Global changes due to increasing temperatures and greater variation in climate and precipitation patterns will have major (negative) impacts on food, fuel and fiber production in the United States and globally. Water deficit and salinity are two of the most important environmental stresses affecting agricultural systems, with water deficit from drought being the leading cause of loss in agricultural productivity. The 2018 Gordon Research Conference on Salt and Water Stress in Plants, which takes place June 2 - 8 in Waterville Valley, NH, USA, will bring together specialists from across the globe who study how plants survive droughts, floods, and salinity stress. The emphasis of the conference is to foster translation of in-depth knowledge of plant stress tolerance mechanisms into agricultural applications. The participants and speakers are at the forefront of the integration of basic knowledge and new technology with agriculture to alleviate the negative impacts of climate change on food production. The Salt and Water Stress of Plants Gordon Research Conference has a reputation for allowing participants to share their work and ideas prior to publication, thus stimulating innovation and more rapid transfer of knowledge into agricultural practice. The conference is also renowned for bringing together scientists from all parts of the globe and highlighting female/underrepresented presenters. A pre-conference seminar will engage graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, ensuring that our future scientists are keenly aware of the issues facing world food security.
The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Salt & Water Stress in Plants provides a biennial opportunity for effective exchange of unpublished information and ideas between molecular biologists, physiologists, breeders, policy-makers and industrial representatives from all over the world. It facilitates interactions that are essential for translation of laboratory discoveries to field trials. The 2018 theme will emphasize translating our understanding of abiotic stress responses and tolerance of plants to practical agricultural advances. Planned activities will foster interactions among a diversity of scientists working in plant biology and agriculture on the urgent challenge of plant abiotic stress. A 1.5 day Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) designed specifically for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers will precede the main program. This award will support participants in both events, with a commitment to promoting gender balance and enhancing participation of individuals from underrepresented groups.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
