Anna Allen
$20,000
Celina Juliano
Lehigh University
Pennsylvania
Biological Sciences (BIO)
The Cnidarian Model Systems Meeting, or "Cnidofest," is a biennial conference that brings together researchers studying cnidarians, a group of animals that includes jellyfish, corals, and sea anemones. These animals have several features of scientific interest, including their importance to ocean health, for example coral reef habitats, and their unique biology, for example their extreme regenerative abilities and diverse forms. Cnidofest 2024 is the third iteration of this meeting and is taking place at Lehigh University. The first Cnidofest was held in 2018 at the University of Florida and the second in 2022 at the University of California, Davis after taking 2020 off due to the pandemic. This growing conference emphasizes the importance of bringing together scientists of all career stages. The conference prioritizes trainee involvement and networking, with trainees giving 75% of the oral presentations. Through the support of trainees, Cnidofest is committed to expanding the community, both in total numbers and in diversity. In particular, expanding opportunities for researchers from diverse backgrounds as well as researchers using diverse model systems is a high priority. Therefore, efforts are made to keep costs low and provide financial support for trainees, ensuring broad participation. Cnidofest also showcases cutting-edge technologies, helping researchers integrate new tools into their research. These talks are given by researchers outside of the community to enable new perspectives. Overall, Cnidofest supports the growth and advancement of the cnidarian research community and is vital component of their success.
Cnidarian laboratory models have been used to make fundamental discoveries, including in neurobiology, developmental biology, ecology, evolution, and symbiosis. However, this group of organisms have been historically understudied due to technology limitations. In the past several years, this has changed due to advances in genomics and gene manipulation technologies that can now be easily applied to diverse animals. The advantages of cnidarians for laboratory research include: 1) Simple, well-understood body plans with highly complex and variable life cycles. 2) An informative phylogenetic position as the clade that is sister to bilaterians; discoveries made in cnidarians often uncover deeply conserved processes. 3) Transparency makes them amenable to live imaging. 4) Interesting biology such as self/non-self recognition, the study of algal symbioses, such as found in reef-building corals, and extreme regenerative abilities. The Cnidarian Model Systems Meeting, or "Cnidofest 2024," will bring together researchers studying diverse cnidarians and will emphasize new technological approaches to enhance cnidarian research. Three technology speakers will present seminars on emerging technologies 1) Spatial Transcriptomics, 2) Expansion Microscopy, and 3) Optogenetics. Interactions among participants will be encouraged through a schedule that includes oral presentations, lightning talks, and poster presentations. In addition, time is built into the schedule for informal discussions over breaks and meals, which are all done as one group. The goal is to exchange ideas for advancing research in cnidarians, as well as foster growth in the community by supporting trainee meeting costs.
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.