The Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) is a unique forum for graduate students, post-docs, and other scientists with comparable levels of experience and education to present and exchange new data and cutting edge ideas. All GRS attendees are expected to actively participate by giving an oral presentation or presenting a poster. Attendees are strongly encouraged to attend the preceding Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on nitric oxide at the same venue. The GRS compliments the GRC, occurring at the same venue and immediately preceding the GRC, but caters to students and early career investigators. GRS offers scientific, career, and leadership opportunity for early phase investigators, elaborated below.

Scientific component: The first GRS on nitric oxide (NO) will be held on February 18-19, 2017 in Ventura CA and will explore NO biochemistry in mammalian, plant, and microbial systems. While the molecular mechanisms of NO production, metabolism, and function differ among in living organisms, understanding NO biochemistry in multiple systems can offer invaluable insights. The goal of the 2017 GRS on NO is to broaden our understanding of the NO molecule by connecting researchers from diverse research backgrounds.

The GRS on NO will consist of four sessions: The conference will begin with a keynote lecture (Session 1) from Professor Serpil Erzurum, an international expert in nitric oxide in lung physiology and pathophysiology. The subsequent two scientific session will focus on NO biochemistry in mammals (Session 2) and in plants and microbes (Session 3). Session 2 will focus on nitric oxide biosynthesis, transformation, and function in humans and animal models of human disease. Session 3 will focus the mechanisms of nitric oxide formation and signaling in plant and microbial systems, with a focus on the environmental and microbiome implications. Both sessions will feature oral and poster presentations by attendees. Oral presentation will be selected from abstracts submitted to the conference by November 18, 2016. Both scientific sessions will have a dedicated time slot for poster presentations. Posters will be displayed in an adjacent lecture hall throughout the conference to facilitate discussion among attendees. The GRS will conclude with a career development seminar (Session 4) which is elaborated below.