The 2011 Archaea: Ecology, Metabolism and Molecular Biology Gordon Research Conference will be held July 31 to August 5, 2011 at Waterville Valley Resort in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. The first GRC on Archaea was held in 1996 and has continued every three years. The Archaea Gordon Research Conference (GRC) constitutes the most prestigious and comprehensive conference on the Archaea and is the only regularly scheduled conference focused on all aspects of archaeal biology. The objectives of the conference are to communicate and discuss ideas at the frontiers of science and technology in archaeal research. This year's meeting will expand on a number of emerging topics highlighting new paradigms in archaeal physiology and regulation of metabolism. The eight main platform sessions are: (1) Ecology & Diversity, (2) Systems Biology and Genomics, (3) Transcription and Small RNAs, (4) Translation and Post-Transcriptional Modification, (5) Physiology and Regulation of Metabolism, (6) Protein Structure and Function, (7) Replication, Repair and Recombination, and (8) Evolution.
Broader Impacts: The 2011 Archaea: Ecology, Metabolism and Molecular Biology Gordon Research Conference will provide students and postdoctoral fellows an opportunity to present and discuss their research in the poster sessions. In addition, a special effort will be expended to attract students from underrepresented groups. The conference co-chairs have also secured a female keynote speaker and a discussion leader who is an underrepresented minority.
The Gordon Research Conference on Archaea: Ecology, Metabolism & Molecular Biology was held at Waterville Valley Resort, Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, July 31-August 5, 2011. The Conference was well-attended with 152 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 152 attendees, 55 voluntarily responded to a general inquiry regarding ethnicity which appears on our registration forms. Of the 55 respondents, 13% were Minorities – 2% Hispanic, 9% Asian and 2% African American. Approximately 37% of the participants at the 2011 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 In designing the formal speakers program, emphasis was placed on current unpublished research and discussion of the future target areas in this field.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.
