Recipient Organization
SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF REPRODUCTION, INC.
1619 MONROE STREET
MADISON,WI 53711
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
This is an application for partial support of the 36th annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR) from July 19-22, 2003, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Specifically, we are asking for funds for partial support of expenses (registration and travel) for invited speakers who will participate in two Minisymposia entitled 'Impact of maternal diet on fetal outcome,' and 'Steroid regulation of uterine function in domestic animals.' Both of which are largely devoted to research in domestic farm animal species. We also are asking for funds for Travel Fellowships to ten qualified Trainees who are presenting abstracts relevant to the goals of the USDA/NRI and who are not supported by an NRSA. The 2003 meeting will consist of a rich diversity of research topics selected to appeal to a wide range of scientists in the reproductive sciences. The main talks will cover topics such as assisted reproductive technology, reproduction and the Environment, and
implantation and epigenetics. Fifteen Minisymposia, each featuring 3 speakers, will be held on subjects of current interest to scientists in biomedical, clinical, animal science, wildlife preservation, and environmental sectors. Oral Platform talks (168) and Posters (~430 or more) will highlight individual research contributions by Trainees and others. Ten Trainees will be selected for NRI Trainee Fellowship Awards by the SSR Awards Committee based upon the scientific merit of their expanded abstracts.
Animal Health Component
30%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
70%
Applied
30%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The SSR was founded in 1967 as a private, nonprofit organization that promotes reproductive sciences by fostering interdisciplinary communication, by sponsoring the annual meeting, by serving as advocate of the science to the public and government, and by publishing meritorious research in this field through the Society's Journal, Biology of Reproduction. The SSR currently has 2761 members who are either Regular (1565), Trainee (775), Associate (331), or Emeritus (90) members. The SSR has a strong international representation, with members from 47 countries. Our current Regular membership is 23% female and 27% minorities; our current Trainee membership is 55% female and 40% minorities. Pertinent to this application, approximately half of the total membership are scientists whose research involves some aspect of reproduction in agriculturally important domestic animals or whose research can be viewed as closely related to agricultural objectives. The SSR's annual
meeting is the major international forum for exchange of scientific information in the reproductive sciences. The meeting provides an unusual opportunity for Trainees to be intimately involved in the affairs of the Society and in the execution of the meeting itself, thus enhancing their professional development. The Society's journal, Biology of Reproduction, is the major scientific journal in the field, as judged by impact factor in combination with number of articles published. A number of the meeting presentations will appear as minireviews in Biology of Reproduction, and many of the platform and poster presentations generate papers published in this journal. Members of the SSR are aware that this century will bring striking developments as a result of the new information emerging from the genome project and recent advances in developmental biology and cloning. The challenge will be to bring this wealth of knowledge to issues of animal health and food production. The annual meeting
is the major forum for the interchange of ideas that can be directly applied to reproduction and breeding of agriculturally important domestic animal species. Livestock are of critical importance in providing human food, the manufacture of clothing, and the production of pharmaceuticals. Understanding and enhancing livestock breeding and genetic characteristics are important goals for reproductive biologists. The goal of the SSR annual meeting is to provide a fertile environment for the exchange of information at the cutting edge of research in all areas of reproduction.
Project Methods
The 2003 meeting in Cincinnati is expected to draw over 1200 participants, due to the central location in the U.S., the economical hotel rates, the early advertisement of the scientific program for the meeting in Fall of 2002, and the diversity of scientific topics to be presented. Because of the diversity of topics, a broad spectrum of basic and clinical scientists should be interested in this meeting: those in wildlife biology, animal science and veterinary science; those in environmental and health sciences; and those in government laboratories.The major features of the Program are a Keynote Address on 'Assisted Reproductive Technology: Current Status and Controversy'; the President's Symposium on 'Reproduction and the Environment'; a State-of-the-Art Lecture on implantation in honor and memory of Dr. Bruce Moulton; two other State-of-the-Art Lectures on epigenetics; 15 Minisymposia, each with 3 talks (total of 45 speakers); 21 15-minute platform sessions, with a
total of 168 speakers; and 3 poster sessions, each lasting 2 hours (total number of posters expected to be 430 or more). Pertinent to this application, two of the Minisymposia directly address subjects consistent with the mission of the USDA/NRI: 'Impact of maternal diet on fetal outcome,' and 'Steroid regulation of uterine function in domestic animals.' Other topics and talks will also be relevant to the overall objectives of the USDA/NRI. We are requesting funds to meet, in part, the travel expenses for two speakers in a Minisymposium, who are not members of the SSR, and for waiver of registration for the six speakers of these two Minisymposia. Approximately 40% of attendees at the annual meetings are Trainees; a large percentage of these Trainees are from animal science departments and agriculture backgrounds. The 2002 annual meeting in Baltimore was attended by 510 Trainees. Financial support for Trainees to attend the annual meeting is critical for many Trainees who lack
sufficient funds. Trainees may apply for NRI Travel Fellowships on a competitive basis. The SSR Awards Committee will select 10 Trainees for fellowships ($500 each fellowship), based upon the scientific merit of submitted expanded abstracts, and the relevancy of the research to enhance our understanding of reproduction in agriculturally important species. For the annual meeting in 2002, 46 Trainees competed for these fellowships, and 10 were awarded. The NRI Travel Fellowship Awardees will be recognized formally at a plenary session during the 2003 annual meeting in Cincinnati.