The Thermal Biology Institute at Montana State University will host Thermophiles 2011 at the Huntley Lodge in Big Sky, Montana, September 11-16, 2011. The objectives of the meeting are to: 1) bring together all active members of the community of scientists, technologists and educators that study thermophiles to share and review discoveries and progress in thermophilic research across disciplines and applications; 2) provide a forum for young investigators to be introduced to peers and senior scientists from academia, national labs and private industry; 3) expedite opportunities for collaboration across disciplines and applications; 4) host the conference in the United States for the first time in fifteen years. This gathering of researchers who conduct basic and applied research on thermophiles is needed to foster interactions that will be fruitful in future scientific discoveries. Thermophiles 2011 will highlight recent advances and new discoveries in thermopile metabolism which is greatly expanding our knowledge of microbial activities and diversity on earth. The proposed meeting topics include: Genomics and Metagenomics, Evolution and Origin of Life, Applied Science of Thermophiles, Diversity and Ecology, Genetic Mechanisms and Tools, Environmental Adaptations, Physiology and Metabolism, Mobile Genetic Elements
Broader Impacts: The international and local organizing committees have been deliberate in their efforts to broaden participation in Thermophiles 2011. Attention has been given to inviting women, underrepresented minorities, early career investigators and PhD students to participate in the Conference.
. The conference was the 11th international meeting with the continuing goal to share and review discoveries and progress in thermophilic research across disciplines and applications. The conference was quite successful in providing a multi-disciplinary forum to explore emerging areas in the field and included a wealth of opportunities for the exchange of ideas and building of collaborations, particularly for students and young investigators. Over 200 people involved in thermophiles research attended the meeting. The conference provided 15 sessions that included over 60 talks on topics that included genomics and metagenomics, ecology, physiology, metabolism, genetics, evolution, viruses, and applications. Speakers included senior researchers, junior faculty, post-docs and students. The conference also included two poster sessions. The conference sessions were designed to include a breadth of scientific experience, from senior researchers to early career scientists and students. The conference organizers made a deliberate effort to in the planning of sessions to encourage networking and collaboration of conference attendees. The broader impacts of such an event are to promote and foster collaboration, in addition to the presentation of the latest research and applications. It was quite appropriate that the 2011 conference was held just outside Yellowstone National Park, home to over half of the world's thermal features. Conference attendees were afforded a guided field day in Yellowstone National Park, with an opportunity to visit research sites and hear lectures from Montana State University's Thermal Biology Institute, whose members are among the foremost researchers in the focused biology and chemistry of the geothermal environments of this unique ecosystem.
