Photosynthesis is a critical process in plants that impacts food and energy security, ecosystem productivity, and climate. The overarching goal of the 2019 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on Carbon Dioxide Assimilation in Plants (June 8-14, Newry, ME, USA) is to advance our understanding of photosynthesis by bringing together top researchers and future scientific leaders from across the globe to discuss new ideas and innovative approaches in plant biology. GRC participants and speakers are some of the most active and world-renowned scientists who are exploring photosynthesis at the highest levels. The GRS, which occurs just prior to the GRC, is specifically designed to engage junior scientists who represent the future of this field. Mentoring of junior scientists by established leaders is a hallmark of the GRS and GRC. Support from NSF will be used to fund participation at these meetings by students and other early-career scientists, with an emphasis on supporting individuals from underrepresented groups in science. Bringing together a diverse scientific community for meaningful discussions and networking will have long-lasting implications for the development of photosynthesis research and encourage innovative solutions to global challenges at the nexus of food, energy, and climate concerns.
The 2019 GRC and associated GRS on CO2 Assimilation in Plants from Genome to Biome (June 8-14, Newry, ME, USA) will bring together an international group of senior and junior scientists to explore the dynamics of carbon exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere with an emphasis on understanding physiological mechanisms that underlie plant responses to biotic and abiotic factors and to link these traits to productivity and carbon storage at the global scale. Emerging scientific questions will be explored in the context of evolutionary mechanisms that led to novel plant innovations, modeling approaches to scale responses from cellular to ecosystem levels, metabolic feedbacks that link CO2 assimilation to other plant processes, and leveraging photosynthesis research to improve agricultural productivity. The meeting will host speakers from 10 different countries, and highlight questions at the nexus of plant molecular, physiological, ecological, and evolutionary biology. Planned activities include 11 organized scientific sessions, 6 highly interactive poster sessions, a career panel discussion for early-career scientists, and a "Power Hour" discussion of gender and diversity challenges. Together these meetings will facilitate the exchange of cutting-edge ideas on fundamental plant processes; promote international scientific collaborations that can shape the field for years to come; and foster the professional development of women, minority, and early-career scientists. NSF funding will be used to support attendance at both events by early-career scientists, with an overall commitment to broadening participation in this field. This award was co-funded by the Physiological Mechanisms and Biomechanics Program and the Integrative Ecological Physiology Program in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
