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Neurohypophyseal Hormones: From Genomics and Physiology to Disease
July 16-20
Steamboat Springs, CO
A small skiing community
called Steamboat Springs, located in northwestern Colorado served as the
backdrop for the 2005 APS Conference, Neurohypophyseal Hormones: From
Genomics and Physiology to Disease. The meeting took place over five days at
the Sheraton Steamboat Resort and Conference Center, which overlooked
spectacular views of the majestic Rocky Mountains, lush green slopes, the
meandering Yampa River, and the many ski lifts and gondolas. The Organizing
Committee for this meeting was chaired by Celia Sladek of the University of
Colorado Health Sciences Center, Robert Schrier also from the University of
Colorado Health Sciences Center, William Armstrong of the University of
Tennessee School of Medicine, J. Thomas Cunningham of University of Texas
Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, and Joseph Verbalis of Georgetown
University. The organizers worked together to select the wide array of
different symposia, speakers, topics, and social networking opportunities in
order to make this meeting exciting and productive for the attendees.
The conference was attended by 149 total registrants: of whom 24% of
registrants were represented by young scientists, including 14 postdoctoral
and 23 students. Nineteen attendees were APS members (13%), and 43 attendees
were nonmembers (29%), and invited chairs and speakers made up the remaining
fifty registrants (34%). Table 1 (below) shows the breakdown of the
different registration types. The meeting program also attracted a large
group of registrants from outside of the United States. Out of 149
registrants, 51 (34%) represented the countries of Australia, Brazil,
Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, The
Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
The meeting opened with a Welcome and Opening Reception, which gave the
attendee’s a chance to meet with long time colleagues and enjoy some hot and
cold hors d’ oeuves and wine. The reception was followed by the Keynote
Lecture given by Peter Agre of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (and moving
to Duke University), who gave a presentation on Aquaporins and Human
Disease. The program included three keynote lectures, presented by Peter
Agre, Mitsuhiro Kawata of Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, and
Larry Young of Emory University School of Medicine respectively, and ten
symposia sessions over the course of the meeting. The audience was
encouraged to share their ideas and thoughts with the speakers at the end of
their talks. There were also three poster sessions where scientists
presented their work. A total of 107 abstracts were submitted for the
meeting. Eighty of these abstracts were programmed as poster presentations.
The remaining twenty-seven abstracts were submitted by invited speakers. Of
the abstracts submitted for the meeting, 37 (35%) had a female first author;
56 (52%) were submitted from institutions outside of the United States,
including 30 from Europe, 16 from Japan, six from Canada, as well as from
Brazil, Iran and New Zealand.
During the meeting there was a break from the scientific sessions, which
allowed meeting attendees time to explore the beautiful and breathtaking
views of Steamboat Springs and Yampa Valley. Sladek arranged a fly-fishing
clinic for attendee’s who wanted to try their hand at catching dinner for
the evening! Or for the more adventurous attendees, a hike up to nearby
Rabbit Ears Peak was invigorating. For those who wanted a quiet relaxing
afternoon, the sparkling pool by the hotel, or a round of golf on the
Sheraton Steamboat Golf Course, or browsing through the unique and
interesting shops in downtown Steamboat Springs was just the ticket.
On Tuesday evening, Sladek hosted the Banquet and Awards Presentation
dinner. Attendees gathered under the canopy over the pool deck for evening
dinner, wine and conversation with new and old colleagues. During the
evening, a classic country rock band called The Blue Rooster Band played
music while attendees enjoyed their meal. The awards presentation recognized
four recipients of the Research Recognition Award for Outstanding Abstract
Presentation by a Graduate Student or Postdoctoral Fellow. The following
awardees were presented with a certificate and cash prize: Meghan Taylor,
St. Louis University, Paula Brunton, University of Edinburgh, Reza Sharif
Naeini, McGill University and Richard Bouley, Massachusetts General
Hospital. In addition, Maria Herrera from Michigan State University was the
recipient of the Porter Physiology Development Committee’s Minority Travel
Fellowship Award, which is provided to encourage participation of
under-represented minority students. With support from the National
Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the
fellowship provides reimbursement of all expenses associated with travel and
participation in the conference. The recipient was matched with APS member
Catherine Uyehara of the Tripler Army Medical Center, who was attending the
conference, offered guidance and made introductions to the other scientists.
The American Physiological Society and the Organizing Committee gratefully
acknowledges the financial support provided through generous educational
grants from Astellas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., GlaxoSmith-Kline
Pharmaceuticals, NIH-NIDDK, Wyeth Research and Olympus.
| Table 1. Registration Statistics |
| Registration Type |
|
Number of Attendees (%) |
APS Member
Nonmember
Postdoctoral
Student
Invited Chairs/Speakers
Total |
19 (13%)
43 (29%)
14 (9%)
23 (15%)
50 (34%)
149 |
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| Meeting organizer Celia
Sladek at the banquet and awards dinner. |
APS Conference attendees
at the poster sessions. |
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| Celia Sladek presents the
NIDDK travel awardee Maria Herrera with a certificate. |
Celia Sladek with the
Young Investigator Awardees: Meghan Taylor, Paula Brunton, Celia Sladek,
Reza Sharif Naeini and Richard Bouley. |
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| During some free time,
meeting attendees gather for a group hike to Rabbit Ears Peak. |
Attendees taking in the
spectacular views of Steamboat Springs. |
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