-system development, followed by a five-day conference that includes various symposia, workshops, platform and poster sessions. The encouragement and financial assistance of trainees to attend the Teratology Society meeting is vital for the infusion of enthusiasm and new ideas into scientific discussions. In addition, these individuals will greatly benefit from interaction with leading scientists in birth defects research, in a setting that encourages open exchange of ideas and experimental findings. Symposium topics for the main conference include: RNA interference (RNAi) approaches to the study of normal and abnormal development (March of Dimes Symposium); birth defects and other adverse pregnancy, outcomes due to maternal obesity (Public Affairs Symposium); and neural crest cells in normal and abnormal development (The Wiley-Liss Symposium). Four concurrent mini-symposia will cover: Neurobehavioral outcomes of common exposures; toxicokinetics and metabolism; perinatal epidemiology-spontaneous abortion; and computational systems biology and implications for developmental toxicology. Special workshops will cover: maternal-fetal medicine and teratogen updates on alcohol, pesticides, anticonvulsants, DES, trichloroethylene, and trimethoprin. Invited speakers are selected on their distinction and the importance and relevance of their work to current research in developmental biology and birth defects/developmental disabilities. Many events at the Teratology Society meeting focus on student-fellow participation. A plenary session is devoted entirely to presentations by these trainees, and all trainees, including awardees, will be honored at a luncheon during the conference. In addition, a student reception organized by the Student Affairs Committee encourages exchange of ideas and networking among trainee participants. Funds to help support and encourage student-fellow attendance at the Teratology Society 2004 meeting will enhance the quality of the meeting and the experience of the student attendees.
