Dissemination of recent scientific findings on modern biodiversity research, including molecular phylogenetic studies, has been a hallmark of the Missouri Botanical Garden's annual fall symposium on Systematics. These two to four day gatherings bring together ca. 400 researchers and students, in a program of public lectures, informal meetings, and opportunities to use the library and herbarium of this large botanical institution. Publication of the formal presentations, usually within one year of the meeting, increases the impact of the event and makes available to a worldwide audience these latest findings. Topics for the next five years include: 1990, Biogeographic relationships between Africa and South America; 1991, Computer databases in systematics; 1992, Structure of biological populations and evolution; 1993, Andean biogeography; and 1994, Origin and phylogenetic relationships of the major plant groups. Senior researchers in the field as well as young investigators are typically included in the roster of speakers, thus encouraging a new generation of scientific study in systematics.
