Author Description

In August 2000 a Festschrift was held at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts to celebrate the career of Professor John E. Dowling on the occasion of his 65th birthday. Containing contributions from more than 50 of John's colleagues, representing a Who's Who of the vision research community, this work not only provides a memento of the occasion, but will hopefully serve as a basic reference for future researchers in retinal biology. The volume is divided somewhat arbitrarily into seven areas of retinal research containing chapters that present in some cases a broad overview of a particular topic, and in others an account of current research and studies in progress. These chapters exemplify the richness, diversity, and excitement of contemporary retinal research. They also remind us of how much more needs to be done before we understand fully the interrelationship between retinal neurons, the complex interactions between neurons and glial cells, and the mechanisms that govern retinal development. A final chapter contributed by John Dowling provides an overview of past accomplishments, and offers some future perspectives on retinal research in the 21st century.