GSA is pleased to announce the recipients of the DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics for Spring 2018! Given twice a year to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, DeLill Nasser Awards support attendance at meetings and laboratory courses.

The award is named in honor of DeLill Nasser, a long-time GSA supporter and National Science Foundation Program Director in Eukaryotic Genetics. Nasser was regarded by some as the “patron saint of real genetics,” shaping the field through more than two decades of leadership. She was especially supportive of young scientists, people who were beginning their careers, and those trying to open new areas of genetic inquiry. For more about Nasser, please see the tribute from Scott Hawley, published in the August 2001 issue of GENETICS.

The next round of funding will open on March 1, 2018 with applications due on April 4, 2018.

Graduate Student Awardees

Maria Bravo Nunez

Stowers Institute for Medical Research

“I study how parasitic DNA elements sabotage the process of making gametes (e.g. sperm) to learn about the origins of infertility.”

Alexandra Erwin

University of Kansas

“I study genomic instability and aging using the fruit fly as a model organism.”

Piero Lamelza

University of Washington

“I use Caenorhabditis nematodes to study the evolutionary forces that drive the formation of new species.”

Dona Wisidagama

University of Utah

“I am investigating how disrupting mitochondrial pyruvate metabolism in fruit fly intestinal cells can lead to uncontrolled cell growth.”

Postdoctoral Awardees

Mahul Chakraborty

University of California, Irvine

“I am using cutting-edge computational and molecular tools in conjunction with evolutionary theories to understand the molecular basis of heritable phenotypic variation.”

Alys Cheatle Jarvela

University of Maryland

“I am trying to understand why the mosquito genome was able to completely lose a gene that is essential for embryonic development in other insects, such as the fruit fly.”

Nancy Chen

University of California, Davis

“I study how natural populations evolve over short timescales using genomics, pedigrees, and long-term field studies.”

Priscilla Erickson

University of Virginia

“I study the evolution of genetic adaptations that allow fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) to detect changes in season and survive during the winter.”

Caiti Smukowski

University of Washington

“I study how organisms adapt to new environments, with a current focus on how genetic interactions and mutations in interspecies hybrids confer beneficial outcomes.”

David Truong

NYU Langone Health

“We’ve erased 1.3 billion years of evolution by making bread yeast package their genome using human nucleosome proteins instead of their own.”

We are proud to support three new symposia organized by student and postdoctoral members of the GSA! The goal of the GSA Trainee-Organized Symposia program is to empower our early career members to organize local events that enhance the professional development of their peers, including career skills symposia, networking events, and scientific symposia with substantial opportunities for student and postdoc presenters.  Read more below about the recipients of the Spring 2017 round of funding: the Bay Area Worm Meeting, Cracking the Repetitive DNA Code, and Toronto RNA Enthusiasts Day. Proposed workshops were evaluated by the Society’s Mentoring and Professional Development Committee based on their relevance to the GSA mission, the need for and the uniqueness of the event, the benefit to early career geneticists, and the availability of other relevant support. We encourage other early career members to come up with new and valuable events! The next round of proposals is due July 10, 2017. 

Bay Area Worm Meeting

From left to right: Jacqueline Lo, Mark McCormick, T Harshani Peiris.

The Bay Area Worm Meeting (BAWM) is a trainee-organized event designed to advance research, foster interactions, and maximize career development opportunities for the local C. elegans community in the San Francisco Bay Area. This one-day meeting attracts C. elegans researchers from across the Bay Area, including the campuses of UC Berkeley, Stanford, UCSF, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, San Jose State, San Francisco State, CSU Sacramento, CSU East Bay, Santa Clara University, Mills College, and the Buck Institute. The focus of the meeting is for trainees who use C. elegans as a model organism to share their research and advancements in new techniques and tool development with the local community. The BAWM also aims to foster interactions between institutions, allowing attendees to communicate face-to-face to share their research, form collaborations, and facilitate reagent sharing. This meeting allows trainees at various stages of their careers to present and discuss their research in a supportive and encouraging environment. At this year’s meeting (held May 6, 2017), we included a new event where trainees had the opportunity to have lunch with faculty members in small groups to talk and ask questions about career paths in science.

Cracking the Repetitive DNA Code

From left to right: Sarah Deng, Stephanie Lauer, Andres Mansisidor, Danni Wang.

The goal of this symposium is to highlight research that advances the structural and functional characterization of the repetitive genome. The event will include talks and a poster session on repetitive DNA topics such as centromeres, rDNA arrays, and telomeres, as well as copy number variation, transposable elements, and major/minor satellites. We aim to showcase conceptual and technical innovations in the repetitive DNA field, while bringing together a diverse group of local researchers, with an emphasis on providing speaking and networking opportunities for early career scientists. Register and/or submit abstracts at https://RepeatDNA.wixsite.com/GSAsymposium or by e-mail to sll405@nyu.edu

Toronto RNA Enthusiast’s Day (TREnD)

From left to right: Christopher Wedeles, Amanda Charlesworth, Monica Wu, Miranda Wang, Ashrut Narula

TREnD 2017 is a student-led and trainee-focused event that seeks to create a scientific forum for RNA researchers in the Greater Toronto Area. It addresses the strong desire among our RNA biologists to increase communication, build cross-disciplinary collaborations, and strengthen the scientific community. We aim to bring together diverse scientists focused on classical genetics and high-throughput genomic approaches to spark exciting new collaborations. TREnD2017’s keynote address will be presented by Dr. Phillip Zamore (University of Massachusetts Medical School), followed by talks and posters from postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate trainees whose research lies within the broad field of RNA biology and genetics. We are excited to see what everyone has been working on, and we hope that you will join us! For more information and to register see https://trendrna.com.

]]> https://genestogenomes.org/trainee-organized-symposia-worms-evolution-collaboration/ Wed, 01 Feb 2017 16:57:48 +0000 https://genestogenomes.org/?p=8293 We are proud to support three new symposia organized by student and postdoctoral members of the GSA! Read more below about the recipients of the fall 2016 round of funding from the GSA Trainee-Organized Symposia program. Proposed workshops were evaluated by the Society’s Mentoring and Professional Development Committee based on their relevance to the GSA mission, the need for and the uniqueness…]]>

We are proud to support three new symposia organized by student and postdoctoral members of the GSA! Read more below about the recipients of the fall 2016 round of funding from the GSA Trainee-Organized Symposia program. Proposed workshops were evaluated by the Society’s Mentoring and Professional Development Committee based on their relevance to the GSA mission, the need for and the uniqueness of the event, the benefit to early career geneticists, and the availability of other relevant support. These outstanding events will receive up to $2,000 each in funding to cover direct meeting costs.

CUNY C. elegans Symposium

James Clark

Nicholas Palmisano

The main focus of the City University of New York (CUNY) C. elegans Symposium is for faculty and trainees using C. elegans as a model system to discuss their research interests and experimental approaches in a constructive and inclusive manner. CUNY is well known for its high quality of education, cultural diversity amongst both students and faculty, and community outreach. Undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows will be given the opportunity to present their research, critically evaluate data, gain feedback, network with faculty and other trainees, and expand their knowledge. The symposium provides a way for students and faculty from across different CUNY campuses to come together and communicate science in a comfortable environment suitable for constructive criticism, learning, and growth.

Philadelphia Area Genetics and Evolution Research Symposium

Emily Behrman

Catherine D’Amelio

Craig Stanley

This event will bring together early career researchers from the greater Philadelphia area who share similar interests in understanding the complex biological relationships that inform ecological and evolutionary processes. The topics will include areas such as genome evolution, speciation and adaptation, the genetic basis of phenotypic evolution, microbiomes and symbiosis, and organismal responses to changing environments. The conference will provide graduate students and postdocs the opportunity to present their research to a group of peers with related research interests, fostering useful interactions that may spark ideas. We hope to build lasting research relationships and collaborations among graduate students with similar interests. It will also serve as a means for graduate students to receive useful feedback on presentations from senior-level researchers in their field from other universities. Learn more about the Evolution in Philadelphia Conference here:  https://philadelphiaevolut.wixsite.com/epic

Boston Postdoctoral Association Symposium on Careers and Collaborations in Science (B-SOCCS)

Sarah Dykstra

Jonathan Yen

Recently, postdocs from 15 Boston-area academic institutions and Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) formed the Boston Postdoctoral Association, a consortium to provide additional training and foster opportunities for collaborative research for the region’s 8,000+ postdocs. In June 2017, the Association will hold a one-and-a-half day symposium to help prepare students and postdocs for success in both academic and industry research settings.

This symposium will be a unique platform for young investigators to establish new relationships and gain new perspectives. Plenary sessions will focus on ways for academic and industry researchers to collaborate. Panel discussions will involve speakers from across the region based on their strengths as mentors and leaders in their fields. To foster academic-industry research interactions, exceptional local trainees from academic institutions and local pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies will participate in the poster session and scientific talks. Workshops will be designed to prepare graduate students and postdocs in building transferable skills for both academic and industry positions. Lastly, extensive opportunities for academia-industry networking will be provided.

GSA is pleased to announce the recipients of the DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics for Spring 2017. The award is given twice a year to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to support attendance at meetings and laboratory courses. The award is named in honor of DeLill Nasser, a long-time GSA supporter and National Science Foundation Program Director in Eukaryotic Genetics. Nasser was regarded by some as the “patron saint of real genetics,” shaping the field through more than two decades of leadership. She was especially supportive of young scientists, people who were beginning their careers, and those trying to open new areas of genetic inquiry. For more about Nasser, please see the tribute from Scott Hawley, published in the August 2001 issue of GENETICS.

The next round of funding will open late February, with an application deadline of April 4, 2017.

Graduate Student Awardees

Terry J. Felton (University College London)

Research: Understanding the genetic basis of left-right asymmetric neuron formation in the nematode C. elegans.

Advisor: Richard Poole

Abigail Lind (Vanderbilt University)

Research: How diverse toxins are encoded in fungal genomes and how fungi control the production of these toxins.

Advisor: Antonis Rokas

Albert A. Mondragon (Boston University)

Research: Characterizing the molecular machinery controlling acidification during cell death and clearance in fruit flies.

Advisor: Kim McCall

Taehyun Ryu (University of Southern California)

Research: Understanding heterochromatic DNA repair in Drosophila with the goal of developing new approaches for the treatment of human diseases caused by defects in heterochromatin repair.

Advisor: Irene Chiolo

Michele Sammut (University College London)

Research: Using simple nematode worms to discover the ways brain cells may be born in the complex brains of vertebrates and how changes in neural circuits affect behavior.

Advisor: Richard Poole

Postdoctoral Awardees

Igor Iatsenko (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)

Research: Using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to understand mechanistic details of the innate immune system.

Advisor: Bruno Lemaitre

Nikos Konstantinides (New York University)

Research: Studying the development of the Drosophila optic lobe using RNA sequencing approaches with the ultimate goal to understand how neuronal diversity is generated and how it evolves.

Advisor: Claude Desplan

Jyoti R. Misra (Rutgers University)

Research: Understanding how ubiquitylation and palmitoylation coordinately orchestrate the organization of the Fat signaling pathway, which regulates tissue growth and morphogenesis.

Advisor: Kenneth Irvine

Luke M. Noble (New York University)

Research: Understanding the genetic architecture of quantitative traits in Caenorhabditis nematodes.

Advisor: Matt Rockman

Jennifer Wisecaver (Vanderbilt University)

Research: How novel metabolic pathways that make antibiotics and other natural products evolve in fungi and plants.

Advisor: Antonis Rokas

As we approach the holiday season and #GivingTuesday, we hope that you will consider a donation to the Genetics Society of America (GSA). We rely upon your charitable contributions to promote a strong future for our field.

GSA is the voice for those conducting fundamental studies in genetics and those working with model organisms from Arabidopsis to zebrafish. The Society represents the collective interests of the entire genetics community—spanning model systems, topics of interest, and research approaches—and serves as your voice in advocacy, education, public outreach, and so much more. We are especially committed to fostering the next generation of scholars in our field by promoting the careers of students and postdocs.

Donate to GSA

You can help GSA support activities that span the breadth of the genetics community by donating to several funds:

• GSA General Fund – Supports a variety of education, advocacy, and outreach programs, such as educational programming at GSA conferences, GeneticsCareers.org jobs board, and our expanding advocacy and communications activities;

• GSA DeLill Nasser Fund for Career Development – Supports DeLill Nasser Awards for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees to attend any national and international meeting or enroll in laboratory courses; and

• GSA Undergraduate Travel Awards Fund – Supports the participation of undergraduate members of the Society to present their research at GSA conferences.

In addition, the Society maintains dedicated resources to support award programs specific to individual model organism communities:

• Victoria Finnerty Memorial Fund for Undergraduate Travel Awards – Supports Victoria Finnerty Award, which provides funding for undergraduates to present their research at the Annual Drosophila Research Conference; and

• Chi-Bin Chien Fund – Supports the Chi-Bin Chien Award, given to an outstanding graduate student, postdoctoral trainee, or recently appointed faculty member who has made significant contributions to the field of zebrafish research.

GSA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and your contribution is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. No goods or service are provided in exchange for your financial donation.

Gift & Group Memberships

You can also share the benefits of GSA by providing a gift membership to a colleague, trainee, or friend—or signing up your lab or department through the new group membership program.

AmazonSmile

Finally, if you’ll be doing holiday shopping on Amazon.com, please support GSA through AmazonSmile. You’ll see the same prices and selection as always, but GSA will receive a small percentage of eligible purchases as a bonus.

We thank you in advance for partnering with GSA in support of these valuable activities.

In 2014, six undergraduate researchers received Victoria Finnerty Undergraduate Travel Awards, supporting their travel to GSA’s Annual Drosophila Research Conference to present their work. These recipients were among nearly 200 undergraduate students attending the 56th Annual Drosophila Research Conference from March 4-8, 2015, in Chicago, Illinois, providing a robust undergraduate population in a welcoming community of Drosophila researchers. Irina Pushel (Michigan State University) and Alex Kneubehl (Ohio Northern University), two Finnerty Award recipients, recount their experience at the 2015 “fly meeting” for Genes to Genomes.

Irina Pushel (left) and Alex Kneubehl (right), winners of the Victoria Finnerty Undergraduate Award and 2015 Drosophila Research Conference attendees

Irina Pushel (Michigan State University)

This is the second research conference I’ve attended.  The first one was actually the Drosophila Research Conference in 2012, my freshman year, where I co-presented a poster with the graduate student I was working with.  It was a great experience to come to the same conference, in the same place even, and see the difference that three years makes. I went from acting like a puppy, following around the grad student I was working with, to setting my own agenda and confidently presenting on my own work. I had a much better sense of what was happening and felt like I was able to have meaningful discussions about not only my own work, but also that of other researchers I spoke to. It was a tremendous comparison for me to be able to make. I went from feeling like an outsider three years ago to being embraced as a member of the community now. Allan Spradling’s “call to arms” in his keynote address really made this point hit home for me because even if I’m no longer working with Drosophila when I go off to graduate school next year, it’s still a community that’s shaped my scientific education.

My favorite part of the conference was the ‘Cracking the cis-regulatory code: new computational and physical approaches’ workshop-and  not just because it was organized in part by my PI.  Every single talk in that workshop focused on incredibly good work, and a variety of different approaches to modeling were shown–some theoretical, some practical, but all very, very cool.  As someone who is interested in modeling, and having been involved in a modeling project, this is an area that is highly fascinating for me. It’s an area I’ve been keeping an eye on for the past three years. Seeing the field unfold and more modeling projects spring up is really exciting. It’s also great to see people being so open and embracing sharing data, sharing code, sharing models, and sharing ideas, at a time when so many people are afraid of getting scooped. I fully believe that a collaborative approach is the way to discovery, and it’s wonderful to see this openness and collaboration in the modeling community.

Speaking from two very different experiences at this conference, I have two sets of advice for undergraduates attending the fly meeting.

• First, for someone just getting into research, or new to the field, or new to presenting their work: the most important thing is to not let it intimidate you and to have fun. Look at all sorts of different posters, go to any sessions or workshops that look interesting, talk to people, and don’t be afraid of not understanding everything–people are more than happy to explain their work. In my experience, they get really excited by undergrads just starting research. If you don’t understand the bulk of what’s happening in a session, or it’s just not interesting to you, don’t be afraid to leave. You may not have the background to understand some of the material, and other material may just not be up your alley; there’s no reason to sit through it if it doesn’t interest you.
• The second set of advice is  for someone who has been doing research for a while and wants to continue: get as much out of the conference as you can.  Network, especially if you know what area you’re interested in pursuing in graduate school, but even if you don’t.  Look up poster abstracts and platform sessions ahead of time so you know what you want to do while you’re there. Learn as much as you can. When else will you be surrounded by this many people who love their work and have put aside the time to talk about it?  But most importantly, for everyone, have a good time and enjoy the science.

Alex Kneubehl (Ohio Northern University)

As a first time attendee to GSA’s Drosophila Research Conference, I really didn’t know what to expect. I was always told that “the fly people are cool, they come up with protein names like ‘I’m Not Dead Yet’ or ‘Cheap Date’.” I was not disappointed in the creativity and the science being presented at the conference and I was very much impressed overall. Two factors that stood out the most, however, were the sense of community among Drosophilists and the versatility of the fly model.

What struck me as unique about the Drosophila conference was the sense of community. Everyone was passionate about the science, yes, but the sense of togetherness and the close knit community that has been formed within the fly world is really impressive. I can speak for my own lab, a startup Drosophila group, in saying that we have been warmly welcomed and helped immensely along the way. The ready availability of general knowledge and fly lines from the community has been a huge help for our research (especially for a primarily undergraduate institution that can’t readily produce a knock-out fly line!). One only needed to sit in on a few talks to see that such openness and assistance among members of the fly community has only strengthened and furthered fly research as a whole.

A constant topic of discussion was the meaningful use and contribution of Drosophila to science as a whole. As an undergraduate you are taught about the different model organisms and the capabilities of each one to model human diseases or processes, but what is lost is the real versatility of each system— especially Drosophila. I was amazed at our ability to observe neuronal transport through live imaging, the modeling of contact dermatitis, and the parallels between cancer modelling in flies and humans. With each talk I went to, I was continuously impressed with what could be done in the fly model system, and by the parallels between flies and humans. Despite all this, somewhere in the lecture hall and in the media the significance of these model systems (especially Drosophila) is lost, and the focus turns to mammalian models. I am sure that if Rand Paul had been in the audience for many of the presentations at the 2015 Drosophila Research Conference, he may think quite differently about the fruit fly. One need only look at the science generated by the fly community to see that it contributes greatly to endeavors in human health.

My takeaway from the conference: The fly may be small but its impact is mighty and it is here to stay.

The Victoria Finnerty Award depends upon contributions from the community. If you’d like to make a tax-deductible contribution to support this program, please visit GSA’s Donation Form.