This project supports advancement of the developing fields of ecological and evolutionary genomics through support of the 2009 Gordon Conference on Ecology and Evolutionary Functional Genomics. It will accomplish this through funding the travel costs of about 40 speakers, post-doctoral speakers, post-docs, and graduate students to attend the semi-annual conference. Ecological and evolutionary genomics have wide applicability and importance, but conferences that focus on application of genomic technologies to ecology and evolutionary questions are uncommon in the United States. The conference will provide an important forum for linking scientists and scientific information from diverse disciplines and for sparking research agendas at the frontiers of ecological and evolutionary genomics. Topics at the conference are diverse and include genomics of host-parasite and host-symbiont interactions, evolution of infectious disease, microbial metagenomics, genomics of development and behavior, and sequencing technologies. Additionally, a special session on global change genomics will highlight this important force and genomic approaches to better understanding and managing its effects. The conference is broadly interdisciplinary, and the speakers include a diverse mix of junior and senior scientists, including many women and members of underrepresented groups. The overall structure of the conference is well-designed to promote interactions among participants. Increased participation in the meeting by young scientists will be supported by this project.
