The Fourth International Congress of Systematic and Evolutionary Biology will be held at the College Park Campus of the University of Maryland from June 30 to July 7, 1990. The theme of the Congress "The Unity of Systematic and Evolutionary Biology" will bring together an international assemblage of systematists, population biologists, and ecologists, as well as members of the "user community", for which systematics is a critical but undervalued resource (e.g., agroeconomists, government policy specialists, conservationists, and biotechnologists). The Congress will host sessions on a variety of topics, several of which will be devoted to the main themes of: 1) Evolution in Perspective: Biodiversity, Conservation, Biotechnology, and Global Change; 2) Evolutionary Mechanisms and Processes; and 3) Systematics and Phylogenetic Reconstructions. Ten scientific societies will also be sponsoring symposia at the Congress. Dr. Reaka's proposal to the National Science Foundation addresses the critical issue of human resources in systematic and evolutionary biology. NSF support for the Congress will allow graduate students, members of under-represented groups of U.S. scientists, and investigators from lesser-developed countries to attend this important meeting. This travel support will promote international collaborations and enhance the research careers of women and minority scientists in the U.S.
