The Gordon Research Conference on Epigenetics is the premier venue for presenting new developments in one of the most exciting areas of the biological sciences today. Started in 1995 and now meeting for the seventh time, this conference has earned an international reputation for generating new research avenues as well as fostering progress in the more established areas of epigenetics. The conference has achieved this level of success by consistently providing a unique setting for bringing together a diverse group of scientists, and by cutting across boundaries of organism and methodology, to expand the frontiers of epigenetics research. In 2007 the conference will be co-chaired by mammalian biologist Anne C Ferguson-Smith of University of Cambridge, and plant geneticist Steve Jacobsen at the University of California Los Angeles, both leaders in the field of epigenetics and long time participants of this conference. The study of epigenetics leads to an understanding of genome function. In recent years, epigenetic analysis has revealed some of the most extraordinary forms of gene regulation and quickly become one of the most exciting research areas in genetics and developmental biology. Even as genome projects are providing the complete nucleotide sequence of organism after organism, researchers are turning to the field of epigenetics to understand how that sequence is interpreted in the context of the cell or the organism. Epigenetic modifications such as methylation of the DNA and posttranslational modification of core histones affect the organization and packaging of the chromosome. That these chromosomal marks are both dynamic and heritable leads to epigenetics being one of the most intriguing aspects of biology with a wide range of implications for development, disease and natural variability. It has become clear that epigenetic processes encompass an impressive diversity of mechanisms including RNA-mediated gene regulation, DNA methylation, identification of new pathways in gene control, inheritance of expression states as mediated by RNAs and proteins, cellular and nuclear organization, and response to environmental cues. The richness and versatility of these biological processes has been elucidated through the study of a wide range of diverse organisms and this conference prides itself on its inclusiveness and its respect for the exchange of ideas and value of learning from the full range of model systems.
Broad Impacts of the proposed activity: This conference has always placed a strong emphasis on the prominent participation of young investigators, as it is this group that so often defines the leading edge of research efforts. The organizers strive to attract students and postdoctoral fellows to the field and promote the careers of students, postdoctoral fellows, and new principal investigators, by involving them in both the oral and poster presentations. Many established members of the research community consider their first attendance at this meeting to be a career turning point, and it is hoped that similar opportunities are extended to the next generation of young colleagues via this conference. Concerted efforts are being made to support women scientists and to include participants of racial/ethnic backgrounds that are underrepresented in science. The Epigenetics Gordon Conference has a history of supporting women scientists and there are many women principal investigators in this field. For the 2007 conference, ~30% of the confirmed speakers thus far are women. In 2005, 46% of the total attendees were women, and at least this level of overallrepresentation is expected in 2007. This conference serves as an investment in the future of basic and applied research. Perhaps most importantly, it will launch the careers of young scientists in this frontier area.
