Source: SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF REPRODUCTION, INC submitted to
ANNUAL MEETINGS OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF REPRODUCTION
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
NEW
Funding Source
AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1017602
Grant No.
2018-67015-28358
Project No.
VA.W-2017-05450
Proposal No.
2017-05450
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
A1211
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2018
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2023
Grant Year
2018
Project Director
Hansen, P. J.
Recipient Organization
SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF REPRODUCTION, INC
11130 SUNRISE VALLEY DR STE 350
RESTON,VA 20191-4371
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The mission of the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR) is to advance science in reproduction, fertility, and development benefiting humans and animals. Funding from the USDA conference grant provides partial support for the SSR annual meetings, which will highlight recent developments in the field and provide trainees (students and postdocs) with career advice and opportunities to connect withestablished scientists. Funds will be used to support travel of speakers presenting research on agriculturally important speciesand Travel Merit Awards each year for 10 SSR Trainees who present work relevant to the goals of the USDA AFRI FoundationalProgram. Training is a key part of the meeting and about 50% of attendees are trainees, many from animal science departmentsand veterinary schools. The theme for the 2018 annual meeting is "Pathways to Discovery: Signals for Reproduction, Development, and Longevity". Programs for future years have not yet been formalized but will generally follow a similar format. In its annual meetings, SSRs goal is to cover a diverse and balanced range of topics, including applied work on agriculturally important species and basic science with strong potential for application to agricultural animal health. Plenary lectures address topics of broad interest, and modular sessions explore specific research topics in depth by combining speaker presentations with guided discussions. Numerous platform and poster sessions round out the program and encourage spirited discussion and debate. Speakers, session chairs, and attendees represent and reflect a diversified society. All meeting venues are capable of accommodating plenary, concurrent, and poster sessions, as well as support offices, space for food and beverage breaks, and slide preview rooms for speakers.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
3013910105017%
3013910104022%
3013910103035%
3013910102015%
3013910100011%
Knowledge Area
301 - Reproductive Performance of Animals;

Subject Of Investigation
3910 - Cross-commodity research--multiple animal species;

Field Of Science
1040 - Molecular biology; 1030 - Cellular biology; 1000 - Biochemistry and biophysics; 1050 - Developmental biology; 1020 - Physiology;
Goals / Objectives
This is an application for a Conference Grant to provide partial support for the 2018-2022 annualmeetings of the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR). Funds are requested to provide partialsupport of travel for three to five speakers presenting research on agriculturally important species, andfor Travel Merit Awards, each of the five years for ten trainees who present work relevant to the goals ofthe USDA AFRI Foundational Program.The theme of the 2018 meeting is "Pathways to Discovery--Signals for Reproduction, Development,and Longevity;" themes of the 2019 through 2022 meetings are yet to be determined. The objective ofall SSR annual meetings is to present a diverse and balanced range of topics focused on reproductiveprocesses, including applied work on agriculturally important species and basic research with strongpotential for application to agricultural animal health.Mission and GoalsSSR's mission is to advance scientific knowledge by promoting outstanding research and training inreproductive sciences to protect and preserve human and animal reproductive health(http://www.ssr.org/). This mission statement describes both the long-term goals of the SSR and theobjectives of each annual meeting.The goals of the SSR mesh with the USDA AFRI Priority Area 2: Animal health and production andanimal products. Since its formation in 1967, SSR has drawn a significant proportion of its membersand leaders from animal and veterinary science departments. AFRI's rationale for providing support ofConference Grants is to advance "knowledge in both fundamental and applied sciences important toagriculture." The science presented at each SSR meeting includes both basic and applied research inreproduction, and applications to agricultural and other vertebrate species-as well as to human health.The cutting-edge reproductive science presented at SSR's annual meetings is intended to arm scientistsand scientists-in-training with knowledge that advances the AFRI Foundational Program goal of"building a foundation of knowledge in fundamental and applied food and agricultural sciences criticalfor solving current and future societal challenges," and it will contribute to maintaining the"sustainability and competitiveness of U.S. agriculture."The SSR Annual Meeting both reflects and furthers the SSR's dedication to training future reproductivescientists through the following approaches: (1) support a trainee forum, designed to help traineesprepare for careers in research and teaching; (2) include trainees as co-chairs of scientific sessions; (3)schedule activities such as the Trainee/Mentor Luncheon to promote opportunities for trainees to engagein conversations with established scientists and other trainees; (4) provide a venue for trainees to obtainpreliminary interviews for postdoctoral, faculty, and industry positions; and (5) offer trainees theopportunity to present research during poster and platform presentations and designate awards for thebest presentations. In his account of the founding of SSR, P. Dzuik (1993) stated that "[t]heencouragement of budding scientists was mentioned by many contributors to this history as a key policyin the success of the Society." SSR's annual meeting clearly contributes to the present, and future,improvement of animal production.At an SSR meeting, information exchanges go beyond that of audiences listening to lectures. Multipleactivities are designed to enhance exchange between and among scientists and trainees. These includeguided discussions in concurrent sessions, interpersonal dialogue in poster sessions, and spontaneousexchange of ideas during the trainee-mentor luncheon, diversity lunch symposium, heritage luncheon, and SSR exhibits--all of which offer a variety of opportunities to exchange information with otherscientists and trainees, and to initiate new collaborations.The inclusion and participation of women and underrepresented minorities in all aspects of the meeting,and in the governance of the Society, have long been hallmarks of SSR. Speakers, session chairs, andattendees will continue to represent and reflect a diversified society. Approximately half of thoseattending the meeting are doctoral and postdoctoral students. In recent years, nearly to 50% of meetingparticipants have been female. Additionally, for the past decade, 40% of SSR's Presidents and 70% ofSSR's Program Chairs have been women. Also, Chairs of plenary, concurrent module, and platformsessions average approximately 50% women to 50% men.The Society continues to recruit and involve underrepresented minority women and men in the annualmeeting. This is a very high priority for the SSR. For the 2016 the meeting in San Diego, California, 890attendees marked their registration forms for ethnic origin as follows: 30.7% indicated Asian or PacificIslander, 2.1% indicated Black, 5.3% indicated Hispanic, 0.2% indicated Native American or AlaskanNative, 52.1% indicated White, and 2.9% did not indicate ethnicity.The SSR's Diversity Committee endeavors to enhance the participation of underrepresented minorityscientists in the annual meetings and in the field of reproductive sciences through the followingactivities: This committee hosts an exhibit at the annual meeting, distributes information regardingtraining and funding opportunities for underrepresented minorities, and provides opportunities fornetworking and career development.The committee also organizes a Diversity Lunch Symposium, featuring speakers who inspire and educate attendees regarding researchopportunities available in reproductive sciences. The speakers provide insight into the particularchallenges faced by scientists from underrepresented minorities, and address public health disparitiesthat challenge researchers and health providers. The Diversity Committee also works with the SSRAdministrative Office to secure grants from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund in support of travelfellowships for underrepresented junior faculty and trainee attendees from the U.S. and Canada to attendthe annual meeting, and-in collaboration with FASEB MARC-to identify and support commoninitiatives and goals at the annual meeting.The objectives of the SSR dovetail well with USDA AFRIPriority Area 2, Animal health and production and animal products and its Program Area Priority:"Cellular, molecular, genomic/genetic or whole-animal aspects of animal reproduction, relevant toimproving reproductive efficiency or enhancing reproductive management, focusing especially ongonadal function, hypothalamic-pituitary axis, and embryonic and fetal development."The significance of the SSR annual meeting is that it brings together scientists and trainees with diverseresearch experience, exposes them to cutting-edge research in reproduction, and encourages them toexchange ideas and information. The SSR meeting serves similar functions to those of the USDA annualmeeting of Project Directors, except that SSR's is larger in scope and enables agricultural researchers togain information from work on model species and nonagricultural species that can be applied toimproving animal reproduction.The rationale for requesting funding from USDA AFRI is to strengthenSSR's ability to bring in speakers working on topics crucial to enhancing animal production andpreserving the reproductive health of valuable farm species, and to support the training of doctoral and postdoctoral students in reproduction of agriculturally important species by providing them the exceptional learning and networking opportunities available tothem at the SSR annual meeting.
Project Methods
The grant will provide support for speakers presenting research on agriculturally important species and for 10 Travel MeritAwards each year for SSR Trainees who present work relevant to the goals of the USDA AFRI Foundational Program. Plenarylectures address topics of broad interest, and modular sessions explore specific research topics in depth by combiningpresentations and guided discussions. Numerous platform and poster sessions encourage open discussion and debate, andround out the program. The SSR Annual Meeting reflects and furthers the SSRs dedication to training future reproductivescientists through the following approaches: (1) the Trainee Forum (organized by Trainees) provides practical suggestions andadvice to prepare for careers in research and teaching; (2) co-chairing scientific sessions; (3) Trainee/Mentor Luncheon(organized by Trainees) promotes engagement between established scientists and Trainees; (4) Trainee Job Service facilitateslanding interviews for postdoctoral, faculty, and industry positions; and (5) awards for best poster and platform presentations byTrainees, which promotes excellence in research design and execution. At an SSR meeting, information exchange is active andgoes beyond that of audiences listening to lectures. Guided discussions in the modular sessions, the flow of information inposter sessions, and spontaneous exchange of ideas during the Trainee-Mentor Luncheon, Minority Affairs Lunch Symposium,Heritage Luncheon, and poster exhibits all encourage new collaborations. The Trainee Volunteer Subcommittee provideshands-on experience for Trainees to learn how to plan and conduct a major scientific meeting. Trainees provide critical supportin key positions, including registration, uploading presentations, sign placement, co-chairing scientific sessions, managingposter sessions, and assisting at multiple meal and social functions. Surveys are conducted after the annual meeting and areused to evaluate the success of the scientific program, schedule, and activities. As part of SSRs CME accreditation (providedthrough the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, ASRM), participants knowledge of the research presented is tested both before and after the meeting as a means of evaluating the level of learning. ASRM also encourages meeting participants tocomplete a questionnaire about the meeting: the results are used to evaluate relevance of the meeting, to assess SSRspractices and procedures and to recommend improvements, and to suggest desirable topics for future meetings. A similarsurvey by the SSR Annual Meeting Advisory Committee (AMAC) evaluates participants overall impressions of the annualmeeting and gathers suggestions for future meetings. The results of both surveys are distributed to the SSR AdministrativeOffice, Program Committees, and Board of Directors, and contribute to the design of future meetings.

Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:Since speaker travel support was no longer needed to deliver the SSR Virtual 2020, no funds were used during this reporting period. We would like to use the funds for the next reporting period to support both our December 2021 and July 2022 events. Changes/Problems:Due to COVID travel restrictions we were unable to achieve our goals during this reporting period. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?For the 2020 virtual conference, no speaker travel funds were required. However, SSR maintained the NIFA-funded Travel Merit Awards, which were announced as part of the virtual business meeting. The following individuals were awarded support to attend the next SSR live conference either in December 2021 in St. Louis, MO or the July 2022 live conference in Spokane, WA. This flexibility was given due to continued concern about the D-variant. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The proceedings from the SSR Virtual event have been recorded and made available on the SSR website. For 2021, the Annual Conference will have a combination of live and virtual events. Virtual content will be made available to all live attendees and those who register for the virtual components. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? During the next reporting period, SSR will host two large events. SSR continues to plan for a hybrid conference in December of 2021. We have opened both the call for abstracts and registration for this event. We are trying to keep as many of our standard face to face offerings as we can and will have virtual options for sessions. We are offering a new grant review workshop for trainees and trainees will have the opportunity to present research during poster and platform presentations. In July of 2022, SSR will host its annual conference in Spokane, Washington. We are planning this as a face-to-face event with the traditional elements of an SSR conference. We are still in the planning stages of this event.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Due to COVID for the period of 9/1/2020-8/31/21, SSR has spent that time planning for the December 2021 event in St. Louis and planning the July 2022 event in Spokane. The SSR 2021 scientific program remains committed to training future reproductive scientists through the following approaches: (1) support a trainee forum, designed to help trainees prepare for careers in research and teaching; (2) include trainees as co-chairs of scientific sessions; (3) schedule activities such as the Trainee/Mentor Luncheon to promote opportunities for trainees to engage in conversations with established scientists and other trainees; (4) provide a venue for trainees to obtain preliminary interviews for postdoctoral, faculty, and industry positions; (5) provide trainees with the opportunity to participate in a grant workshop where they can have their work reviewed; and (6) offer trainees the opportunity to present research during poster and platform presentations and designate awards for the best presentations.

Publications


    Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20

    Outputs
    Target Audience:Due to COVID-19, SSR pivoted the annual meeting to a virtual conference focused on professional development for trainees. The event offered virtual posters, online competitions for postdoctoral and predoctoral trainees, mentor roundtables, and a virtualbusiness meeting. The event was attended by 893 attendees, 294 of which were trainees, and an additional 258 were 382 were first time attendees. Changes/Problems:Since speaker travel support was no longer needed to deliver the SSR Virtual 2020, the speaker travel funds were used to support the license of an online platform that would engage researchers from around the world. The e-poster platform and Zoom license upgrades were made possible by this support. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?For the 2020 virtual conference, no speaker travel funds were required. However, SSR maintained the NIFA-funded Travel Merit Awards, which were announced as part of the virtual business meeting. The following individuals were awarded support to attend the next SSR live conference in August, 2021 in St. Louis, MO. 2020 Awardees Ana Silva,Utah State University "Effect of Bovine Trophoblast Cell Derived Extracellular Vesicles On Gene Expression Profiles Of Immune Cells" Martyna Lupicka,Pennsylvania State University "MiR-1246 Is the Most Abundant Mirna In Luteal Extracellular Vesicles and It Regulates T Cell Transcripts Associated with Their Activation" Asghar Ali Colorado State University "Gene Regulation by LIN28-let-7 miRNA Axis in Sheep Trophoblast Cells" Hanah Georges,Colorado State University "BVDV infection epigenetically alters T-cell Transcription Factors in Persistently Infected Fetal Spleens" Avery Kramer,Texas A&M University "Porcine Conceptuses Utilize the Polyol Pathway and Fructose-Driven Glycolysis (Fructolysis) to Support Development during the Peri-Implantation Period of Pregnancy" Eleanore O'Neil,University of Missouri-Columbia "Single-cell RNA-seq Reveals the Diversity Of Trophoblast Subtypes And Patterns Of Differentiation In The Bovine Placenta" Karl Kerns,University of Missouri "Artificial Intelligence Analysis of the Mammalian Sperm Zinc Signature Predicts Male-factor Subfertility" Camila Bruna de Lima,Université Laval "Unraveling the Landscape of Mitochondrial mtDNA Methylation in Bovine Oocytes and Embryos" Sarah West,Texas A&M University "Effects of Prenatal and Postnatal Nutrition on Neuropeptide Y Neuronal Projections to Kisspeptin Neurons in the Arcuate Nucleus of Beef Heifers" AlexandriaSnider,University of Nebraska- Lincoln "Lipids Involved in Pro and Anti-Inflammatory Responses Are Altered in Follicular Fluid and Plasma of Cows Administered A Low Dose FSH Treatment and May Be Used as Markers of Ovulation in Beef Cows" How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The proceedings from the SSR Virtual event have been recorded and made available on the SSR website. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?SSR continues to plan for a live conference in August of 2021. We will closely monitor COVID-19 restrictions and incidence and notify the membership of any chance in the Spring.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? The SSR 2020 scientific program was deferred to 2021 andSSR remains committed to training future reproductive scientists through the following approaches: (1) support a trainee forum, designed to help trainees prepare for careers in research and teaching; (2) include trainees as co-chairs of scientific sessions; (3) schedule activities such as the Trainee/Mentor Luncheon to promote opportunities for trainees to engage in conversations with established scientists and other trainees; (4) provide a venue for trainees to obtain preliminary interviews for postdoctoral, faculty, and industry positions; and (5) offer trainees the opportunity to present research during poster and platform presentations and designate awards for the best presentations.

    Publications


      Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19

      Outputs
      Target Audience:The Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR) holds an annual scientific meeting attended by ~900 basic and clinical researchers, teachers, and undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral trainees, from universities, medical schools, research institutes, and clinics in the U.S. and more than 30 other countries. The three-fold goal of every meeting is (1) to present state-of-the-art research in the biology underlying and associated with reproductive processes; (2) to provide an environment that encourages scientific dialogue, and (3) to provide a meeting program, setting, and culture that promotes the professional development of trainees and early stage investigators. Each meeting consists of plenary and state-of-the-art lectures by world-class scientists, and concurrent sessions (with 2-4 speakers in each) that focus on subjects of interest to scientists in biomedical, clinical, and animal science, and researchers who concentrate on wildlife and environmental preservation. Oral and poster presentations (typically 50-100 and 500-600, respectively) highlight research contributions by scientists from a range of career stages, most especially trainees. These presentations are selected from submitted abstracts, based on review by the Program Committee. Abstracts submitted for trainee award competitions also are reviewed by the SSR's Awards Committee. Changes/Problems:Jeffrey Peipert was unable to attend the conference at the last minute and Deborah Sloboda took his spot as the keynote lecturer. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The SSR Trainee Forum was held onThursday, July 18 from 12:30-2:00PMand was titled"Careers in the Sciences: what you can do with a PhD", consisting of five speakers, each with varying roles in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry. This forum consisted ofbrief introductions by each panel member describing their path from graduate school to their current positions followed by a question and answer session from trainees.The panelists were: Genevieve Wortzman-Show, PhD: Associate Director, Medical Affairs at Regeneron Matt Show. PhD, JD: Intellectual Property Counsel at DuPont Industrial Biosciences Vanessa Ridaura, PhD: Senior Genomics Scientist at Verily Life Sciences Maxim Schillebeeckx, PhD:Program Leader at Guardant Health Jonah Cool, PhD: Program Officer at Chan Zuckerburg Initiative The SSR Trainee-Mentor Luncheon focused on "Science Careers in Industry and Beyond Mentor Luncheon", celebrating the great biotechnology industry surrounding San Jose. This event isexcellent way for trainees to engage with potential mentors in reproductive biology careers in a casual setting. It was held onSaturday, July 20from12:15PM-1:15PMwith a total of 135 attendees, 27 of which were mentors in various industries. SSR also had a career consultation center to allow trainees to schedule forllow-up conversations with the mentors on resume review, choosing the next career steps, the funding application process, work-life balance, or visa/green card process advice. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported 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 2019 meeting, "Beyond Possible: Remarkable Transformation of Reproductive Biology",featured an outstanding series of plenary presentations, including talks on germ cell imprinting, DNA methylation, fetal and placental biology, embryo development,reproductive plasticity, and regenerative medicine. The program included Plenary Lectures byDiana W. Bianchi, M.D., Gavin Kelsey, Ph.D., Kathy Niakan, Ph.D., Alejandro Sanchez Alvarado, Ph.D.,Matthew Porteus, M.D.,Janet Rossant, Ph.D. and Deborah Sloboda, Ph.D. In addition to these 7 speakers, there were 6 exchange lectures from our sibling societies, 44 invited speakers, 50 oral presentations from abstracts, 80 flash talks for poster presentations, 6 oral competition speakers, with a totall of 703 abstracts submissions before withdrawals. The program ended with and awards ceremony recognizing outstanding research, poster and platform contest winners, and traval award recipients. Ten USDA NIFA-AFRI Merit Awards Recipients were recognized and are listed below: Kerri Bochantin, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Michelle Halstead, University of California - Davis Stacia McIntosh, New Mexico State University Erika E. Paulson, University of California Davis Caroline Pfeiffer, University of Missouri Jason Rizo, University of Florida Constantine Simintiras, University College Dublin Niharika Sinha, Michigan State University Shelby Springman, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Haidee Tinning, University of Leeds

      Publications