Metals play key roles in maintaining life. You will have a hard time finding one important process within the living cell that does NOT depend on a metal ion in the context of either function or structure. Metals are located at the heart of sophisticated molecular machines, ready to conserve energy, ready to cope with toxic gases, or ready to send out signals to trigger or terminate important reactions. The highly interdisciplinary Metals in Biology Gordon Conference (MIB) is one of the longest-running in the GRC family. It provides a forum for leading researchers with expertise that spans from physical techniques and synthetic chemistry through biology and biomedicine to meet and discuss topics of common interest. Fostering new collaborations and friendships between scientists with a complementary skills and goals is a hallmark of this conference. Accordingly, it is our goal to diversify our meeting to the largest extent possible. For example, we will endeavour to mix established scientists and those who are making their first breakthroughs in the same session whenever feasible. In addition, extensive poster sessions will be held to facilitate discussions in an open atmopshere, thus providing excellent opportunities to present your latest results. The consistent oversubscription of MIB prompted our community to start the first Gordon Research Seminar (in Bioinorganic Chemistry) in 1996. This meeting typically draws graduate and postdoctoral students from a diverse array of laboratories studying metals in biology. It overlaps with MIB for one oral and one poster session to allow students to meet and interact with established scientists in their areas of research. We specifically encourage graduate students and postdocs to take advantage of these unique educational opportunities and to participate in either the MIB conference or the Bioinorganic Chemistry GRS.

Peter Kroneck will Chair the 2009 conference and John Lipscomb will Chair the 2010 conference. Faith Jacobsen will Chair the 2009 Bioinorganic Chemistry Gordon Research Seminar.