Intellectual Merit: The Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology (FASEB) conference on Genetic Recombination and Genome Rearrangements will be held July 21-26, 2013 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Genetic recombination plays a key role in molding genome structure and maintaining genome integrity in all organisms. DNA damage can be produced by environmental agents or by endogenous processes, most notably by errors and mechanistic failure during chromosome replication. Genetic recombination, both homologous and non-homologous, repairs this damage. These repair events have the potential to create genetic change, and chromosome rearrangements caused by inaccurate repair are often associated with the transition to cancer. For sexual reproduction, homologous recombination ensures proper chromosome disjunction during meiosis and generates genetic diversity. Programmed chromosomal rearrangements generate diversity in cells of the immune system, as well as in disease-causing microorganisms. While considerable progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms and biological consequences of genetic recombination, much remains to be learned regarding the underlying mechanisms and regulation of this fundamental biological process, and the conference is devoted to progress towards this goal. Topics to be covered include biochemistry and mechanisms of recombination, connections between replication, repair and recombination in eukaryotes and prokaryotes, meiosis, genome rearrangements and evolution, and maintenance of genome integrity.
Broader Impacts: Progress in any scientific field is fostered by communication between researchers, and this is an important aim of the conference. It will assemble about 200 investigators who study diverse aspects of recombination, in a range of biological systems and with different experimental approaches. All attendees give platform or poster presentations covering new and unpublished work, and there is ample opportunity for discussion from all participants. An abstract book will provide abstracts and participant contact information, to facilitate interaction beyond the time frame of the meeting. Progress also requires the incorporation of researchers who are new to a field. Special efforts are made to include young investigators and members of underrepresented groups, including women; for many, this will be their first opportunity to present. To further promote this goal, one in six platform slots are allocated to talks selected from abstracts, and are expected to be directed to young investigators. A "Meet the Experts" session is dedicated to fostering interaction between speakers and other attendees, especially graduate students and postdocs. In addition, travel scholarships will be used to encourage participation by young investigators, trainees and by members of underrepresented groups.
FASEB SUMMER CONFERENCE, STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO Genetic Recombination and Genome Rearrangements July 21-26, 2013 Organizers: Chair: Wolf Dietrich Heyer Co-Chair: Michael Lichten The FASEB meeting "Genetic Recombination and Genome Rearrangements" has occurred every other year since 1985, with 2013 being the 15th assembly in the series. The meeting brings together a very broad, international, and interdisciplinary group – with expertise ranging from Genetics to Structural Biology – interested in these topics. The conference facilities provided an excellent environment for interactions throughout the meeting, during formal presentations, poster sessions, meals and informal gatherings. The intimate format of the meeting, which included a large number of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior and senior scientists, allowed for frequent and cordial discussions between all participants. Forty-seven speakers were invited to present talks, in addition to one keynote speaker. Fourteen additional talks were solicited on the basis of submitted abstracts. These talks were arranged by topic during the eight formal sessions and one keynote address. Sixteen (34%) of the invited speakers were women, a group that included 4 of the 8 session chairs. Overall, 30% of the invited speakers were new and had not presented at the Genetic Recombination and Genome Rearrangements meeting since at least 2009. Most of these were at or below the Assistant Professor level, continuing a traditional commitment to providing speaking opportunities for younger scientists. Three poster sessions with 80 poster presentations in total were very highly attended, an outcome facilitated by the conference schedule. This allowed for increased discussions and information transfer among attendees. A bound volume containing the abstracts of the invited speaker presentations and poster presentations arranged by sequence facilitated the viewing and further enhanced interactions. Eight formal sessions and one keynote address were held. The formal sessions were entitled: 1) Biochemistry of recombination and mechanisms, 2) Replication, repair and recombination in eukaryotes, 3) Eukaryotic recombination genetics, 4) Genome rearrangements and evolution, 5) Meiosis, 6) Replication, repair and recombination in prokaryotes, 7) Maintenance of genome integrity, and 8) Recombination mechanisms. The formal sessions were held in the morning and late afternoon, with a single evening session. Formal presentations within the sessions were kept relatively short, providing more time for discussions and decreasing the fatigue sometimes associated with longer sessions. This also left the participants energized for the evening poster sessions. An outstanding keynote address by Stephen Kowalczykowski from the University of California, Davis was delivered on the evening of the first day. Per FASEB’s policy, a "Meet the Experts" session was held, which was highly successful. Learning from previous experience, the session was reorganized as an extended 2 hour lunch on Tuesday. Lunch tables were organized by the 8 sessions with all speakers of a particular session being present at the dedicated tables. Participants self-selected, which table they wanted to join, and engaged in stimulating free-flowing discussions over lunch and beyond. Feedback from the participants about this format was very positive. Discussions during each of the formal sessions were energetic and featured broad participation. The enthusiasm for this meeting venue was reinforced by a vote of participants during the business session on the last day and is reflected in the survey. An astounding 94.3% of the respondents plan to attend the next meeting and would recommend this meeting to others. Notably, only a single respondent (1%) would not recommend this meeting to others. The survey reflected that the participants continue to view this conference as the top venue for the field. The major programmatic suggestion was to provide the infrastructure to have all posters be displayed throughout the entire conference, and the organizers of the next conference are committed to realize this suggestion. While the venue received high ratings for its quality and convenience, there was general disappointment about the quality of the food. Overall the surveys indicate a high degree of satisfaction with the scientific program and organization as well as significant enthusiasm to continue this meeting in the current format and scientific orientation. The business meeting was held at the end of session 7. There was unanimous agreement to hold the next conference in the summer of 2015, and the group voted for Steamboat Springs as their first choice for the 2015 meeting. The organizing chair for the next meeting will be this year’s co-chair Dr. Michael Lichten, from the National Cancer Institute. Next year’s co-chair will be Dr. Tanya Paull from the University of Texas, Austin. Both organizers are very highly respected members of our field and energetic participants in past meetings. Wolf-Dietrich Heyer, Ph.D. Chair Michael Lichten, Ph. D. Co-Chair
