Chianti Workshop on Magnetic Resonance for Cellular Structural Biology Hotel Fattoria la Principina, Principina Terra, Italy 5-10 June 2016

The Chianti Workshop 2016 provided a timely and insightful perspective on the integrated use of a wide range of the most powerful biophysical techniques to address fundamental questions regarding biomolecular structure and function. The topics covered in the program included the most recent and innovative developments in magnetic resonance and their synergistic combination with electron microscopy, fluorescence, small angle scattering and mass spectrometry to describe the structural and dynamic properties of the biomolecules involved in specific cellular pathways, as well as the exploration of potential approaches that hold promise for addressing some of the major fundamental questions in cellular structural biology.

The scientific program was set by Tatyana Polenova (University of Delaware, USA) and Roberta Pierattelli (University of Florence, Italy), in close collaboration with the other Program Committee members, Lucia Banci and Claudio Luchinat (University of Florence, Italy), David Fushman (University of Maryland, USA), and Daniella Goldfarb (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel).

The workshop was attended by 100 participants coming from 20 different countries from all over the world (Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States). The 24 invited speakers were selected among the leaders in their fields of research, coming from institutions in 12 different countries (Argentina, Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States). Other speakers, both senior and early stage scientists, were selected from the abstracts for a total of 40 scientific talks. To complete the scientific panorama of the workshop two very well- attended poster sessions were also organized. Three posters were selected as recipients of a F1000 Research poster prize.

The IUPAB grant enabled the organizers to support 12 early stage researchers. They received a reduction on the student registration fee for the Workshop (which included accommodation for the entire duration of the event, meals, coffee breaks, refreshments, social events, and workshop material) and/or support to cover part of their travel costs.

The granted participants were chosen based on their curriculum vitae, their motivation to attend the Workshop and the quality of the abstract presented. Two of them were awarded a poster prize while two others were selected for an oral presentation.

The financial contribution provided by IUPAB was acknowledged including the society logo in the Workshop website, in the Workshop poster, in the Book of abstracts, in the Workshop program as well as in continuous projections in the lecture hall during the breaks and the poster sessions. IUPAB was also warmly acknowledged during the Opening of the Workshop and the Closing session.