Conference: 2022 Marine Microbes GRS and GRC

The Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) and Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Marine Microbes together create an international forum for sharing cutting-edge research on the ecology, evolution, and function of microorganisms in the ocean biosphere. The meeting brings

together top scientists from around the world who have diverse backgrounds and expertise in order to provide an integrated program on marine microbial life, covering cutting edge research on viruses, Bacteria, Archaea and Eurkarya protists, spanning pelagic and benthic realms, trophic food web dynamics (photoautotrophy, chemoautotrophy, heterotrophy and mixotrophy) and their interactions and impact on biogeochemical cycles. Both the Seminar and Conference are organized in thematic sessions, with the goal of highlighting new methodological approaches and emerging questions in the field while stimulating rigorous discussion.

This award enables early career participants (postdoctoral researchers and graduate students in the marine microbiology research community with diverse backgrounds) to attend both the 2022 Gordon Research Seminar (May 28-29, 2022) and Gordon Research Conference (May 29- May 29, 2022) on Marine Microbes. The rationale is to facilitate the attendance and participation of postdocs and graduate students in the GRS so they have an opportunity to present their research among peer scientists and establish connections and confidence in this setting.

The GRS exposes young, early-career scientists to cutting-edge research on marine microbes (ranging from computational to theoretical to experimental to observational, and spanning all relevant disciplines from ecology to biogeochemistry to evolution), provide opportunities to network among peers, and foster relationships that will hopefully lead to lifelong collaborations. It also provides career guidance and scientific mentoring through the participation of select senior-level research mentors and discussion leaders.

The GRS increases student and postdoc participation in the subsequent GRC which has oral presentations from a diverse group of young and established scientists who play leading roles in marine microbial research. The 2022 meeting is of special importance since the 2020 meeting was postponed due to the global COVID- 19 pandemic. It is even more important now that researchers can reconnect and have vital discussions about novel research, in an environment that fosters networking and collaboration.

The respective themes of the 2022 Marine Microbes GRS and GRC are “Integrated Microbial Oceanography” and “Interconnected Microbial Ocean.” These themes highlight some of the pressing challenges and opportunities for innovation and collaboration in the field of marine microbiology. The “Integrated Microbial Oceanography” GRS focuses on research at the nexus of approaches of study marine microbes that bridges across methods, experimental systems, and scales to form a more holistic understanding of the ocean microbiome.

The complementary GRC is on the “Interconnected Microbial Ocean,” and aims to highlight the vital functional roles of microorganisms, their ecological interactions, and their feedbacks on marine physiochemical environments. The Marine Microbes GRS/GRC are arguably the only meetings that coalesce such a diverse array of researchers (from career stages, disciplines, areas of expertise) related to marine microbes.

The GRC meeting format emphasizes personal interactions, unpublished, cutting-edge research, and community-building. As such, these meetings continue to be an exceptional opportunity for the exchange of scientific ideas, developing new collaborations, gaining experience in presenting research (especially for early-career scientists), and are a crucial platform for addressing pressing challenges and opportunities for the field of marine microbiology.

The meetings are highly interactive, stimulating environments that drive scientific conversations and community forward. A critical part of achieving our meeting goal is participation from a diverse array of scientists to the meeting site.

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.