description) Funds are requested to provide partial support for the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Reproduction for each of five years beginning in 1998. Specifically, funds are requested to support the following traditional aspects of each meeting: 1) three State-of-the-Art Lectures given by distinguished scientists on cutting edge research germane to basic and clinical reproductive biology; 2) the President's Symposium consisting of three invited speakers whose focus is on a newly emerging area of interest to reproductive biologists; 3) twelve minisymposia (36 speakers) designed to provide coverage of a wide array of subjects in the field; and 4) travel awards for trainees (pre- and postdoctoral level) who are non-NRSA recipients. The program content for each meeting will reflect the cooperative efforts between the Society and the NICHD to ensure that the meeting is relevant and responsive to NICHD scientific program goals. In 1998, the State-of-the-Art Lectures will be given by three internationally-recognized scientists: Dr. Jan-Ake Gustaffson, Karolinska Institute, Sweden, will discuss the physiology and molecular biology of estrogen receptor B; Dr. Don Wolf will present the historical and present and future status of cloning of mammalian species; and Dr. Lonnie Russell will discuss recent advances in spermatogonial transplantation. The President's Symposium will highlight the role of leptin in regulating reproduction. Drs. Douglas Foster, Robert Steiner and L. Arthur Campfield will provide an overview of the functional relationships among leptin, energy balance and reproduction. The mechanism of action of Leptin on the neuroendocrine circuitry will be addressed. In addition, minisymposia (4 per day within a 90 minute time slot) will allow three speakers on a related area of interest to present and discuss their data. The general program design of the meeting facilitates interaction between scientists and trainees; the majority of papers presented as 12 minute platform talks or in poster sessions are given by trainees. Travel awards will enable many more trainees to attend the SSR meeting than otherwise would be possible due to limited laboratory funds.
