Plants grow and develop in ways that are fundamentally different from animals. An understanding of plant development is therefore important for solving problems in basic biology (e.g. what developmental strategies have evolved in life on Earth) as well as applied biology (e.g. how can plant growth be manipulated to enhance productivity in marginal soils). Currently, only a rudimentary understanding of the molecular mechanisms that plants use to grow and develop properly has been achieved. This research conference, entitled "Mechanisms in Plant Development", is devoted to disseminating and discussing the recent findings from many of the leading investigators in the field of plant developmental biology. The emphasis will be on comparing diverse approaches and experimental systems to uncover the common molecular mechanisms employed by plants to accomplish their developmental programs. The conference will bring together researchers engaged in studying a broad range of developmental problems and using different methodologies. To stimulate interactions, the sessions are organized by developmental topic, rather than by the experimental organism or approach employed. The conference is expected to provide the participants with an up-to-date view of the field, to enhance their research productivity by generating new directions for future research, and to stimulate collaborations between investigators with complementary interests. A broader impact of this conference is that numerous graduate students, postdoctoral scientists, and junior researchers will have an opportunity to learn about the most recent findings in this field directly from the principal investigators. In addition, all of the participants will be able to employ the knowledge they gain at this conference to provide better training of researchers in their groups and to improve the content of the courses they teach.
