The Darmstadt workshop on molecular modeling: Past and future

The majority of the contributions in this issue of the Journal of Molecular Graphics are papers that were presented at the Seventh Darmstadt Molecular Modeling Workshop, which took place at the Technical University Darmstadt on May 18–19, 1993. The technical organization of this workshop was again in the hands of the physical chemistry staff of the Technical University, Darmstadt, as it has been for the past six years. The scientific program was coordinated by Stefan Kast from the author's research group. The Darmstadt Workshop has been quite an informal and inexpensive event throughout the years. From 1994 onward, it will also be a specific meeting of the recently founded German-speaking branch of the Molecular Graphics Society. The following notes should help to provide an overview of the past activities and present some ideas for the future of this meeting.     

1994 Molecular Graphics Art Show and Video Show

The 1994 Molecular Graphics Art Show and Video Show were presented at the 13th annual international meeting of the Molecular Graphics and Modelling Society. The art show—shown in the Mary & Leigh Block Gallery on the campus of Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois—included original artworks by eighteen artists and the video show included nine original animated works. All were chosen for their ability to present the complexity, diversity, and beauty of the molecular world in visual form. Works from a wide range of disciplines were represented, including work by scientists actively involved in structural research, by commercial illustrators presenting these results to students and physicians, and by fine artists exploring the meanings and implications of these molecules in our lives. Included in this issue of the Journal of Molecular Graphics are comments by the juror of the show, T.J. O'Donnell, a catalogue of the art show, and a catalogue of the video show.     

When the Cell Stress Society International became South American: meeting report of the IX International Workshop on the Molecular Biology of Stress Responses

The International Workshop on the Molecular Biology of the Stress Response organized by the Cell Stress Society International was held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on May 27–30, 2012, as part of the development of the Latin American Chapter of the Society, a superb initiative headed by Drs. Antonio De Maio and Larry Hightower. The meeting took place in the wonderful facilities of the Pontifícia Universidade do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS) and was warmly chaired by Professor Cristina Bonorino. Thirty-four invited speakers presented their work to more than 200 scientists and, even more importantly, to 150 registered students, who were the main beneficiaries of the meeting. The first day of the workshop was dedicated to an educational program for students, young investigators, and participants who were unfamiliar with the field of molecular chaperones and the stress response. Speakers in this pre-workshop were Dr. Harm Kampinga, Dr. Lea Sistonen, Dr. Larry Hightower, Dr. Ivor Benjamin, Dr. Daniel Ciocca, and Dr. Linda Hendershot. Then, the scientific sessions discussed below followed.     

Molecular graphics abstract

This year's annual meeting of the Molecular Graphics Society was held at the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK, over the weekend of 10–12 April 1987. Below is an abstract of one paper presented at the meeting. The rest were published in the June 1987 issue.     

The 6(th) East Midlands Proteomics Workshop supported by the BSPR and BMSS 14 November 2007, Nottingham, UK

Now in its 6(th) year, the East Midlands Proteomics workshop held in November 2007 brought together over 200 scientists with a common interest in proteomic techniques and their application to complex biological and biomedical problems. For the first time, this meeting was jointly supported by the British Society for Proteome Research (BSPR) and British Mass Spectrometry Society (BMSS).     

TT2013 meeting report: the Transgenic Technology meeting visits Asia for the first time

The 11th Transgenic Technology meeting was held in Guangzhou, China on 25th–27th February 2013. Over 300 scientists and students from round the world gathered to hear the latest developments in the technologies underpinning the creation of transgenic and knockout animals and their application to biological sciences in areas such as the modeling human diseases and biotechnology. As well as informative presentations from leading researchers in the field, an excellent selection of short talks selected from abstracts and posters, attendees were also treated to an inspiring talk from Allan Bradley who was awarded the 9th International Society of Transgenic Technologies Prize for outstanding contributions to the field of transgenic technologies.     

The trypanosomatid evolution workshop London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. 17-18 February 2000

The trypanosome evolution workshop, a joint meeting of the University of Exeter and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, focused on topics relating to trypanosomatid and vector evolution. The meeting, sponsored by The Wellcome Trust, The Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Disease of World Health Organization and the British Section of the Society of Protozoologists, brought together an international group of experts who presented papers on a wide range of topics including parasite and vector phylogenies, molecular methodology and relevant biogeographical data.     

Small molecules and chemical tools at the interface

As our understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving complex biological processes grows, the role of chemical biology will continue to expand. The 2008 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology meeting showcased recent progress in the field of chemical biology while simultaneously pointing toward the future of research at the interface between chemistry and biology.     

Report of the 2011 annual meeting of the Italian Society for Virology

The 10th annual meeting of the Italian Society for Virology (SIV) comprised seven plenary sessions focused on: General virology and viral genetics; Virus-Host interaction and pathogenesis; Viral oncology; Emerging viruses and zoonotic, foodborne and environmental pathways of transmission; Viral immunology and vaccines; Medical virology and antiviral therapy; Viral biotechnologies and gene therapy. The meeting had an attendance of 143 virologists, about 60% were senior, and the other were young scientists. The submitted abstracts amounted to 88 and the abstracts selected for oral presentation were 41. Complete abstracts of oral and poster presentations are available at the web site www.siv-virologia.it. A summary of the plenary lectures and oral selected presentations is reported.     

Meeting Report: "Metagenomics, Metadata and Meta-analysis" (M3) Special Interest Group at ISMB 2009

This report summarizes the proceedings of the "Metagenomics, Metadata and Meta-analysis" (M3) Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting held at the Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology 2009 conference. The Genomic Standards Consortium (GSC) hosted this meeting to explore the bottlenecks and emerging solutions for obtaining biological insights through large-scale comparative analysis of metagenomic datasets. The M3 SIG included 16 talks, half of which were selected from submitted abstracts, a poster session and a panel discussion involving members of the GSC Board. This report summarizes this one-day SIG, attempts to identify shared themes and recapitulates community recommendations for the future of this field. The GSC will also host an M3 workshop at the Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing (PSB) in January 2010. Further information about the GSC and its range of activities can be found at http://gensc.org/.     

Mucosal immunology down under: Special Interest Group in Mucosal Immunology workshop, Australasian Society for Immunology, Sydney, Australia, 2 December 2007

The Mucosal Immunology Special Interest Group (SIG-MI) of the Australasian Society of Immunology was formed 14 years ago and has run regular symposia and workshops in conjunction with the Australasian Society of Immunology since that time. In December 2007 the Mucosal Immunology Special Interest Group held a 1-day satellite workshop in conjunction with the annual Australasian Society of Immunology scientific meeting in Sydney to celebrate the decade since hosting the 9th International Congress of Mucosal Immunology (9-ICMI) in 1997, which was also held in Sydney. The meeting that was attended by 65 delegates focussed on 4 session themes: reproductive immunology, respiratory immunology, mucosal immunology of the gastrointestinal tract and mucosal vaccines.     

Announcing the call for the Special Issue on the 20th International Congress of the International Union of Pure and Applied Biophysics (IUPAB)—virtual meeting,October 2021

This Commentary describes a call for submissions for the upcoming Special Issue focused on the science presented at the 20^th IUPAB Congress to be held in conjunction with the 45^th Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Biophysical Society and the 49^th Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 20^th International IUPAB Congress will take place as a virtual meeting this year from October 4 to 8, 2021. This triennial IUPAB Congress will be held in loose conjunction with the 45^th Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Biophysical Society and the 49^th Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. To act as a complement to this virtual meeting, the Biophysical Reviews journal will base a Special Issue on the scientific topics of the meeting contributors selected from the range of invited speakers and poster presenters. This Special Issue will also work to highlight the host country’s (Brazil) National Biophysical Society. Finally, this Special Issue will also serve to publish the meeting abstracts in supplemental form.Review articles from IUPAB Congress speakers and poster presenters to the IUPAB Congress and associated conferences (the 45^th Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Biophysical Society and the 49^th Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) are solicited. Similar to the SI based on the 19^th IUPAB Congress held in Edinburgh summarizing Commentaries from session chairs are also requested (Hall and dos Remedios 2017). The Special Issue for the 20^th IUPAB International Congress will be prepared and edited by the current authors (Rosangela Itri, Mauricio Baptista, Richard Garratt, and Antonio Jose Costa-Filho).     

The first junior European Calcium Society meeting: calcium research across scales,Kingdoms and countries

The first junior European Calcium Society online meeting, held October 20–21, 2020, aimed to promote junior researchers in the Ca²⁺ community. The meeting included four scientific sessions, covering Ca²⁺ research from molecular detail to whole organisms. Each session featured one invited speaker and three speakers selected based on submitted abstracts, with the overall aim of actively involving early-career researchers. Consequently, the meeting underlined the diversity of Ca²⁺ physiology, by showcasing research across scales and Kingdoms, as presented by a correspondingly diverse speaker panel across career stages and countries. In this meeting report, we introduce the visions of the junior European Calcium Society board and summarize the meeting content.     

Editorial – Clonal plants and environmental heterogeneity – space, time and scale

The fifth Clonal Plant Workshop entitled 'Clonal plants and environmental heterogeneity – space, time and scale' was held at the University of Wales, Bangor, from the 9th to the 14th September 1997. The workshops began in 1988, when a small group of plant scientists with different backgrounds met in the Netherlands to discuss plant clonality. This meeting was followed by workshops in 1990, 1992 and 1995 in Sweden, the Czech Republic and Hungary, respectively. The purpose of the Bangor meeting was to continue to integrate knowledge from a wide range of biological disciplines to attempt a better understanding of clonal plants in the context of the heterogeneous environments in which they occur. This special issue is a collection of a number of the presentations at the Bangor workshop. The effects of spatial and temporal environmental heterogeneity on individuals, populations and communities are, of course, diverse, and this collection of papers is not intended to provide a synthesis of the ecological consequences of environmental heterogeneity. Rather, this special issue more accurately reflects progress in various areas of clonal plant research including population dynamics of ramets and genets, mathematical modelling and molecular techniques. We wish to thank all participants of the workshop for their contribution and trust that they found the meeting as stimulating and enjoyable as we did. We are indebted to the authors and the many referees for their friendly cooperation and to Plant Ecology for publishing the proceedings. We also gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the following that made the workshop possible: The British Ecological Society, The Tansley Fund of the New Phytologist Trust, The Countryside Council for Wales, The Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (Bangor) and Skye Instruments Ltd, Wales.     

Mental health and well-being in primatology: Breaking the taboos

We hope to raise awareness of mental health and well-being among primatologists. With this aim in mind, we organized a workshop on mental health as part of the main program of the Winter meeting of the Primate Society of Great Britain in December 2021. The workshop was very well received. Here, we review the main issues raised in the workshop, and supplement them with our own observations, reflections, and reading. The information we gathered during the workshop reveals clear hazards to mental health and suggests that we must collectively acknowledge and better manage both the hazards themselves and our ability to cope with them if we are to avert disaster. We call on institutions and learned societies to lead in seeking solutions for the benefit of primatologists and primatology.     

CCP11 group meeting - towards the functional analysis of microarrays

The CCP11 project [2] aims to foster bioinformatics in the UK through conferences, workshops and the provision of Web resources. In March 2002, CCP11 held a meeting in Manchester, UK, on the functional analysis of microarrays. This was part of Manchester BioinformaticsWeek-three consecutive short bioinformatics meetings held in the attractive setting of the Chancellor's Conference Centre at the University of Manchester. The other meetings in the series were a workshop on ontologies and the 12th Annual MASAMB (Mathematical and Statistical Aspects of Molecular Biology) Conference. Many delegates were able to attend more than one meeting, which led to a useful cross-fertilization of ideas across the bioinformatics community. The CCP11 meeting shared with MASAMB a strong emphasis on the statistical analysis and interpretation of data-most often image intensity data.