The goal of this Graduate Research Seminar on Catecholamines is to enhance the Gordon Research Conference on Catecholamines (GRC-CA) experience for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows by providing two days of immersion in the field of Catecholamines prior to the GRC-CA meeting. This will better prepare students and postdoctoral fellows for the intellectually demanding aspects of the official GRC, which is guided by senior colleagues later in the week. Gordon Conferences enable scientific exchange and spark new collaborations. The Gordon Research Conference on Catecholamines (GRC-CA) was first held in 1973 and has been held every two years since that time. Successful catecholamine research requires students to acquire a strong grasp of brain-behavior issues encompassing neurobiology, neuroanatomy, neurology, pharmacology, molecular biology, genetics, and behavioral neuroscience. The 2009 Graduate Research Seminar on Catecholamines has an expected participation of about 55 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The seminar will be held in Biddeford, Maine on August 8-9, 2009. The first evening includes a brief welcoming reception followed by a poster session. The meeting will be focused on cellular and molecular aspects of catecholamine transmission as well as catecholamines in brain circuitry and will highlight topics that will be discussed in the GRC-CA meeting in order to better prepare the participants. The organizing committee is comprised of a diverse population of students and postdoctoral fellows and is about 50% female. Oral presentations will be given exclusively by students and postdoctoral fellows.
