2012 NWDB Conference

You are invited to the Northwest regional Society for Developmental Biology Conference,
which will be held March 14-17, 2012, at the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories,
on San Juan Island, Washington, USA.

NOTICE: Pre-conference registration is now closed. On-site registration will be available in the Dining Hall at FHL.

The Organizers

Douglas Allan doug.allan@ubc.ca

Jane Roskams roskams@zoology.ubc.ca

The conference opens Wednesday evening with the Whiteley lecture, presented by Professor Billie Swalla from the University of Washington, Seattle.

Five Invited Speakers will lead platform sessions on Thursday and Friday focusing on "Development of Form and Function."

The organizers will choose 25 speakers from the submitted Abstracts.

The Schedule of Events includes poster sessions each evening and a free afternoon to explore the island.

Post the Flyer!

Invited Speakers

Whiteley Lecturer:

• Professor Billie Swalla - University of Washington, Seattle
  A tale of notochord loss in ascidians

Invited Speakers:

• Siobhan Brady - University of California, Davis
  Arabidopsis root spatiotemporal gene regulatory networks

• Kurt Haas - University of British Columbia, Vancouver
  Direct in vivo imaging of developmental brain plasticity within the awake Xenopus laevis tadpole

• Kristin Scott - University of California, Berkeley
  Taste recognition in Drosophila

• Henk Roelink - University of California, Berkeley
  Signaling in the absence of primary cilia and Ptch1

Education Speaker:

• David Ng - University of British Columbia, Vancouver
  Can Developmental Biologists Save the World?

Post the Flyer!

Preliminary Schedule of Events

Download a pdf version of the Preliminary Schedule of Events

Awards

The organizers will deputize judges who will evaluate the platform and poster presentations of undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows (faculty and staff are not eligible for awards). The best presenters in each category will receive a monetary award. To qualify for these awards, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students must be SDB members in good standing at the time they submit their abstract to the regional meeting.

Grand Prize : One graduate student and one postdoctoral fellow will receive $1000 to defray travel and meeting expenses associated with presenting their work at the SDB 71st Annual Meeting , in Montreal, Canada, July 19-23, 2012. Grand prize winners should also submit their abstracts to the national meeting by March 15, 2012. Organizers of the national meeting will automatically consider the postdoctoral winner's abstract for one of the eight 15-minute slots at the special Postdoctoral Symposium.

Exhibitors

• Olympus
  Your Vision, Our Future

• Nikon
  The Source for Microscopy Education

• Leica
  Living up to Life

• Bartels and Stout
  Serving the Northwest since 1977

• Zeiss
  We make it visible.

• Hamamatsu
  Photon is our business.

Registration

On-site Registration will be possible by cash or check (no credit cards). On-site conference charges are listed below.

The Society for Developmental Biology subsidizes the meeting and registration fees are scaled to benefit members of the SDB. If you renewed your membership or became a new member by February 1, 2012, you are guaranteed reduced rates on registration and housing. SDB requires several business days to process renewals and two weeks to process new memberships, so be sure you have received confirmation of your renewal or new membership before requesting the reduced rates at the NWDB conference.

Registration fees include the cost of the Program Booklet, all meals during the conference, and refreshments during the breaks, poster sessions, and social mixers, regardless of whether you choose to stay on the FHL campus or in the town of Friday Harbor. Shown below are the on-site registration and on-site housing costs based on SDB membership and academic status. Payment may be made by cash or check (no credit cards).

Cancellation Policy: If you registered for the conference and are unable to attend, contact one of the organizers. If the organizers receive sufficient notice to alter the housing and food requests, you may receive a partial refund, less costs for credit card charges and abstract booklet publication.

Advice to Research Scientists and Laboratory Technicians: When registering for the meeting, your P.I. should designate the category that is most appropriate for your level. Our guidelines are as follows:

• Scientists who have recently obtained a Bachelor's degree (within the last five years) should register as a graduate student.
• Those who have a Ph.D. or who have been in a paid research position for 6-10 years should register as a postdoctoral fellow.
• A senior scientist with >10 years experience should register as faculty.

Abstract Presentation

We are pleased to invite all attendees to present their work at the Northwest SDB Regional Meeting. Each evening features a poster session and a mixer with refreshments. In addition, each platform session will feature several 10-minute talks selected from the abstracts. The organizers will notify the submitting authors by March 4, 2012, whether they have been selected for a 10-minute talk. All posters and platform presentations require abstract submission. The presenting author must be registered for the meeting by March 1 to be chosen for a talk. The following links provide guidelines for presenting your work in platform and poster venues.

The DEADLINE for Abstract Submission was FEBRUARY 24, 2012.

Platform Presentations

If your abstract was chosen to present in a platform session, your talk will be 10 minutes long plus two minutes for questions. The organizers will enforce this rule with rigid timing, so please rehearse your presentation. All talks will occur in the Dining Hall, which may not be as dark as some auditoria designed specifically for lectures, so be sure to use large font, simple diagrams, and optimized images. Both PC and MAC laptop computers will be available for your presentation, as well as a projector and laser pointer.

With the exception of faculty and staff, all SDB members who present their work in platform sessions are eligible for the Grand Prize and other Awards for best talk.

• If you have questions or concerns, email: Douglas Allan doug.allan@ubc.ca

With the exception of faculty and staff, all SDB members who present their work in poster sessions are eligible for nightly Awards for best poster. Undergraduate students need not be SDB members to compete for best undergraduate poster.

• If you have questions or concerns, email: Douglas Allan doug.allan@ubc.ca

Most attendees travel to the FHL by car and ferry. The labs are located about 75 miles northwest of Seattle, Washington and 80 kilometers south of Vancouver, British Columbia. All ferry service leaves from Anacortes, Washington, approximately 17 miles/ 27 km west of Interstate 5. Driving time from Seattle to Anacortes (80 miles) is about 90 minutes and from Vancouver to Anacortes (150 km) is about two hours. If you plan to bring a vehicle onto the island, arrive about two hours early to ensure passage on the ferry. The winter WA state ferry schedule gives travel times, fares, directions, and other relevant information. To obtain a reduced fare for vehicles and passengers, print out the School Letter on your Institution's letterhead, fill out the appropriate information, and obtain a signature from your chair or administrator. Present the letter when purchasing a ferry ticket for your vehicle.

Parking is available at the Anacortes ferry terminal and most attendees leave their vehicles in Anacortes. If you choose this option, plan to arrive about 30 minutes early to purchase a ticket and walk onto the ferry. Vans will meet each ferry and transport attendees and baggage to the FHL conference site.

By Air

Kenmore Airlines offers flights from Seatac airport or Lake Union near downtown Seattle, to the Friday Harbor marina for about $225 round trip. For those connecting with flights at SeaTac, ground transportation from SeaTac to both sites is included in the price of your ticket and is scheduled by the airline. If you use this option, Kenmore suggests conservative connection times as part of their Important Passenger Information .

Taxi or bus service to the FHL is available in town but one can often get a ride simply by asking. A map showing the route is suitable for both driving and walking. The distance from town to the FHL is ~ 1 mile.

Additional information is available at Visiting FHL .

Housing

Stay on Site

The registration form asks whether you prefer to stay on site and will charge you a housing fee commensurate with your status. The FHL greatly subsidizes the cost of student visits such that staying on site is extremely cost effective for both undergraduate and graduate students. The NWDB conference organizers have also scaled the fee structure such that postdoctoral fellows pay a reduced rate compared to the cost of housing in town. Faculty pay approximately the same rate as staying at the least expensive hotel in town. In all cases, SDB members pay reduced rates.

Stay in Town

The town of Friday Harbor is about 1 mile from the FHL conference site. The comfort and privacy of a hotel are balanced by the loss of proximity to meeting events. If you choose to stay in town, your meals at the meeting are still covered by the registration fee. Listed below are hotel options in the town of Friday Harbor, Washington.

• Hillside House Bed and Breakfast
  365 Carter Avenue
  Starting at $85/night

• The Trumpeter Inn
  318 Trumpeter Way
  Starting at $130/night

• Best Western Friday Harbor Suites
  680 Spring Street
  The Best Western Hotel has reserved a block of Queen Suites at a special rate for our conference. Mention the NWDB conference when reserving your room to secure the reduced rate. The Best Western Hotel provides complimentary breakfast and transportation to the FHL.

• Earthbox Motel & Spa
  410 Spring Street
  Starting at $157/night

• Tucker House Inn
  275 "C" Street
  Starting at $130/night

• Harrison House Suites Bed and Breakfast
  235 "C" Street
  Starting at $165.00/night

Contact Information