Welcome

An issue of the Symbiosis journal will be dedicated to proceedings of the 6th ISS Congress. A committee of international scientists has been formed to review manuscript proposals and select those to be invited for submission of a full manuscript.

To be considered for manuscript submission please prepare an abstract of 100-200 words and email it as a pdf document to Dr. Heidi Goodrich-Blair (hgblair@bact.wisc.edu) no later than the start of the conference (August 9, 2009). She will notify you of the committee's decision by August 31, 2009. If your abstract is selected for submission your manuscript will be due by October 31, 2009. The Symbiosis ISS series is slated for an early 2010 publication date.

In your abstract please include a title, authors and affiliation. Instructions for authors for manuscript preparation can be found at: http://www.symbiosisjournal.com/Instructions.shtml

The International Symbiosis Society and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Symbiosis Cluster invite you to join us for the 2009 International Congress on Symbiosis. The conference will be held at the University of Wisconsin in Madison,Wisconsin, and feature oral sessions and posters spanning the latest research in the field of symbiosis. Sessions are organized conceptually, spanning the molecular mechanisms of symbiosis to the role of symbiosis in ecosystem function.

Keynote Speaker

Moran

Nancy A. Moran is Regents' Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. She once worked on insect evolution, including social behavior and modes of reproduction in insects. But since 1990, her main focus has been the exploration of bacterial symbiosis, including functional, evolutionary and genetic aspects. Her work spans evolutionary biology, entomology, microbiology, and genetics. Symbionts she has discovered include some of the most extreme instances of genome evolution in cellular organisms, exhibiting highly derived, tiny genomes. Her work has shown that symbionts play a central role in host biology, affecting dietary choices, defense against enemies and persistence under stressful conditions. Moran is a member of the National Academy of Sciences; and she is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Microbiology, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Fellow of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. She is past president of the Society for the Study of Evolution.

To be held in the Microbial Sciences Building on Wednesday, August 12th.

One of the most common forms of symbiosis occurs between nematodes and bacteria, ranging from fortuitous to obligate and from beneficial to pathogenic. At present numerous researchers worldwide are studying associations between these two groups of organisms within many different disciplines, in medicine and veterinary science, entomology, plant biology, genetics etc. Because the scope of such research is mostly dictated by nematode trophic groups to date no common coherent ground exists connecting the science being done in this discipline, despite the fact that advances in each will undoubtedly inform the others. A National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network on "Nematode-Bacteria Symbioses" has been established to foster interdisciplinary collaborations between scientists and to encourage scientists engaged in basic and applied research to explore how cross-talk and networking can enhance and advance science in this field.

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The Conference Organizers wish to thank the following for their generous support:

NSF Burrows EMD

Gilson Dannon

Elsevier

American Society of Microbiology
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Albert (Al) L. Toon, Jr
AT8 Private Investment Companies
Danisco Inc.
Microbes in Health and Disease Training Program
New England Biolabs, Inc.
The New Phytologist
OpGen
Promega
The United States National Institutes of General Medical Sciences (R13GM088986)
UW-Madison Department of Bacteriology - Dennis and Alicemay Waston Fund
UW-Madison Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology

For questions regarding the ISS Congress, please contact Alicia Cramer at amcramer@wisc.edu.

For questions regarding the meeting site and registration, please contact Conference Services at symbiosis@union.wisc.edu.

CONFERENCE DEADLINES:
Poster Abstract Submission: Monday, June 29, 2009 - This is a firm deadline. No abstracts will be allowed after this date.

Early Registration Deadline: Friday, May 15, 2009
Lodging Reservations (via registration site): Monday, July 6, 2009
Payments: All charges must be paid in full after Monday, July 6, 2009

The Wisconsin Union - Conference Services
Symbiosis 2009 Conference
800 Langdon Street
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608-890-1077
Fax: 608-265-8299
Email: symbiosis@union.wisc.edu
The University of Wiscosin Tax Identification Number is 39-1805963
Please make checks/PO payable to: Wisconsin Union - Symbiosis 2009