SSR 2014

Fertility: A Global Challenge

19–23 July 2014
Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
DeVos Place

Hosted by the Michigan Alliance for Reproductive and Translational Science (MARTS)

Lighted Bridge over Grand River

Welcome to Grand Rapids!

From the President

The theme of the Annual Meeting will be Fertility: A Global Challenge. This is the meeting you must attend as a reproductive biologist, especially if you're a Trainee.

Please see the Scientific Program for our major speakers. The modules will focus on function rather than structure, with the exception of the Ovarian Workshop, and there will be a strong emphasis on translational research.

This meeting should be of interest to all reproductive biologists, irrespective of their field of interest.

—Jock K. Findlay, Ph.D., D.Sc.
President

From the Program Committee

This year's theme, Fertility: A Global Challenge, highlights the impact reproductive science has on the environment, wildlife species, domesticated animals, human fertility, and population growth, as well as their interaction with one another.

We've provided a full description of the President's Symposium and Keynote Address in the full version of this letter on the SSR 2014 News and Updates Blog.

Since the 2012 meeting at Penn State, minisymposia have been replaced with focused or themed modules. Strong positive feedback from SSR members has encouraged continuation of this evolving format. The modules for 2014 will focus on "function" to provide a more global "systems" overview of reproductive biology.

See you in Grand Rapids!

—Jon Hennebold, Ph.D. and Lois Salamonsen, Ph.D.
SSR Program Committee Co-Chairs

From the Local Arrangements Committee

SSR 2014 will be hosted by the Michigan Alliance for Reproductive and Translational Science, a cooperative scientific alliance between Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, Western Michigan University, and Grand Valley State University.

The Local Arrangements Committee is looking forward to welcoming all of you to the 47th Annual Meeting. Grand Rapids as a city offers a remarkable combination of cosmopolitan atmosphere and small town warmth. It is easily accessible by air (120 daily flights from all major cities in the US) or by road (less than 6 h driving distance from most of the central Midwest). The city is consistently ranked one of "America's Top 10 Places to Live."

Located on the banks of the Grand River, Grand Rapids offers all the big-city excitement you'd expect from a million-resident metropolis: a safe and clean downtown featuring hundreds of restaurants and nightspots, theatres, museums, sports, and concerts—all within a short walk of the hotel and convention center.

For those planning a vacation, West Michigan has something for everyone—a sparkling blue Great Lake, pristine sand beaches, fabulous golf courses, great fishing, and biking and hiking on hundreds of miles of connected trail ways. Grand Rapids also boasts some of the Midwest's most noted microbreweries, in keeping with its designation as Beer City USA.

—Asgi Fazleabas, Ph.D.
SSR Local Arrangements Committee Chair