PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT This R13 application is for support of the 52nd annual ASN meeting to be held in Roanoke, VA from April 9-14, 2022. The total expected attendance for 2022 meeting at Roanoke, VA is ~ 400.Past NIH funding support has been critical to the goals of enhancing training for future neurochemistry researchers, and for ensuring adequate support for the educational program. ASN continues to build its scientific program around four interwoven, but distinct, themes to accommodate the breadth of neurochemistry and to provide in-depth analyses of chosen topics: 1) Glial Mechanisms & Injury, 2) Building the Nervous System,3) Neurodegeneration and Disease, and 4) Metabolism, Cellular, & Molecular Neurobiology. These themes have been selected to increase our understanding of the cellular and molecular basis of neural development and disease. Each theme has one of the four Plenary/Presidential speakers and is represented in varying proportions each year based on the submission of session proposals from the ASN membership and neurochemistry community. ASN is strongly committed to the representation of women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities at its meetings. Two of the four Plenary/Presidential speakers are female, 60% of the Chairs/Co- Chairs of Symposia and Colloquia are female, 50% of the Speakers of Symposia and Colloquia are female, while 15% are from underrepresented minorities. One of the major goals of ASN is to advance the education and recruitment of young investigators. The ASN strongly supports young investigators through travel awards, mentorship, and various training workshops. In addition, representation of trainees/junior faculty in Symposia and Colloquia is 40% for Chairs/Co-Chairs and 45% for speakers. The annual ASN meeting provides participants numerous opportunities to network, collaborate, and exchange ideas. In addition, there are numerous opportunities for attendees to congregate informally. There are also has multiple mechanisms to enhance professional development of young investigators during the meeting: 1) career development sessions run by the young investigator committee, 2) a student/postdoctoral fellow mingle for networking, 3) Participation in Public Forum, High School Day, and Women in Neurochemistry Lunch Session, 4) oral sessions selected from submitted abstracts, with an emphasis on presentations from trainees, 5) to defray costs of attendance travel awards for outstanding junior scientists are available. This year we have increased the number of awards and assigned nearly 1/3rd of the awards for under-represented minorities and persons with disabilities as an impetus to further promote and retain diversity, and 6) a job- posting site and opportunities for trainees to meet with potential future mentors or colleagues. The annual ASN meeting one of a kind meeting that brings bring together young and seasoned scientists together to experience cutting edge neurochemistry and neurobiology, and for enhancing the careers of young investigators.

Project Narrative The goal of the 2022 American Neurochemistry Society meeting is to bring together members of the scientific community to bridge and cross-fertilize the fields of neurochemistry and neuroscience. It is imperative to provide junior investigators and trainees (who will ultimately make up the next generation of investigators), with a forum for the open and free exchange of ideas, which is fostered by the highly specialized topical and organizational format of the ASN meeting.