Source: UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE submitted to
CONFERENCE PROPOSAL: 9TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON RICE FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0226969
Grant No.
2011-67013-31001
Project No.
DEL00705
Proposal No.
2011-02258
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
A1101
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2011
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2012
Grant Year
2011
Project Director
Meyers, B. C.
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
(N/A)
NEWARK,DE 19717
Performing Department
Plant & Soil Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Rice is fundamentally and uniquely important as the staple food that feeds half the world's population. Meeting the challenge of feeding increased population from finite resources will require improved yields in rice, particularly under limiting conditions. Not only is rice (Oryza sativa) an important crop plant, but it is a model species for cereals and cereal genomics. Rice has a smaller genome than other monocot crop plants, a deep collection of germplasm accessions of domestic and wild rice is available, and it is the most readily transformable cereal crop. Molecular and genetic resources for rice have grown in recent years. The combined set of resources make the advances in genetics and genomics in rice arguably the most advanced in any cereal crop. The aim of this project is to support the participation of US students, post-docs and scientists in an annual international conference on rice functional genomics. The rice community meets annually to advance cereal genomics and biology by sharing current, cutting-edge research, as well as through strategic planning and discussions of future international collaborative efforts. The participation of young and diverse US scientists ensures the future of our field. Key goals and outputs of this project are to facilitate the participation of early career researchers and others that add valuable depth to the program.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
60%
Applied
20%
Developmental
20%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
2011530108030%
2011530106030%
2011530104040%
Knowledge Area
201 - Plant Genome, Genetics, and Genetic Mechanisms;

Subject Of Investigation
1530 - Rice;

Field Of Science
1080 - Genetics; 1060 - Biology (whole systems); 1040 - Molecular biology;
Goals / Objectives
The aim of this project is to support the participation of US students, post-docs and scientists in an annual international conference on rice functional genomics. This meeting takes place for the first time in Taiwan, in November, 2011; for previous meetings in Asia and one in the US, the USDA has provided levels of travel support similar to the amount requested in this proposal. We expect that attendance at this meeting will exceed 400 people, providing an excellent opportunity for the US scientists to present their work, develop collaborations, and network with their international colleagues. The rice community meets annually to advance cereal genomics and biology by sharing current, cutting-edge research, as well as through strategic planning and discussions of future international collaborative efforts. The participation of young and diverse US scientists ensures the future of our field. Key goals and outputs of this project are to facilitate the participation of early career researchers and others that add valuable depth to the program.
Project Methods
This is a conference travel project, so methods do not apply.

Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The most significant output for this project was support for the travel of eight young plant biologists at the 9th International Symposium on Rice Functional Genomics (ISRFG) in Taipei, Taiwan. Rice is the most important food crop in the world. With the completion of the rice genome sequence in 2005, the development of knock-out and mutant populations, the cloning of numerous genes important for development and stress-related phenotypes, the sequencing of a broad selection of wild rice relatives, and the application of next-gen sequencing to hundreds of rice varieties, rice has become well-established as an important model among crop plants. With the advances in sequencing, it is imperative to annotate these genomes, assign functions to genes and decipher the many biological processes of this important plant so that continued gains in productivity and nutrition can be made and extrapolated to other crops. The ISRFG gathers the leaders of the field to disseminate new information and techniques, to coordinate on-going research, and, most importantly, to help shape and mold the careers of young plant scientists including graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. This project supports the promotion of advances in rice research made in the US research community, and provides an opportunity for US scientists to learn about the latest developments in structural, functional and evolutionary genomics and genetics research, and to facilitate international collaborations in rice research. The project supported participation by early career scientists who presented current research in the meeting's symposia. PARTICIPANTS: Not relevant to this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: Not relevant to this project. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
The gathering of numerous rice researchers at the 9th ISRFG allowed discussion and dissemination of the latest research in rice biology and genetics. The meeting promoted discussions of researchers from locations across the globe. IMPACTS ON KNOWLEDGE: The project supported the travel of eight young scientists from across the US to travel to Taiwan and learn about the latest advances in rice research, while building their networks with colleagues and presenting their work.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period