This symposium is on "Increasing U.S. participation in the 3nd International Steroids and Nervous System Conference". This conference will update our current knowledge by describing new research on the relationships between steroid hormones synthesized in different organs and the nervous system. Participants in this program will include undergraduate students, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty. The symposium will engage participants in discussions regarding novel aspects of neuroactive steroids, sexual differentiation, neuroplasticity, corticosteroid effects and stress, synthesis and interactions, and non-classical mechanisms of steroid action. Symposia, poster presentations, meet the professor lunches, and organized discussions on international research opportunities will encourage interactions between students, junior scientists, and senior scientists that are internationally recognized for their accomplishments. The organizing committee is committed to fostering the development of young scientists. Funds will help defray travel costs for trainees and participants to attend the meeting. The impact of this meeting will extend to numerous fields of study, such as neuroendocrinology, behavioral neuroscience, animal behavior, and population biology. This meeting is a follow-up to the 1st and 2nd International Meeting on Steroids and the Nervous System (NSF Supported), which were unqualified successes. Proceedings from the present meeting will be published in Neuroscience and evaluation surveys will be analyzed.
