This regional symposium will be held May 20 through May 22, 2004 at Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO. The symposium will bring together plant biologists from twelve neighboring states in the Mid West Rocky Mountain region to discuss strategies for establishing collaborative research projects in plant genomics. Four invited speakers will present talks that combine a research seminar with practical tactics for organizing, submitting and managing multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary projects. The expected 50-70 participants will have ample opportunity to interact informally during breakout sessions with speakers, NSF representatives and with each other.
The goal of the symposium is to initiate discussion and planning for increased participation in large multi-institutional or multi-disciplinary projects. A projected outcome of the symposium will be to increase EPSCoR state involvement in collaborative proposal submissions to NSF. The symposium is not restricted to EPSCoR state participants, however. The organizers plan to include non-traditional institutions, such as tribal colleges and other schools providing education to under-represented groups. Thus, the symposium will serve a broad group of participants. A web site will be established and maintained following the symposium to facilitate ongoing planning and communication among participants.
