2023 Eye Movements GRC & GRS

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT This proposal requests partial support for a unique international meeting on eye movement mechanisms, disorders, and applications in the Gordon Research Conference series to be held July 9-14, 2023 at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, preceded by a Gordon Research Seminar organized and hosted by and for trainees to be held July 8-9. The long-term goal of the conference series is to increase our understanding of the structure and function of the eye, orbit, and neural circuits and of the characteristics of eye movements in visual behavior in health and disease with the ultimate goal of more effectively diagnosing and treating disorders of ocular motility, gaze control, and vision. The specific goal of the 2023 meeting is to assemble a range of expertise and investigation that spans the remarkably broad intellectual landscape of our field –- from muscles to nerves, from motor control to visual perception, from behavior to neurophysiology, from disruptive strabismus to sophisticated coordination of vision and action. The specific aims of this meeting are to convene 39 speakers and discussion leaders with approximately 140 participants for a five-day meeting in a secluded setting. The program will have 9 sessions on basic topics including the development of extraocular muscles, brainstem mechanisms of eye movement control, the organization of free-viewing behavior, oculomotor exploration during navigation, transformations across different reference frames, decoding the contents of fixations, and brainstem decision mechanisms. Four poster sessions will facilitate scientific exchange and mentoring among participants. A Power Hour will provide an opportunity to support the professional growth of women and under-represented minorities. In size and intensity, the Eye Movements Gordon Research Conference is significant in our field for its ability to disseminate the latest scientific advances, foster productive new insights and collaborations, stimulate interest in eye movement research among young investigators, and increase the diversity of the research workforce, all with the ultimate goal of accelerating the delivery of desperately needed new therapies to people with disorders of ocular motility, gaze control, and visual behavior.