The first Gordon Research Conference (GRC) dedicated to the Auditory System will take place from June 29 - July 4, 2008 at Colby-Sawyer College, New London, New Hampshire. Deafness, auditory impairment, or tinnitus are major health issues affecting more than 10% of the population in the US. Impaired auditory processing is also associated with major developmental brain disabilities including developmental dyslexia, which is estimated to affect 10-15% of children in the US. The past decade has seen major progress in understanding the basic biological mechanisms of hearing and auditory system plasticity, in determining the genetic basis of deafness in humans, and in characterizing the deficits in auditory processing that are associated with developmental dyslexia and other developmental and communicative disabilities. One of the major challenges now lies in translating the detailed knowledge the field has gained from animal and human studies into effective treatment strategies. The major goal of the Auditory System GRC is to bring together world-leading auditory scientists and junior investigators to present and discuss current key issues in the field of auditory science. The Auditory System GRC fills the need for a relatively small-size and interdisciplinary meeting that will provide a forum for intense cross-disciplinary discussion in an informal setting. This will encourage innovative cross-disciplinary collaborations, help to identify critical key issues that need to be addressed in future research, and facilitate the formulation of new conceptual frameworks on both a basic science as well as on a translational level. To strongly encourage the participation of junior scientists, the Auditory System GRC will be accompanied by a Gordon-Kenan Graduate/Postdoc Research Seminar (GKGRS) on auditory neuroscience. The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on the Auditory System will bring together world-leading auditory scientists and students to provide an interdisciplinary forum that will foster the translation of knowledge that the auditory field has gained from animal studies into effective treatment strategies for humans. ? ? ? ?
