Cucurbitaceae 2006 conference sets records
Schultheis, Holmes and Wehner (left to right) were among organizers of the conference on research of plants in the gourd family (such as these below).
Photo courtesy Gerald Holmes
So you're planning a scientific meeting and you want to attract participants from across the country and around the world. Who you gonna call?
Well, if you want to surpass previous records for attendance, contributed papers, length of proceedings and sponsorships, you might consider asking faculty in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to organize the meeting.
Case in point: Cucurbitaceae 2006. Cucurbitaceae is an international scientific conference held every four years in North America. The meeting brings together scientists interested in all aspects of research on cucurbits, plants such as watermelons, cantaloupes, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and other fruit-bearing vines in the gourd family.
Cucurbitaceae 2006 was organized by Dr. Gerald Holmes, associate professor of plant pathology; Dr. Jonathan Schultheis and Dr. Todd Wehner, both horticulture professors; and Jane Dove Long, special events coordinator in the Department of Plant Pathology. The conference was Sept. 17-21 at the Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa in Asheville and included a field day at the nearby Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Station in Fletcher.
With 272 participants from 29 states and 21 countries and a 602-page proceedings containing 81 papers from 237 authors in 17 states and 13 countries, the meeting broke pervious Cucurbitaceae records.
"We had a good team putting this together," said Holmes. "We promoted it heavily, and Asheville was a big draw."
The meeting is unusual in that it is what Holmes calls a "grassroots" effort. There's no Cucurbit Society or organization behind the event, just a loose-knit group of scientists whose work involves cucurbits.
"Every time we meet, we select the next group to host the meeting," Holmes explained. Holmes said previous North American meetings had been held in South Carolina, California, Florida and Texas, and the North Carolina group felt it was time to hold one here. Meetings are every two years, alternating between North America and Europe. The next North American meeting will be in Mexico.
-Dave Caldwell
Well, if you want to surpass previous records for attendance, contributed papers, length of proceedings and sponsorships, you might consider asking faculty in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to organize the meeting.
Case in point: Cucurbitaceae 2006. Cucurbitaceae is an international scientific conference held every four years in North America. The meeting brings together scientists interested in all aspects of research on cucurbits, plants such as watermelons, cantaloupes, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and other fruit-bearing vines in the gourd family.
Cucurbitaceae 2006 was organized by Dr. Gerald Holmes, associate professor of plant pathology; Dr. Jonathan Schultheis and Dr. Todd Wehner, both horticulture professors; and Jane Dove Long, special events coordinator in the Department of Plant Pathology. The conference was Sept. 17-21 at the Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa in Asheville and included a field day at the nearby Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Station in Fletcher.
Various Cucurbits
Photo courtesy Gerald Holmes
Photo courtesy Gerald Holmes
"We had a good team putting this together," said Holmes. "We promoted it heavily, and Asheville was a big draw."
The meeting is unusual in that it is what Holmes calls a "grassroots" effort. There's no Cucurbit Society or organization behind the event, just a loose-knit group of scientists whose work involves cucurbits.
"Every time we meet, we select the next group to host the meeting," Holmes explained. Holmes said previous North American meetings had been held in South Carolina, California, Florida and Texas, and the North Carolina group felt it was time to hold one here. Meetings are every two years, alternating between North America and Europe. The next North American meeting will be in Mexico.
-Dave Caldwell