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 Symposium LXII: Pattern Formation During Development
One of the great scientific accomplishments of the past decade or so is the recognition that the molecular and cellular mechanisms that guide the patterning of tissues and organs during embryonic development are remarkably similar among different species. What works for flies and frogs also serves humans very well as embryos acquire their form and identity. To celebrate these marvelous discoveries, the 62nd CSH Symposium focused on pattern formation during development, with a particular emphasis on evolutionarily conserved mechanisms and molecules.
When the CSH Symposium was initiated in 1933, the length of each meeting was five summer weeks, and the length of presentations was unlimited. In 1941, director Milislav Demerec saw fit to reduce the duration of the meeting to two weeks; in 1948, he reduced it to eight days. The length of the symposium remained at a week and a day for almost half a century, but in today's fast-paced world, with many two-career families, it has become increasingly difficult for most scientists to be away from home for more than a week. After much careful consideration, the length of the Symposium was reduced to five days in 1997.
The 62nd CSH Symposium, Pattern Formation during Development, took place from May 28 to June 2. On Sunday evening, June 1, Sean Carroll, Professor of Molecular Biology, Genetics and Medical Genetics at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, presented the annual Dorcas Cummings lecture for meeting participants and the public. In it, Dr. Carroll presented an audiovisual short course in the development of body parts that was extremely interesting to both the lay and scientific audiences
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