The International Symposium on the Comparative Biology of the Alpha-Proteobacteria will be held at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia on April 26 thru 29, 2006. The symposium will serve as a key forum to advance the fundamental understanding of this important group of microorganisms and will focus on the evolutionary adaptations of the genomes of these species and the mechanisms used by these organisms to respond to changes in their environment. It will also cover intracellular lifestyles, the genomics of developmental processes and metabolism, functional genomics, and bioinformatics challenges to support information acquisition, storage, management, and integration and dissemination.
This timely symposium seizes the opportunity for broad comparisons of alpha-proteobacteria to provide deep insight into key developmental and evolutionary processes. The symposium will bring together world leaders in alpha-proteobacteria along with a large number of undergraduate, graduate students, and post-docs which will stimulate a synergy of ideas and excitement. Recruiting efforts will target organizations such as The Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science. Funding is requested to support as many of these junior scientists as possible. The symposium will define and enable cross-cutting initiatives, maximize leverage across systems, and bring transdisciplinary teams together.
