The symposium "Structure, Development and Phylogeny of Cranial Nerves" is highly focused on innervation patterns and embryonic origins of the various functional components of the cranial nerves. There is considerable research in this area, and there has not been a major symposium bringing the diversity of findings together. This will be accomplished by bringing various comparative vertebrate biologists together to provide a forum for the presentation of new findings and to be able to compare differences in cranial nerves among the various lineages. This should lead to a better interpretation of homology. The results of the symposium will be published and widely distributed---this may be even more important than the discussion at the symposium itself. The program does include two graduate students and their support is worthwhile.
