We are pleased to announce the election of four new leaders to the GSA Board of Directors:

2024 Vice President/2025 President

Brenda Andrews

Professor, University of Toronto

It’s an honor to continue my association with the Society by serving as Vice President of the Board of Directors. I have broad knowledge of the ongoing activities of the Society and see more opportunities for expanding the GSA profile internationally, including outreach to scientists in geographic regions underserved by major societies. The current International Seminar Series and this year’s International C. Elegans Conference in Glasgow are great examples of international outreach, and these types of activities should be expanded.

I will prioritize support for early- and mid-career researchers, in recognition of the challenges they face. GSA can help scientists by providing mentorship, training, and increased advocacy efforts whether for funding or communicating the value of basic research. It is important that the next generation of scientists see value in the activities supported by the Society, including our journals, which face challenges in light of the rapidly evolving landscape of academic publishing. Here, we must continue to foster relationships with authors, improving the visibility of their work, and helping to raise the profiles of our journals. All of our work must be considered in the context of GSA’s ongoing commitment to inclusivity. Here, the Society may wish to work with other groups to enable access to genetics and genomics research by young people from under-represented groups. I found that a program I started at the Donnelly Centre that supported visits to labs by local high school classes from less privileged parts of Toronto was very impactful.

Times have changed and so must GSA. I hope to learn from and listen to you as we shape GSA together.

Director

Arun Sethuraman

Associate Professor, San Diego State University

I am honored to be elected to the GSA Board of Directors. I have served as an Associate Editor at G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics since 2017 and on GSA’s Conference Committee since 2021 as a representative of the population, evolutionary, and quantitative genetics group, and my work includes contributions to a recent training grant submitted to fund early-career and historically excluded geneticists attending TAGC 2024. I look forward to serving the GSA membership in an active Directorial role. As an early-career researcher at a Minority Serving Institution, I see this as an invaluable opportunity for me to be the voice of a largely underrepresented group of researchers in the Society. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to join a dedicated and diverse team of geneticists, editorial board members, and Society staff who are actively working to change the face and representation of our field.

My commitment to serving on GSA’s Board comes with a push to address five key issues that are close to my heart: (1) developing important training resources to actively involve undergraduates in genetics and genomics research as part of GSA’s catalog of activities and conferences; (2) changing how we teach fundamentals of genetics with exclusionary language by organizing a GSA community-wide effort to crowdsource and develop a new teaching paradigm for topics such as transmission, sex determination, polygenic selection, and genome-wide association studies; (3) interfacing with the equity and inclusion and conference committees in continuing to assess GSA’s membership demographic to build actionable items to increase participation of a diverse audience at all GSA conferences and to recruit and train a diverse group of editors, reviewers, and members; (4) actively featuring methods tutorials and blurbs of published work on the Genes to Genomes blog, specifically highlighting the work of early-career researchers, graduate and undergraduate students; and (5) increasing GSA’s representation at undergraduate and minority-focused conferences (e.g. SACNAS meetings, ABRCMS, Beckman Symposia).

Director

Eyleen O’Rourke

Associate Professor, University of Virginia

I bring to this role a strong background in molecular genetics research, having published in reputable journals, and presented my work at national and international conferences. Additionally, my experience as a teacher and mentor has enriched my understanding of the educational needs within our community. I pledge to collaborate with fellow board members and the broader GSA membership to advance our shared goals. I will listen to your feedback, actively seek your input, and work hard to represent your interests. I humbly request your support in this endeavor.

My work will be grounded in three core principles:

1. Advancing Genetics Research: I believe that supporting and promoting cutting-edge genetics research is core to our society’s mission. I will actively foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among GSA members. I propose initiatives such as promoting the selection of unpublished work for oral presentation at GSA-organized conferences. Additionally, I will advocate for increased research funding and opportunities, catering to the needs of both early-career and established researchers.
2. Education and Outreach: Genetics should transcend the confines of the laboratory. In an era where the public does not trust lifesaving vaccines, I am committed to enhancing the society’s educational initiatives. I will work on programs that promote genetics literacy and support science education at all levels. By bridging the gap between scientific discoveries and public understanding, we can strengthen our society’s impact.
3. Diversity and Inclusion: Science works at its best when it reflects the diversity of our broader community. As a first-generation high-school graduate and Latina, I have dedicated the past decade to learn, teach, and champion inclusive research and teaching practices. I have promoted minorities both locally and internationally. I pledge to carry this dedication into GSA, advocating for programs that support underrepresented groups and nations in genetics. I will work diligently to foster an inclusive environment where every voice is not only heard but valued.

Together, we can advance genetics research, education, and inclusivity. Thank you for consideration, and I look forward to the opportunity to serve you.

Director

Jason Stajich

Professor, University of California, Riverside

I am honored to have the opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors of GSA. The Society has enabled many opportunities in my career, and I am eager to contribute back. I first became a GSA member in graduate school and was completely hooked on the community and research after attending my first Fungal Genetics conference. I have served as an Associate Editor at GENETICS since 2018, and previously contributed to conferences by sitting on the Neurospora and Fungal Genetics Policy Committees. I am currently a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology where I have taught in the fields of Genomics, Microbiology, and Bioinformatics for the past 14 years. I currently serve as Vice Chair of my department and previously have served the campus faculty as Chair of the Academic Senate and as chair of the Graduate Council. I am excited to contribute to the Society’s efforts in building training and mentorship for early career scientists, helping shape the advocacy for science and genetics in funding and policy decisions, and providing perspectives on the community’s needs to advance new research systems and questions.

As a member of the Board, I will continue to champion the value and importance of diverse research systems and diverse research communities to address fundamental understandings of genetics and biology. I am an omnivore of biological research systems and believe there are strengths in a collection of computational and experimental approaches across a variety of organisms. My own draw to science was found in the satisfaction of problem solving, and I will contribute my efforts to the Society as we consider different problems such as the public perception of science, retaining and recruiting a broad representation of individuals to work in our field, or the creativity needed in how societies navigate changes in journal publication strategies. The GSA Journals have been a home for my publications and the conferences and members have been a strong and supportive community for my research and development. If elected, I would dedicate the time and energy to help sustain and grow our society.

We are pleased to announce the election of five new leaders to the GSA Board of Directors:

2023 Vice President/2024 President

Mariana Wolfner

Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow

My research has focused on the genes and pathways that mediate sexual development and reproduction, primarily in Drosophila. From my undergraduate research on yeast and a very recent mouse-mutant made by a co-mentored student in my lab, I also feel professional kinship with geneticists who study other systems. I teach an upper-level course on genetic methods for dissecting cellular and developmental processes, and I previously taught developmental genetics. On top of that, I have participated in local outreach efforts to bring genetics to middle school students.

As Vice President, I will work hard to further GSA’s mission of supporting geneticists, genetics research, and genetics education and outreach. My main priorities include continued community building and information dissemination to the research community, efforts to keep the importance of basic genetics research front-and-center to funding agencies and legislators, and responding to financial pressures on society journals. Another priority is to continue GSA’s efforts to be a central resource for genetics mentors and educators about principles of genetics as well as how genetics has been used (or misused) in the past and lessons to heed for the future. Another priority is to support and retain the excellent GSA staff who, often unseen, do so much to keep the community connected and vibrant. And it is a priority to do all of these in a way that fosters the inclusiveness of GSA, welcoming and supporting all members of its diverse community in all ways.

Treasurer (2023-2025)

Tin Tin Su

Professor, University of Colorado, Boulder and Program Leader, University of Colorado Cancer Center

My reason for wanting to be on the GSA Board is to repay for all the support I have received throughout my career. I had not seen a fruit fly under the microscope until I began my post-doc with Pat O’Farrell at University of California, San Francisco. I grew up in Burma, finished high school in India, and came to the US to start college as a chemistry major. As a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University, I spent hours in the cold room purifying enzymes for a biophysics project on DNA topology. Therefore, seeing my first Drosophila was an intimidating experience—so beautiful and yet so many moving parts! My experience at the first GSA meeting I attended, an Annual Drosophila Research Conference, was equally intimidating. But I kept going back because I increasingly felt that I belonged. I felt supported and heard. I felt my students and postdocs could get the support they needed. I know now that GSA does much more than run conferences. I am grateful for its efforts to give geneticists a voice, to keep lines of communication open through journals in addition to conferences, and to support geneticists of all backgrounds, persuasions, and career stages.

At the University of Colorado, I have been teaching undergrads since 1999, have published research papers on pedagogy, and have served as the departmental Director of Graduate Student Affairs. In the Drosophila community, I have co-organized Fly Meeting workshops, served on the Larry Sandler award committee, chaired the organizing committee for the 2018 Fly Meeting, and served as the President of the Drosophila Board. I advocate for model organism research during NIH grant reviews; and, I am currently on my fifth stint as a study session chair. I am active in mentoring and diversity and inclusion efforts at my institution as well as in neighboring states to make laboratory research accessible to non-traditional students. I plan to bring my abilities, guided by experience, to the GSA Treasurer position.

Directors (2023-2025)

Daniel Barbash

Professor and Chair of Molecular Biology and Genetics Department, Cornell University

We use Drosophila to investigate the genetic barriers that evolve between populations and species to cause reproductive isolation. These barriers include preferences of populations to mate among themselves and to avoid mating with other populations, and sterility and lethality phenotypes that evolve in interspecific hybrids. A major open question in these areas is to identify the evolutionary forces within species that drive these reproductive barriers.

I look forward to working with our colleagues to maintain the prominence of the GSA and strengthen its ability to be a leader in supporting the training and development of junior scientists, publishing successful and well-respected journals, and advocating for genetics and biological research at the national and international levels. The GSA has shown great foresight in adapting to the changing needs of our community over the last decades, including launching the G3 journal, prioritizing career development initiatives, increasing policy-related activities, and rethinking how to successfully plan and organize conferences. I will strive to contribute to these efforts and to represent the interests of the population and evolutionary genetics communities in the GSA.

Shawn Burgess

Head, Developmental Genetics Section, National Human Genome Research Institute and Adjunct Faculty, University of Maryland, College Park

I received a PhD in Genetics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where I studied the genetics of mitochondrial fusion and fission in yeast. I trained with Nancy Hopkins, PhD, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where I was part of a large effort to develop insertional mutagenesis in zebrafish, coupled with a genetic screen to identify genes essential for early development of a vertebrate. Since 2001, I have been at the National Human Genome Research Institute, where I am a senior investigator and head the Developmental Genomics section.

For over 20 years, I have used zebrafish genetics and genomics to study inner ear development and regeneration. Starting with my postdoctoral work, and now central to my research at the NIH, my goal has been to develop resources and techniques that will benefit not just my own research, but the broader zebrafish community. My lab has generated thousands of mutations in zebrafish genes through retroviral integration and freely distributed them. We developed robust protocols for gene targeting through CRISPR and shared them widely. My lab helped develop one of the first microarrays for zebrafish research. We categorized over 14 million SNPs in the zebrafish genome and generated a semi-inbred fish line for the community. I have also significantly contributed to the zebrafish community through participation in various scientific advisory boards and boards of directors. In particular, I have been on the advisory board for the zebrafish data website zfin.org for ten years and on the Alliance of Genome Resources advisory board for five years. These resources are essential to the success of model organism research, and if I were to join the board of GSA, protecting these data hubs would be a central issue for me.

Teresa Lee

Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

A lifelong Tar Heel, I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with honors in Biology and Creative Writing. As an undergrad, I studied telomere structure in the lab of Shawn Ahmed. I received my PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, where I was supported by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. There, I worked with Barbara Meyer on how chromosome structure regulates crossover recombination during meiosis. For postdoctoral training, I moved to Atlanta to work with David Katz at Emory University investigating how the transgenerational inheritance of chromatin landscapes affects lifespan. With the support of an NIH IRACDA postdoc fellowship, I have developed and taught classes at Clark Atlanta University, the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative, and Oglethorpe University. I care deeply about inclusive teaching and thoughtful mentoring. Outside of lab, I can be found in a coffeeshop, on my yoga mat, exploring the city, or (most likely) reading a book.

I am excited to work with the GSA because the Society values excellent science and the people who do it. Our country has a tangled history with the use of genetics as tool of exclusion, whether by race, sex, or disability status. I’ve been impressed with GSA’s commitment to address this past, in part by creating a space that genuinely welcomes those that have historically been excluded from becoming biologists. Cultivating inclusive spaces is the first step—the next is to ensure that scientists, especially those from historically excluded populations, have the support they need to flourish. As a Board member, my priority is to further deepen GSA’s support for historically excluded populations and generate resources that benefit all researchers. This might include extending professional development efforts for early career scientists or providing strategies for members interested in equity and inclusion initiatives. Despite being a junior PI, I have led institutional initiatives that promote supportive mentoring environments for early career scientists, both as a PhD student and a postdoc. At University of Massachusetts, Lowell, I work closely with our program for first-generation college students, in part to develop course-based undergraduate research experiences that can help make research truly equitable for all students. I look forward to applying this experience toward GSA’s existing programs and working with the Board to build new ones.

GSA’s new audio interview series is designed to help you discover and share interesting perspectives from the genetics community—even when you only have five minutes to spare.

The excitement of science is meant to be shared.

What if you could hear scientists share—in their own words—the value of their work using yeast, flies, worms, and other genetic research organisms?

What if, at the same time, you would gain insights into some very cool biology and inspiration to talk even more about your own work to broader audiences? 

What if you could do all this by just grabbing a snippet—a few minutes here and there between running a gel or going to a seminar? 

And, what if you could share these short snippets with friends and family outside science (you know, the ones who don’t get that “fruit fly obsession”), so they glimpse why this kind of work is so important? After all, people outside science may want to know how science discoveries are made and how discoveries might benefit them, even if the endpoints of the research are not totally obvious from the get-go.

GSA is thrilled to introduce SNPets. 

Join me and our genetics colleagues—Nobel Prize winners, GSA leaders, and other scientists making breakthrough discoveries—as they discuss the sometimes-twisty roads to their discoveries, how their research organisms made it all possible, and what the scientific community means to them. 

Got a minute? Check out a SNPet for a quick pop of inspiration. 

For me, these last few years have driven home how crucial—and yet how challenging—it is for scientists to communicate how we know what we know and why we do what we do.  

When it comes to explaining our own work, it can be especially tricky to convey the value of basic research to listeners who cannot easily relate to the topic (cellular signal transduction, anyone?). Making matters worse, many of us use simpler organisms as experimental systems such as yeast, worms, flies, and fish. We face an additional conceptual chasm—even a “yuck” factor—that can be hard to bridge. 

But there are many who want to understand what we do and why we do it. Or rather, as I learned from a recent SciPEP conference on communicating basic science (a new research field in itself), many want to know why we do it (the goal) but are less interested in how we do it (the process) ¹. I was particularly struck by a survey that showed differences in word association between non-scientists and scientists, with respect to basic science. The non-scientists associated basic science with “hope”—a word linked to an eventual outcome, while the scientists associated basic science with “joy”—a word linked to the process. Indeed, much of our effort goes into the process and its rigor, a key aspect of how we know what we know.  

No wonder, then, that the value of our work is difficult to convey to listeners who—unfamiliar with the exciting, if tortuous, path of rigorous discovery that consumes us—want to know the endpoint, especially when the direct benefit of our work may be both unanticipated and years in the offing.  

And yet, we all know how incredibly important our work is. We know that we are part of a large scientific community where our results both build on prior knowledge and enable future discovery. We must continue to communicate the value of basic science to diverse audiences, including funding agencies, colleagues, students, legislators, friends, and family. The good news is that studies show that if we engage people’s curiosity, they will want to know more². History tells us over and over (peas! phages!) that discoveries from simpler organisms lead to major scientific breakthroughs that affect people’s lives (e.g., pathogen vector control, mRNA vaccines, cancer therapies, siRNA-based drugs, and understanding genetic diseases). And it is not just history; today’s discoveries will undoubtedly impact our lives well into the future. All the more important for us to have many examples and clear explanations at the ready to help illustrate the value and promise of our work. 

As president of GSA, I want to promote initiatives that will invigorate the discussion of the value and promise of basic science. I especially want to raise awareness of basic science that uses simpler organisms, be they the so-called “model organisms” or less familiar organisms that offer special insights into specific scientific questions. (In a future Frameshifts blog post, I will open a discussion on how we might rethink our use of the term “model organism.”) 

I draw your attention to three ongoing activities, all of which seek to help you to discuss with people in your lives the value of basic research, especially as it capitalizes on the “awesome power of genetics” of simpler organisms. 

First is the continued GSA collaboration with pgEd, the Personal Genetics Education Project (pgEd) of Harvard Medical School. Last year, we partnered to build public dialogue about genetic technologies. Our joint programs aim to better equip scientists to engage in discussions about genetics with all communities, with special emphasis on those who have been marginalized, economically disadvantaged, or excluded from conversations about science.  This year, we are planning virtual events that will bring together experts from the public engagement ecosystem, highlight ongoing work of GSA members, and open dialogue on your perceived challenges and strategies for engaging effectively with others.  

Second is the work of the new GSA Committee for Public Communication Engagement, which I chair. We are developing several “basic science to human impact” case studies as information, tools, and templates for you to use. We welcome your ideas and participation in this new initiative, and we will continue to reach out with requests for information and feedback. 

Third, stay tuned for “SNPets,” where we will share short written posts and audio clips of conversations with colleagues, starting with several whose creative and impactful work has been recognized by major awards. We will delve into their thoughts on basic science, on the experimental systems they use, how they achieved their big discoveries, and how they communicate their work. We hope these clips will reinvigorate the conversation about basic science and also provide examples and inspiration for your own communication efforts.   

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for these and other GSA announcements coming to your inboxes and social media. GSA is an amazing organization, and I encourage you to become familiar with all our activities and to get involved. 

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy, flexible, and resilient 2022, despite the inevitable uncertainties and challenges. 

Citations

1. Christopher Volpe, https://education.lbl.gov/2021/08/04/communicating-the-future-the-2021-scipep-conference
2. Tania Lombrozo, https://education.lbl.gov/2021/08/04/communicating-the-future-the-2021-scipep-conference

Guest post by Gavin Rice and Jessica M. Vélez 

Over the past year and a half, the lack of in-person conferences and reduced number of external seminar speakers have damaged the connection that early career scientists feel toward their scientific community. “Networking” is often cited as one of the most important tools for success in careers both within and outside of academia, making many of us anxious about our future. Although Zoom provides us the ability to interact with more people without the cost of travel, the onus to reach out and start the conversation often lands on the early career scientist. 

In 2021 the GSA launched discussion sessions to connect early career geneticists from the Early Career Leadership Program (ECLP) and the Presidential Membership Initiative (PMI) with members of the GSA Board of Directors.

Discussion sessions connecting Early Career Geneticists with the GSA Board of Directors:

How it started: This program was born through a conversation at a GSA Board meeting. When the agenda turned to the Early Career Leadership Program and the Presidential Membership Initiative, GSA Board members were excited by these efforts and wanted to further support these programs. Early Career Scientist Representative to the Board Gavin Rice proposed that Board members could participate in Zoom sessions to introduce themselves and give advice to early career geneticists in these programs. 

Topics were suggested and voted on by members of the ECLP and PMI, with particular emphasis on areas where early career scientists needed guidance. Selected topics ranged from best practices when setting up scientific collaborations to discussions of how to improve childcare in academia. GSA Board members as well as members of the GSA’s Education Committee, and Equity and Inclusion Committee then picked which discussions they wished to lead. 

Session format: Each Zoom session focused on a single topic and hosted up to 15 early career scientists and one to three GSA Board or committee members. To minimize screen fatigue, meetings were kept short (~45 minutes). Each meeting began with the Board or committee members giving a quick opening statement on the topic followed by brief introductions. The rest of the time was left to open discussion where early career geneticists asked questions or shared their own experiences. 

What works: What has been most impressive about these sessions is how the early career geneticists and senior GSA members have been willing to open up and share their experiences. 

I was lucky as a postdoc to have a strong support network (in no small part through interactions fostered by GSA meetings!). So, when I submitted my faculty applications, I felt about as prepared as it was possible to be. And yet, in the process of Zoom and on-campus interviews, there were still many unexpected details and decisions I wasn’t mentally prepared for. It’s why I’m glad to be able to share my experiences as a recent applicant, while they’re still fresh in my mind.

– Teresa Lee, University of Massachusetts Lowell

I have been impressed at how open the GSA Board and committee members have been in these sessions. In several of these meetings we have had powerful discussions about what it is like to feel excluded in academia. To see people I highly respect share their struggles helps me feel less alone in mine. It has also allowed many early career participants to share our difficulties as well. It makes you feel closer to those who are running the GSA and that your experiences are being heard and validated. 

– Gavin Rice, University of Pittsburgh

It was very valuable to me to hear the questions from the attendees because these helped me understand what the next generation of scientists are concerned about with regards to the academic job search. Now I can use these (and the sage advice from the other panelists) so that I can do a better job helping my own trainees.

– Folami Ideraabdullah, GSA Board of Directors

Template for societies/departments: Feeling included and valued in a scientific community is vital for early career scientists to persevere and succeed, but COVID-19 is still limiting our ability to interact and have vital conversations in person. We are excited to continue with this program to connect early and senior career scientists. Establishing this goal at conferences, especially for virtual attendees and even within departments, can be a way for early career scientists who feel isolated to feel that they are part of a community.

About the authors:

Jessica M. Vélez, PhD, is GSA’s Membership, Engagement, and Early Career Programs Manager.

Gavin Rice, PhD, is a postdoc at the University of Pittsburgh and was an Early Career Representative to the GSA Board (2020–2021)

The GSA is pleased to welcome six leaders to the Board of Directors, who will be appointed for 2022–2024.

2022 Vice President/2023 President

Tracy Johnson

Cecilia and Keith Terasaki Presidential Endowed Chair, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor, Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Dean of Life Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles

The goal of Tracy Johnson’s research is to decipher the workings of the elegant ribonucleoprotein machine known as the spliceosome. Her group seeks to understand how regulation of RNA splicing and other RNA processing reactions allows the cell to respond to its environment.

Tracy Johnson earned her BA in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from UC San Diego, her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UC Berkeley, and was a Jane Coffin Childs postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) where she studied the mechanisms of RNA splicing with John Abelson.

In recent years, Johnson has received the Ruth Kirschstein Diversity in Science Award, was on the Cell Press list of 100 Inspiring Black Scientists in America, and was appointed Keith and Cecilia Terasaki Presidential Endowed Chair in Life Sciences. She served as a permanent member and then chair of the Molecular Genetics NIH study section, and she currently serves on the National Cancer Institute Board of Scientific Counselors. She is a recipient of the Life Sciences Award for Inclusive Excellence for Promoting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and the UCLA Academic Senate Award for Career Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She was an Excellence in Mentoring Keynote Speaker for the American Society of Cell Biology and in 2014 she was named an HHMI Professor. In 2013 she was selected as one of the Top 20 Women Professors in California. She currently serves as the Dean of Life Sciences at UCLA.

As GSA President, Johnson hopes to help the Society address some of the most important questions facing the scientific community. How can we leverage an explosion in technology to ask fundamental questions and impact health? How can we transform scientific training, communication, and advocacy? And how can we achieve these goals with an eye toward diversity, equity, and inclusion? Johnson aims to work with the GSA members, leadership, and staff to build on a strong foundation and advance the goals of the genetics community.

Secretary (2022–2024)

Swathi Arur

Associate Professor, Department of Genetics, Division of Basic Science Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Course Director, Foundations in Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Secondary appointments: Associate Professor, Department of Genetics, School of Health Professions, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Associate Professor, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Swathi Arur’s research is focused on two areas. The first is unraveling the environmentally regulated mechanisms and molecules that control meiotic I progression in female germ cells. The second area is identifying principles and players that regulate tumor progression upon metabolic signaling rather than through the increase in mutational burden.

Arur earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of Delhi, an MS at Panjab University, and a PhD in Microbiology at the All India Institute for Medical Sciences. She conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Connecticut Health Center and Washington University in St Louis.

She is the 2021 recipient of the Linda and Mark Quick Award for Basic Science, an Elected Fellow of the American Association of Advancement in Sciences, and recipient of the 2017 MD Anderson Distinguished Research Faculty Mentor Award, among other honors.

As GSA Secretary, Arur will continue to promote inclusion of all GSA members, advocate for early career scientists, and help drive and execute the vision of our members at large, of building a society that continues to support basic science, bring together scores of model organism researchers through a myriad of meetings to freely exchange ideas, and foster dialogues on effective and ethical use of knowledge rooted in genetic editing.

Directors (2022–2024)

Amanda Larracuente

Associate Professor, Department of Biology, University of Rochester

The Larracuente lab’s long-term interests are in discovering mechanisms used by selfish genetic elements to cheat and their impacts on the evolution of genomes and gametogenesis. Their focus is on the large blocks of rapidly evolving repeats that comprise most eukaryotic centromeres, telomeres, and sex chromosomes—satellite DNAs.

Amanda Larracuente earned her BS in Biology at Canisius College and a PhD in Genetics at Cornell University. She was a postdoctoral researcher in the Presgraves lab at the University of Rochester and the Page lab at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.

Larracuente is an NSF CAREER Award recipient and was a Stephen Biggar and Elisabeth Asaro Fellow in Data Science, Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Postdoctoral Fellow, and recipient of a DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics from the GSA.

As a Director, Larracuente will advocate for the support and accessibility of genetic tools and resources, contribute to GSA initiatives that engage students and foster collaboration between educators across our community, and support the expansion of existing GSA efforts to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in the society and contribute to the professional development of trainees.

Patricia J. Wittkopp

Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and Sally L. Allen Collegiate Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan

Patricia Wittkopp investigates the genetic basis of phenotypic evolution, particularly the evolution of development and mechanisms controlling gene expression. Molecular and developmental biology, population and quantitative genetics, genomics and bioinformatics are all integrated in this work.

Wittkopp earned a BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology and a BS in Chemistry at the University of Michigan, a PhD in Genetics at the University of Wisconsin, and was a Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at Cornell University.

Recently, she has received the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow, and the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution Margaret Dayhoff Mid-Career Award. From the University of Michigan, she has received the Elizabeth Caroline Crosby Award, John Dewey Award, Faculty Recognition Award, the Work/Life Champion Award for Supervisors, and the Excellence in Education Award. She has served as the Chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan since 2020.

As a Director, Wittkopp will advocate for early career researchers and enhancing diversity and inclusiveness in our field. She will also be an advocate for genetics education, for conferences that maximize interactions and opportunity for researchers at all levels, and for GSA using its platform (alone and in collaboration with other societies) to advocate for societal changes supported by its members.

Martha Soto

Associate Professor, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers

Martha Soto studies the control of cell polarity, which is essential for all cells. Using the nematode C. elegans, these studies combine genetic, molecular, biochemical, and live imaging approaches to investigate how the actin cytoskeleton becomes polarized to promote movements at key points in development.

Soto received a BS in Biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, taught science at Cambridge Public Schools, and earned a PhD in the Bender lab at Harvard Medical School. She was a AAAS/ASM Congressional Science Fellow and a postdoctoral fellow in the Mello lab at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.

Soto’s work has been recognized with the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Service for Outstanding contributions to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the OASIS Leadership Award from the RWJMS Dean’s Office, Outstanding Postdoc Advocate from the Rutgers-RWJMS Postdoctoral Association, and was the inaugural recipient of the Martha Soto Leadership Award, for efforts on behalf of postdoctoral researchers from the Rutgers Postdoctoral Association.

As a Director, Soto hopes to give back to an organization that has supported her career and share her experiences recruiting and retaining young scientists, including those from communities underrepresented in academia.

Duojia (DJ) Pan

Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Bashour Distinguished Professor and Chairman, Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Duojia (DJ) Pan has a long-standing interest in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying growth control and tissue homeostasis. His laboratory tackles this question using a combination of Drosophila and mouse genetics, biochemistry, cell and chemical biology approaches. Recent work in the Pan lab has focused on the Hippo pathway, which controls organ size in all animals, and discovering novel growth regulators and interrogating their physiological function in mammals.

Pan earned his BS in Biochemistry at Peking University, his PhD in the Courey lab at UCLA, and was a Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellow in the Rubin lab at UC Berkeley. He became an HHMI investigator in 2008 and has served as Chair of the Physiology Department at UT Southwestern Medical Center since 2016. He has been recognized with the Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research (2013) and the Passano Award (2022).

As a Director, Pan is excited to contribute his scientific and leadership experiences to GSA’s mission in fostering interdisciplinary interactions, empowering young geneticists, building a more inclusive research community, and advocating the importance of genetic research to the greater scientific community and society at large.

The Genetics Society of America Board of Directors is pleased to welcome two new Early Career Representatives. Congratulations to the new appointees, who will serve two-year terms on the Board working to support the needs of all GSA members.

Jacob Ortega is currently a graduate student at Baylor College of Medicine and MD Anderson Cancer Center in the lab of Dr. Swathi Arur. His research focuses on using the roundworm C. elegans as a model to understand how small non-coding RNAs regulate germ cell development and fertility. As a first-generation college student, navigating the unfamiliar landscape of academic science has been a challenging journey for Jacob, and he is grateful for the excellent mentorship and support he has received from organizations such as GSA. Due to those experiences, he dedicates a significant amount of my time away from the bench to (1) organizing resources for students who share those same struggles and (2) ensuring that those resources are truly accessible to students of diverse backgrounds. Thus, as ECS Board Representative, he hopes that his voice can shape GSA’s goals to fulfill the needs of early career scientists in meaningful ways.

Dr. Nicole Torosin did her graduate work on howler monkey genetics in Dr. Knapp’s lab at the University of Utah. Now she is a postdoc in Dr. Ellison’s lab at Rutgers University where she is studying the evolution of 3D genome organization across Drosophila. Currently, she also serves on the GSA’s Early Career Leadership Program’s Career Development Subcommittee.

This is a guest post by Sarah Marshall, originally published in the Undiagnosed Disease Network’s Participant Engagement and Empowerment Resource (UDN PEER).

In April 2021, I had the pleasure of interviewing Drs. Hugo Bellen [2021 GSA President] and Shinya Yamamoto about their work at the Model Organisms Screening Center (MOSC) at Baylor College of Medicine, which has been part of the UDN since 2015.

Dr. Bellen has a PhD in Genetics and Dr. Yamamoto has a PhD in Developmental Biology. Both also hold PhD’s in Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Bellen began his career as a scientist at the Baylor College of Medicine in 1989. He is a world-renowned fruit fly (Drosophila) genetics researcher whose work has been foundational to the understanding of the nervous system for diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and ALS, among others. Dr. Yamamoto, a protégé of Dr. Bellen, is the co-director of the MOSC of the UDN, and the overarching goal of his research is to use fruit flies to identify new, rare human genetic variants associated with neurological disorders. Beyond the parameters of the UDN, the MOSC team works to deeply understand the impact of different genetic changes on human health so that treatments can be found.

As a partner with the UDN, the MOSC scientists become involved when a genetic change has been identified through a patient’s exome or genome sequencing, but it is not clear whether this change is actually related to the patient’s symptoms. Because humans share a surprisingly significant portion of their genes with fruit flies, the MOSC team often can modify a fly’s genome with the same mutation seen in the patient to see if similar symptoms are seen in the fly as in the patient. For example, if the patient has symptoms that impact the use of his or her legs, the MOSC scientists can modify the gene in the fruit fly to see if the same genetic change affects the use of the fly’s legs.

While many scientists work “behind the curtain” and have little interaction with patients and families, these two prolific researchers are working to change that paradigm. The personal conversations and stories keep them intensely motivated to do the work that they do and also helps to keep patients and families up to date about the status of their case. The MOSC is a wonderful resource for the UDN, and part of what makes the network a unique resource for patients and families with undiagnosed diseases.

About the Author:

UDN PEER member Sarah Marshall lives in Eden Prairie, MN with her four daughters; her youngest, 12-year-old Phoebe, is a UDN participant. As an experienced mom with an advanced degree in social work, she spends a great deal of her personal and professional time doing advocacy work.

The Genetics Society of America is pleased to welcome five new leaders to the Board of Directors. Congratulations to the incoming Vice President and four new Directors, who will serve from 2021–2023. GSA looks forward to working together to support, uplift, and connect our scientific community.

2021 Vice President/2022 President

E. Jane Hubbard
Professor, Department of Cell Biology, Department of Pathology, Skirball Institute, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Directors (2021-2023)

C. Brandon Ogbunu
Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University

Maitreya Dunham
Professor of Genome Sciences, Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington

Folami Ideraabdullah
Associate Professor, Department of Genetics and Department of Nutrition, UNC School of Medicine

Noah Whiteman
Associate Professor, University of California, Berkeley

As COVID-19 spreads across the world, members of the GSA community have had to face unprecedented challenges in their professional and personal lives. To stay connected during this socially distant time, GSA invites the scientists in our community to share how they are meeting these challenges, as well as their questions and worries. 

If you would like to contribute to this series, please contact Communications Assistant Jacqueline Treboschi.

Guest post by Steven Munger, Assistant Professor of Systems Genetics at The Jackson Laboratory.

I’m trying to project strength and optimism to my kids and lab members right now, but I’m a mess, and I fear I’m failing both of them. That fear is not unusual for me, but has amplified exponentially this month. We closed down my small wet lab a few weeks ago, and everyone is now working remotely. I’ve tried to stay in touch with lab members and be available every morning to discuss their project via Slack video chat, and I continue to meet with them individually and together as a group at least once a week. But it’s not the same as being together in the same space, and it’s clear (and understandable) that our focus is not on research right now.

I’ve reconciled myself to the likelihood that little new research will be done in the next few months, and I’ve conveyed this to my lab members. Maybe we will finish papers and write a review or two during this period, but given how much time I’m spending each day obsessing over the latest COVID-19 infection numbers, maybe we won’t. And that’s OK. I want them to focus on their own physical and mental health right now and not be burdened with any expectation from me to maintain “business as usual.”

On the home front, my wife and I are trying to adapt to this new normal, which has required us to meticulously synchronize our work schedules and our kids’ “school” schedules to prioritize our precious internet bandwidth for the most important needs (e.g., streaming Zoom meetings, classes, episodes of Schitt’s Creek). This has added stress to my marriage, and I’m sure we’re not alone. My kids are bored and stir-crazy, and trying to provide them with some semblance of normalcy on a daily basis has proved to be a full-time job in and of itself. My own physical and mental health has suffered, as my current diet of carbs and ice cream is clearly unsustainable, and my COVID-related anxiety is affecting my sleep. I’m more thankful than ever for our golden retriever, Higgins, who has helped me keep my head above water and get outside more.

Another personal coping strategy that seems to be working involves taking on inane tasks around the house each day—vacuuming floors, painting walls, tightening screws on electrical outlet plates. The past four days, I’ve spent hours (plural) outside mindlessly blowing dirt and leaves off of my driveway with my leaf blower, eventually running out of asphalt and moving on to the part of the road leading up to my driveway. So far, it’s been the only way for me to really get out of my head and not think about COVID-19 for an hour. I expect I’ll have blown off half of the roads on my little Maine island by the time this pandemic has waned. But I guess anything’s better than wallowing in a pool filled with despair, potato chips, cookie dough, and Campari.

It’s somehow oddly comforting to know that we’re all in this together (I guess misery does love company) and each making it up as we go. One thing I’m really looking forward to is the online version of The Allied Genetics Meeting in April. Registration is free, and I hope all of you will join me to support our science, community members, and the GSA staff who have worked tirelessly to make this happen.

About the Author

Steven Munger is a Director on the GSA Board and an Assistant Professor of Systems Genetics at The Jackson Laboratory.