Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: The North American Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation Conference (NASNFC) has been held for the last 45 years, on an approximately two- to three-year cycle. While originally called the Rhizobium Conference in 1968, a title change was implemented several years ago to better reflect the geographic distribution of the majority of the participants, and to provide a broader focus that includes research on algal, Frankia symbioses, and endophytes. The target audiences are faculty, students, postdocs, and staff interested in all aspects of symbiotic nitrogen fixation research. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The conference provided a unique venue for the dissemination and discussion of published and unpublished research results from world-class researchers in the area of Biological Nitrogen Fixation. Since legumes provide approximately 35 per cent of the worldwide protein intake and about 250 million hectares of legumes are grown world wide, enhancing the use of biologically fixed N will result in large economic and humanitarian benefits on a world-wide basis. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? We established a web site (www.cbs.umn.edu/NASNFC) for the 22nd NASNFC. The web site was updated (see http://bti.umn.edu/nasnfc/) with information about the conference venue, and application and housing registration processes. Announcements of the meeting were sent to previous participants of the NASNFC via email, and are being distributed to societies as well. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The North American Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation (NASNF) Conference on was started more than 45 years ago. Since its inception, the NASNFC has been a major vehicle by which various disciplines have exchanged information about nitrogen fixation research in the United States and elsewhere around the world. The conference occurs approximately every 2-3 years, and generally alternates between sites in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The 22nd North American Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation Conference was held at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN July 14-17, 2013. Oral and poster presentations were held at the Hubert Humphrey Conference Center and was attended by 100 participants from across the US, Canada and Mexico. The subject matter of the conference was diverse, ranging from the most basic to very applied research. Selected topics discussed at the conference included: microbial and plant genomics; ecology; plant and microbial physiology; differentiation and regulation in plants and bacteria; plant-microbial signaling, agriculture and environmental applications of N2 fixing organisms; taxonomy and evolution; and N2 fixation in non-leguminous plant-microbes associations. All sessions at this year's conference were initiated by State of the Art Speakers chosen by the organizing committee, and included talks by: Michael Udvardi, Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Dave Emerich (University of Missouri), Janine Sherrier, University of Delaware, Diane Knight, University of Saskatchewan, and many others as can be seen on the programlocated at: http://www.bti.umn.edu/nasnfc/
Publications
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