Conference: Cytoskeletal Structure, Function, and Dynamics

The cytoskeleton is essential for cellular life and basic questions of its function must be understood to allow manipulating cellular physiology. The conference will bring together researchers in distinct disciplines to provide interdisciplinary opportunities in cytoskeleton research, an approach known to lead to major break-throughs in science. Moreover, the conference organizers will recruit an audience of early-career scientists to cultivate a sustainable community of future researchers at the cutting-edge of the research field. This proposal seeks support for a FASEB conference entitled "Cytoskeletal Structure, Function and Dynamics" that will discuss the most exciting recent findings on cell's cytoskeletal components. The researchers will discuss new findings about the assembly and regulation of the cytoskeleton, interactions between distinct cytoskeletal elements, and the unexpected roles cytoskeletal components play in cellular and organismal homeostasis and pathology. The meeting will: (1) facilitate the sharing of research discoveries and progress; (2) foster collaboration and encourage interdisciplinary approaches that will contribute to future progress in science; and (3) provide educational activities for students, post-docs and young faculty to train a cadre of future researchers. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.