This award will provide support for the 4th Annual Microbial Observatories and Microbial Interactions and Processes (MO/MIP)PI Meeting and Workshop: "Recent Advances and Prospects for Microbial Discovery Science" to take place in Washington DC, March 1-3, 2007. The two aims of this meeting and workshop are:
1. To present the important scientific advances that have emerged from projects funded by the Microbial Observatories and Microbial Interactions and Processes Program, and
2. To discuss the important work that lies ahead with advances in molecular biology, genomics and bioinformatics, and cultivation technologies heralding a new age of exploration of the microbial world.
Participants in this meeting will include the PIs, co-PIs, postdoctoral associates and graduate students funded by this program as well as observers from the NSF and USDA, and a group of participants from the United Kingdom Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC's) Marine and Freshwater Microbial Biodiversity program. This will provide an excellent opportunity for scientific exchange and fostering of new collaborations. New insights will result from comparison of datasets and findings from the wide range of projects funded by this program. Products to result from the conference include an abstract book, meeting report, and preparation of a proceeding volume from the meeting.
