The 2010 Gordon Conference on Mitochondria & Chloroplasts will provide a unique forum for scientists working on plant, animal, and fungal systems to identify common mechanisms and shared properties of these organelles relevant to organismal growth, development, vigor, photosynthesis, fertility, adaptation and senescence/ageing. It will convene investigators who specialize in physiology, genetics, biochemistry, proteomics, and structural biology, thereby fostering a cross-disciplinary perspective, the sharing of technological expertise, and the establishment of new collaborative efforts. Attendance will be limited to 200 participants in order to maintain an intimate environment that is conducive to discussion and interaction.
The GRC on Mitochondria & Chloroplasts hosts an international community comprising representatives from 15 or more countries. The group also comprises a strong mix of graduate student, postdoctoral and independent investigators at all levels. The educational mission of the conference will be enhanced by the accompanying Gordon Research Seminar, which provides a special forum for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to present and discuss their research prior to the main conference. Participation of Ph.D. students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty from undergraduate institutions will be further encouraged by reserving slots in the main conference for attendees in these categories.
The Gordon Research Conference on MITOCHONDRIA AND CHLOROPLASTS was held at Il Ciocco Resort, Lucca (Barga), Italy, July 11-16, 2010. The Conference was well-attended with 201 participants (attendees list attached). The attendees represented the spectrum of endeavor in this field coming from academia, industry, and government laboratories, both U.S. and foreign scientists, senior researchers, young investigators, and students. Of the 201 attendees, 39 voluntarily responded to a general inquiry regarding ethnicity which appears on our registration forms. Of the 39 respondents, 26% were Minorities- 8% Hispanic, 3% American Indian and 15% Asian. Approximately 44% of the participants at the 2010 meeting were women. In designing the formal speakers program, emphasis was placed on current unpublished research and discussion of the future target areas in this field. There was a conscious effort to stimulate lively discussion about the key issues in the field today. Time for formal presentations was limited in the interest of group discussions. In order that more scientists could communicate their most recent results, poster presentation time was scheduled. Attached is a copy of the formal schedule and speaker program and the poster program. In addition to these formal interactions, "free time" was scheduled to allow informal discussions. Such discussions are fostering new collaborations and joint efforts in the field. Thank you for your support of this Conference. As you know, in the interest of promoting the presentation of unpublished and frontier-breaking research, Gordon Research Conferences does not permit publication of meeting proceedings.
