This award will provide support for the 2nd PanAmerican Workshop on Plant Membrane Biology to be held at South Padre Island, May 17-21, 2006. The aim is to provide an opportunity for researchers from the United States and Latin America to exchange the most recent information and ideas relating to the biology of plant membranes, a field that is rapidly advancing through the application of biophysics, cell biology, genetics, and genomics. Another goal is to give young scientists (students and postdocs) the opportunity to give talks and to fully participate in an intimate workshop setting. The first meeting was held in 2003 in Cuernavaca, Mexico and participants from the U.S. and South and Central America were enthusiastic about continuing this meeting every 3rd year. The meeting site has been selected for its proximity to the US-Mexico border and its suitability for an interactive workshop environment. The conference will address topics such as Hormone Responses, Environmental Signal Perception, Nutrient Acquisition, Membranes and Development, Source/Sink Transport, Water Relations, Functional Genomics , Evolution of Transporters, Structure/Function Relationships, and Practical Applications of Membrane Research. Oral and poster presentations will be thematically grouped and sessions will include a representative mixture of experimental and intellectual approaches to important topics in plant biology.
Broader Impacts: With the exception of the keynote address, all talks (approximately 20 minutes) will be given by postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students with their mentor's attendance at the meeting mandatory. The organizers will also attempt to include an undergraduate student talk (10 minutes) in each session. Broadening participation of underrepresented minority scientists in the workshop will be emphasized. In this manner, the organizers hope to encourage participation of the younger scientists in a professionally stimulating and diverse setting. The funds from this grant will support participation of young scientists, minority scientists, as well as the researchers from minority serving institutions.
