Gordon Conference on Mechanotransduction and Gravity Signaling

The ninth biennial Gordon Research Conference on
"Mechanotransduction and Gravity Signaling in Biological Systems"
will be held July 24-29, 2005 at the University of New England at
Biddeford, Maine. The theme of the meeting is gravity and
mechano-sensing, an ancient sensory capability. Approximately 100
participants are expected, including 27 speakers and 9 discussion
leaders. In addition 6 hot topics speakers will be chosen for short
talks from among the poster presenters in early June. The full
program can be viewed at
<http://www.grc.org/programs/2005/mechano.htm>[Only registered users see links. ].
This is an exciting time for research on gravity and
mechano-sensation. The field is rapidly growing, especially in the
area of genetic approaches to understanding of the perception of
physical stimuli. There are major advances in our understanding of
transduction of gravity and mechanical signals in a range of plant
and animal tissues. The focus for the 2005 meeting will continue to
be the molecular and physiological analysis of protein and cellular
components needed for different aspects of mechano- and gravity-
sensation and response.
The meeting will bring together scientists who do not
normally meet because they study different organisms (microbes,
plants, or animals) or different kinds of mechanical responses (rapid
responses in specialized mechanosensors or slow responses to
sustained gravitational forces in bone or plants) or because they
employ widely different approaches (genetics versus physiology).
Moreover, the Gordon Conference format facilitates informal
communications and discussions of controversial issues. These
factors will promote inter-disciplinary transfer of ideas and
approaches and the formation of new strategies for the study of
mechanotransduction.
We have considerable financial support, so we are hoping to
provide some support for meeting expenses for poster presenters,
including graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. For
additional information on the meeting contact Marty Chalfie
([Only registered users see links. ]), Chair or Gloria Muday ([Only registered users see links. ]) and Paul
Blount ([Only registered users see links. ]), Co-Vice Chairs.