This Pan-American Advanced Studies Institutes (PASI) award, jointly supported by the NSF and the Department of Energy (DOE), will take place in Juquehy, Sao Paulo, Brazil, April 27 - May 4, 2005 on the topic of "Model Organisms and Innovative Approaches in Developmental Biology." The course will take place shortly before the Second International Meeting of the Latin American Society of Developmental Biology (LASDB) at the same site, and participants will be encouraged to take advantage of the LASDB meeting to establish further ties with researchers. The institute will be a significant collaborative training event with the participation of 16 distinguished scientists, 15 graduate students from the United States and 15 from Latin America.
The course will expose the students to the fundamental questions and latest research tools used in developmental biology. The lecturers were selected primarily for the excellence of their research in their respective fields and willingness to continue collaborative efforts after the course. In addition, the PASI will feature discussion of research using Latin American indigenous organisms to promote more collaborative research and studies of Amazon and Atlantic rainforest biodiversity, and motivate placing developmental biology in a larger context.
