Recent advances in genomics and molecular biology are making it possible for the first time to study the relationship between genes and behavior. To catalyze progress in this area, the Third Gordon Research Conference on Genes and Behavior is being organized (24-29 February 2008, at Barga, Italy). Funds received from NSF will be used to engage the active participation of a strong cohort of U.S. graduate and postdoctoral students in this conference by helping defray their travel and meeting costs. The Conference will focus on topics at the interface of animal behavior, neurobiology, genetics, molecular biology, ecology and evolutionary biology with an emphasis on the integration of molecular genetics, biotechnology and the behavioral sciences. Many of the speakers are current or past recipients of awards from the NSF Modulation program. All of the invited speakers and discussion leaders are highly regarded experts in their fields, and they were selected by the Conference Chair in consultation with a conference program committee and an ad-hoc committee of advisors. The Conference will provide a forum for the latest research linking genes to behavior, and should help identify gaps in knowledge and new strategies for promoting the integration of genomics and behavioral biology. Although graduate students and postdocs are the lifeblood of progress in science, they typically do not have access on their own to the funds required to attend a conference like this.
