This biennial conference is expected to have about 125 participants from the United States, Canada, Japan, Europe and Israel. It will enable researchers with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise to discuss recent developments in environmental sensing and the control of movement in microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, slime molds and protozoa. This conference has a legacy of driving rapid progress in emerging fields by bringing together researchers in a wide range of disciplines at all career stages.

In 2006, the conference will concentrate on exciting new developments in the (1) understanding of microbial motors, type III secretion systems and motility; (2) receptor structure/function and coupling to downstream regulatory proteins; (3) intracellular signaling pathways, including two-component regulatory systems, mitogen-activated kinase cascades and others; (4) intercellular communication mechanisms that play key roles in development and pathogenesis; (5) the interface between environmental sensing and cell division; (6) bioenergetics and environmental diversity, and (7) modeling and systems biology approaches to signal transduction. There will be more than 50 oral and 50 poster presentations, allowing many laboratories to present their key findings. The broad mix of researchers from different backgrounds, ranging from graduate students to senior professors, will give vitality and breadth to the discussions and presentations.

The conference will be held at the Ventura Beach Marriott, Ventura, California. Dr. Katherine A. Borkovich, University of California-Riverside, is the meeting Chair and Dr. Ann M. Stock, UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is the Vice-Chair.