Source: UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND submitted to NRP
GORDON CONFERENCE: BIOLOGY OF SPIROCHETES
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
NRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0196571
Grant No.
2003-35204-13557
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
2003-02628
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2003
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2004
Grant Year
2003
Program Code
[44.0]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND
PO BOX 984
WEST KINGSTON,RI 02892
Performing Department
GORDON RESEARCH CENTER
Non Technical Summary
The sixth Gordon Research Conference on the Biology of Spirochetes will be held in January or February 2004 in Ventura, California. This is the only ongoing international meeting devoted to discussions on basic research of all medically important and biologically relevant spirochetes. This group of bacteria causes a variety of diseases, including several with impact on livestock production. The opportunity for exchange of ideas among groups working on different spirochetes has been one of the greatest benefits of past conferences. New studies in genetics, pathology, physiology, and immunology started through interactions fostered at previous Biology of Spirochetes conferences. These interactions have resulted in remarkable advances in the field. These meetings present state-of-the-art research and help to set new research directions. About 150 attendees are expected, representing broadly different research interests, geographic locations, and seniority in the field. Special efforts will be made to insure strong attendance of young investigators (graduate students, post-docs, and junior faculty), and achieve a balance in gender and ethnicity of attendees. The oral and poster presentations are organized to provide many opportunities for discussion, the exchange of ideas, and development of collaborations. Funding from the U.S.D.A is requested to partially offset the travel and registration expenses of the speakers, discussion leaders, and participating junior faculty and trainees.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
3114010106075%
7224010106025%
Knowledge Area
311 - Animal Diseases; 722 - Zoonotic Diseases and Parasites Affecting Humans;

Subject Of Investigation
4010 - Bacteria;

Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems);
Goals / Objectives
The goal of this conference is to assemble the most active and productive investigators in all areas of spirochete biology to advance the entire field of spirochete biology research by providing a forum for cross-fertilization of ideas by investigators who have no other established venue for interaction. This venue will also be used to help train new researchers entering this difficult field. Opportunities for informal interactions between participants will be made available to foster collaborative interactions.
Project Methods
Investigators representing a broad background of technical expertise in diverse fields of spirochete biology will be invited to present new research findings. Additional investigators from the broad spectrum of spirochete biology will present their research in the form of poster sessions. The meetings will be organized for mornings and evenings, leaving the afternoons open for informal activities to facilitate interactions among participants resulting in open discussions of unpublished research. This approach helps to push the field forward by helping to identify common interests and develop lasting collaborations from diverse disciplines within the spirochete biology field.

Progress 09/01/03 to 08/31/04

Outputs
The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on 2004 Gordon Research Conference on 2004 Gordon Conference on Biology of Spirochetes was held at Ventura Beach Marriott, CA, 1/25-30/2004. 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. 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. I want to personally 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. If you wish any further details, please feel free to contact me. Thank you. Dr. Richard Zuerner 2004 Conference Chair

Impacts
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

Publications

  • No publications reported this period