? ? This proposal seeks funding for a workshop called Vasculata, to be held at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from August 6-9, 2007. Vasculata is jointly sponsored by the University of North Carolina Cardiovascular Biology Center and NAVBO (North American Vascular Biology Organization). This fourday workshop seeks to give a more intensive overview of vascular biology than found in an average university curriculum, but more tailored to trainees than the typical meeting. As participants we target individuals in a trainee status, particularly graduate students, medical students, and post doc fellows, but undergraduates and junior faculty have also participated. We have recruited speakers from the vascular biology community with international reputations in the field, to speak about their research and give relevant background. Thus the dissemination of information via speaker talks and poster sessions is important. This workshop seeks to educate the students in many aspects of vascular biology, but specific emphasis is placed on how blood vessel development and function impacts the mechanisms of many diseases, and how new technologies are changing the field of vascular biology. Thus the goal of this workshop is to promote the exchange of scientific information among speakers, and to highlight the discipline of vascular biology and encourage more young investigators to focus their studies on cardiovascular diseases. This is the 4th year that Vasculata is offered to the vascular biology community, and it is held at universities so housing costs are affordable and registration fees are low. The grant will provide essential funding to cover travel awards for participants and expenses for speakers. We are particularly interested in reaching out to minority participants and providing them with full scholarships. (End of Abstract) ? ? ?
