…and this is a 
The University of Oregon and Indiana University have this wonderful Integrated Graduate Education and Research Traineeship in evo-devo that was, unfortunately, established long after I graduated from the UO. I have to say that it is a great idea, and it isn't their fault I'm a superannuated anachronism. Anyway, the important thing is that they are hosting a symposium on evolution, development, and genomics: "From Patterns to Process: Bridging Micro-and-Macroevolutionary Concepts through Evo-Devo" on 4-6 April, in beautiful Eugene, Oregon. And look at the speakers they have lined up!
Keynote Speakers
- Jerry Coyne - University of Chicago
- Greg Wray - Duke University
Scheduled Speakers
- Detlev Arendt - European Molecular Biology Laboratory
- Bill Cresko - University of Oregon
- Bernie Degnan - University of Queensland
- Hopi Hoekstra - Harvard University
- Mark Martindale - University of Hawaii
- Daniel Meulemans - California Institute of Technology
- Leonie Moyle - Indiana University
- Fred Nijhout - Duke University
- Kevin Peterson - Dartmouth College
- Stephan Schneider - University of Oregon
- Mike Wade - Indiana University
- Deneen Wellik - University of Michigan
A springtime meeting in Oregon in which I get to hear the latest in evo-devo from some of its biggest names and a rather significant detractor (Coyne)? Well, that settles it for me — I'm going. This sounds like spectacular fun.
Life Science
Comments
Posted by: Eric | December 6, 2007 9:14 AM
I didn't realize that you were a UO alum! My wife is as well and I live in Portland - where we were saddened by the Ducks dramatic fall from #2...
I would offer a place to stay if we lived a little closer to Eugene, as it is, I will happily buy you a beer (or other beverage of your choice) if you have the chance to hang out in Portland before flying home...
cheers!
Posted by: Shaggy Maniac | December 6, 2007 9:25 AM
Wow, among the (linked) speakers, there is even someone, Leonie Moyle, who works on plants; woohoo!
Posted by: PZ Myers | December 6, 2007 9:43 AM
I should hope they'd have a plant person -- one of the goals of evo-devo as a research program is to account for diversity, and they should at least aspire to more breadth.
Posted by: Sven DiMilo | December 6, 2007 10:05 AM
Anybody else going to SICB in San Antonio this January?
Posted by: Ed Darrell | December 6, 2007 10:28 AM
1. No representative from the DI? You mean, they have nothing to say on the hottest area in evolution research?
2. SICB in San Antonio? That's barely an hour from Austin. Won't Don McLeroy have the Texas Rangers out to arrest anyone discussing evolution within 1,000 years of any school, church, day care center, gas well, oil well or liquor store? Brave souls, those SICB folk! Parachuting right into the war zone like that . . .
Posted by: PZ Myers | December 6, 2007 10:39 AM
I've been thinking about going to SICB...but I'm not sure. After this semester, I desperately need some downtime before I plunge into spring semester, which promises to be even worse.
Posted by: Jennifurret | December 6, 2007 10:44 AM
You know you're finally getting somewhat serious into research when you start recognizing names of random scientists. Mike Wade gave a talk over at Purdue a couple of weeks ago, and he joined our lab group for an hour for our weekly meeting. Unfortunately, most of what he said was over my head, which still shows me what a newbie I am. Oh well.
Posted by: Voting Present | December 6, 2007 11:00 AM
Shall we let the creationists in on the fact that SOME SAY "evo devo" so that it is pronounced "evil devil"?
.
Posted by: tr | December 6, 2007 1:24 PM
Well, well...makes me proud to be associated with IU-B (uh, through dh anyway).
Posted by: ZorkFox | December 6, 2007 1:36 PM
Is the symposium really only for grad students and upper echelon university people? Or can anyone attend?
Posted by: Hairy Doctor Professor | December 6, 2007 1:40 PM
...a plant person...at least aspire to...
Shouldn't that be transpire? (sorry)
Posted by: Kelly Clowers | December 6, 2007 2:42 PM
Hey, that's just down the road from me (I'm in Corvallis). But the registration page only mentions grad students, post-docs and faculty, and I'm only a community college undergrad.
Posted by: PZ Myers | December 6, 2007 3:41 PM
These kinds of events aren't going to demand your academic credentials -- typically, anyone willing to pay the registration fee can go. However, this is also the kind of meeting where the participants aren't even going to try to address the general public; if you aren't up on the lingo and comfortable with the concepts, you're going to be completely baffled and bored for many hours.
I went to a few professional meetings as an undergraduate, and I struggled, but I learned a lot.
Posted by: yukon slim | December 6, 2007 7:40 PM
I've been a big fan of Fred Nijhout ever since I read his book "The Development and Evolution of Butterfly Wing Patterns." I'm convinced he's a genius.
Posted by: bfish | December 6, 2007 8:15 PM
Ack! Why'd they have to schedule concurrent with the Fly Meeting? C'est la vie.
Posted by: True Bob | December 6, 2007 8:23 PM
Is this an intentional Scooter/JudyM reference?
Posted by: Jeanette Garcia | December 7, 2007 3:37 AM
I'll be darn. A fellow UofO graduate. How cool is that?
Posted by: foxfire | December 7, 2007 9:20 PM
Dude! How cool (a. graduate of UO, b. Coming to Oregon c. close to where we live).
If you feel like visiting the coast, we live in Yachats and have a guest room that is begging for a guest! I'd even (I hate to cook) go get fresh Dungeness, steamers and Mirror Pond to lure you to our abode.
Posted by: Beverley Villena | January 1, 2010 8:05 AM
Ths s sch grt rsrc tht y r prvdng nd y gv t wy fr fr. I njy sng wbsts tht ndrstnd th vl f prvdng prm rsrc fr fr. I trly lvd rdng yr pst. Thnks!