Enhancing Diversity at the 8th Astyanax International Meeting (AIM) - Project Summary/Abstract A central goal of biological research is to understand how the diversity seen throughout fauna is generated, and how changes in environment and ecology lead to phenotypic differences. Naturally occurring genetic variation has instrumental roles in driving phenotypic differences, both in the cases of adaptive changes seen across evolution, but also in pathological underpinnings of human disease. Indeed, today it is well accepted that genetic architecture has a fundamental role in disease susceptibility. Model organisms have been essential to our understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying biological processes, yet our understanding of naturally occurring genetic variation impacts trait differences and disease susceptibility is limited. A central impediment to addressing this question is the lack of a model system with naturally occurring differences that is also amendable to genetic and experimental manipulation. The Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus has been a powerful tool for addressing how naturally occurring genetic variation alters phenotypes. The model has two distinctly different forms: There are surface dwelling fish that live in above-ground rivers and streams and have functional visual systems and pigmentation, contrasting with at least 30 cave-restricted populations which are blind and albino. The past decade has seen an explosion in the number of genetic tools introduced in the system, the number of phenotypes that are being studied, and the number of labs world-wide that are utilizing this model. Today, Astyanax is a model for eye degeneration, sleep loss, stress, aggression, metabolism and insulin resistance. The Astyanax International meeting is a biennial meeting that brings the group of researchers using Astyanax and other non-traditional aquatic models together to discuss the latest progress in biological research and to set the direction for the subsequent 2 years. The 4-day meeting draws an international crowd with groups coming from North and Central America, Europe, and Asia. The 8th biennial meeting will be held in South Florida in Fort Lauderdale. South Florida is a prime venue due to its large size, ease of access with two major international airports, and multiple options for the venue. The meeting will be open registration, and we expect 90-100 attendees; The last Astyanax International meeting held in San Antonio in 2022 had 70 attendees, and we expect that this number will increase as COVID concerns have largely subsided. The meeting will feature two keynote speakers and over 30 (36 in total) speakers chosen from submitted abstracts. The meeting will also feature a poster session, and short ‘lighting talks.” All talks (not including Keynote speakers) will be the same amount of time, and we will focus providing opportunities for junior PIs and trainees to speak. This will give opportunity to a wide range of students and scientists at different stages of their careers to feature their work. A central focus of this Astyanax meeting will be on enhancing and promoting diversity, especially for underrepresented groups (URM) from Mexico and Latin America. Financial support is being requested to help offset registration and other costs for these URMs. Other costs will be paid from registration fees and vendor donations.
