The Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR) holds an annual scientific meeting attended by over 1000 scientists and trainees from the U. S. and other countries. The goals of the meeting are the presentation of state of the art research in reproductive sciences, and providing an optimal environment for scientific dialogue, and for professional development of Trainees. This application is a competing renewal for partial support for the 2003 meeting and the ensuing meetings through 2007. The 2003 meeting will be held in Cincinnati, OH (July 19- 22), at the Hilton Netherland Plaza and Millennium Hotels and Sabin Convention Center and will be hosted by the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Zoo. Support is requested specifically for travel, registration and meeting expenses: a) Keynote speaker; b) one President's Symposium speaker; c) two State-of-the-Art speakers; d) fifteen Minisymposia speakers, who are not SSR members; and e) funds for waiver of registration fee for Minisymposia speakers who are members of SSR. Support is requested also for travel awards for 30 Trainees with documented need and who are not supported by a NRSA. The 2003 meeting will consist of a rich diversity of research topics selected to appeal to a wide range of scientists in the reproductive sciences. The Keynote address will be given by Robert Winston of the London Imperial College School of Medicine. He will speak on the current status of Assisted Reproductive Technology, the benefits and concerns for risk. The President's Symposium is entitled, """"""""Reproduction and the Environment."""""""" Sally Perreault and Louis Guillette will speak on the impact of environmental contaminants on human reproductive health and on the reproductive biology of animal populations. State-of-the-Art lectures will feature a lecture by S.K. Dey on implantation as a memorial to Bruce Moulton and lectures by Paolo Sassone-Corsi and by Benita Katzenellenbogen on the theme of epigenetics. Fifteen Minisymposia, each featuring three speakers (total of 45 speakers), will be held on subjects of current interest to scientists in biomedical, clinical, animal science, wildlife preservation, and environmental sectors. Oral Platform talks (168) and Posters (~430 or more) will highlight individual research contributions by Trainees and others. Trainees also serve as Co-Chairs of Platform sessions. Specific efforts are made to encourage the participation of under-represented minorities in all aspects of the meeting.
