Arabidopsis thaliana has been the subject of genetic analysis for more than forty years. Currently thousands of researchers worldwide work with this highly tractable reference plant, using it to study nearly all aspects of plant biology. The plant research community has responded to the challenge of exploiting the complete genome sequence of Arabidopsis with an ambitious functional genomics program, driving the discovery of Arabidopsis gene functions and, by extension, gene functions in all plants. A key component in the synergistic interactions among Arabidopsis research laboratories is the opportunity to meet and share scientific results with colleagues from around the world at the annual International Conference on Arabidopsis Research (ICAR). The 19th annual ICAR, to be held July 23-27, 2008, in Montreal, Canada, is anticipated to draw over 1000 delegates from countries around the world. The participation of graduate students, postdoctoral associates, and beginning investigators will be fostered through travel awards to attend the conference. The funding provided by NSF will be used to broaden participation of young scientists from the US scientific community and from developing countries. Conference program and abstracts will be publicly available on the conference website, which is linked to the Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR) website (www.arabidopsis.org).
