Highlights:

• GSA is committed to having a positive impact in the communities where we hold conferences.
• LOCI is a way for each GSA conference to engage with a volunteer-led community service event
• We are kicking off this initiative at #Dros23 by working with the Broadway Youth Center, an integrated health and social services organization that serves the Chicago LGBTQ+ community

Local Outreach Community Initiatives (LOCI):

The Genetics Society of America is committed to supporting the communities of the host cities of our conferences. This new year, we are excited to reconnect with our GSA community in meaningful ways within and beyond our existing programming. The GSA membership has created a caring and supportive environment and we hope to expand this environment to those where we hold our conferences. One of GSA’s pillars is to “Support the genetics community in engaging and communicating with the public.” Beyond communicating our science to the public, we as a society can work directly with fellow non-profits that share our values, through Local Outreach Community Initiatives (LOCI) during our conferences.

Attending a conference can be a relatively insular experience. Outside of visiting restaurants and maybe a sight or two, much of our time is often restricted to the conference center. The GSA Conferences Committee and staff, pioneered by former ECLP members Molly Matty and Gavin Rice, wish to create a way for attendees to engage and connect with the local community of the host city in a way that supports their growth. Instead of trying to initiate our own programs, which may miss the mark in serving the local community, we have chosen to work directly with local organizations, asking them what would be most helpful. For #Dros23 we are working with the Broadway Youth Center, a part of Howard Brown Health, one of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) health and social service organizations. The first GSA LOCI event will include putting together hygiene kits, a professional clothing drive, and direct monetary donations to Broadway Youth Center (see details below).

We hope to expand these initiatives and projects to more conferences in the future, working with local organizations that are well-versed with the social and developmental needs of the host location. This shall  allow conference attendees to connect beyond our shared science, while leaving a positive impact on our host city. These events can be anything from helping clean up a beach or park to tutoring students from disenfranchised backgrounds. 

#Dros23 LOCI

We are grateful to the Broadway Youth Center for their assistance in planning the #Dros23 LOCI. Here’s what we have planned for #Dros23 in Chicago:

1. Hygiene Kit packing event: In-person conference attendees can help assemble hygiene kits. All of the supplies will be provided. Join with other attendees and connect right at the start of the meeting.
2. Professional clothing drive: If you or your labmates have professional clothes that are unused, or used but clean, bring them to #Dros23 to be donated to the Broadway Youth Center. 
3. Monetary donation: We recognize that people may not be able to participate in person but would still like to be part of this initiative. We have set up a donation page where you can select GSA LOCI from the dropdown list in the Donation Fund section. Please note that 100% of the donations are going to the Broadway Youth Center. 

How you can participate:

• Sign up for #Dros23 LOCI when you register.
• If you are attending #Dros23 in person, please spread the word locally in your department about the professional clothing drive if you have extra room in your luggage. 
• Let others know they can donate to Broadway Youth Center at the GSA website.

For more information, please visit GSA LOCI.

The Annual Drosophila Research Conference started in 1958 in Madison, Wisconsin as a free-form meeting where “people spoke as the spirit moved them.” Now in its 64th year, the meeting has evolved from what one of the founders, Larry Sandler, called “genetic analysis for fun and recreation,” into the premier worldwide meeting of Drosophilists. Over the decades, the meeting has held on to the legacy of its founders and embraced developments in research, science, culture, and more recently, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, public health.

With the past few years being so disruptive, and our individual and collective experiences of the pandemic giving us new insight into ourselves, our communities, and our aspirations, the meeting organizers thought it important to ask how we will apply this new knowledge to build the future of scientific conferences. This question also informed the decision to introduce the theme “Pay It Forward” at #Dros23. The theme, which will be woven throughout the meeting, reflects an awareness of the history and culture of Dros meetings and attempts to envisage these values in today’s context. 

As such, the spirit of “Pay It Forward” will be highlighted in a unique and interactive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion session led by Raquell Holmes, Founder and Director of improvscience, and Tânia Reis, Associate Professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. In this session, attendees will experience a new way of getting to know one another, building a community where we can share aspirations and work together to achieve them. 

Keynote Speaker:

Yukiko Yamashita, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, HHMI

Plenary Speakers:

Amanda Amodeo, Dartmouth College

Allison Bardin, Curie Institute, France 

Edan Foley, University of Alberta

Sally Horne-Badovinac, University of Chicago

Karla Kaun, Brown University

Erin Kelleher, University of Houston

Mustafa Mir, University of Pennsylvania

Caroline Palavicino-Maggio, Harvard Medical School

Kausik Si, Stowers Institute for Medical Research

Lesley Weaver, Indiana University Bloomington

To read the invited speakers’ bios visit the website. 

#Dros23 Program:

The conference has been designed in a way that offers something for everyone.

#Dros23 will have opportunities for attendees to present platform talks and posters either in person or remotely. The abstract driven sessions will cover cell stress and cell death, immunity, evolution, reproduction, cell biology, cell division and cell growth, physiology, metabolism and aging, initiatives in education and DEI, among others.  

Professional development events will provide resources to those seeking careers in academia, industry, and science writing, among others. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in networking hotspots and network in the language of their choice through GSA’s Multilingual Networking event. Attendee led workshops will feature topics such as techniques, emerging or specialized areas of research, community resources, education, as well as other topics of interest to the Fly community. 

For the complete schedule, and list of professional development events visit the website. 

Explore Chicago

The Conference venue is the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk. Located between the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, the hotel is an urban sanctuary in a downtown setting with plenty of activities to do nearby. Chicago’s two airports and central location also make it an accessible location for US and international attendees. Book your travel and hotel reservations on the website.

Abstract submission for oral presentations closes on November 17. Poster-only submissions will be accepted, as space is available, through January 4, 2023. 

We look forward to seeing you all in Chicago for #Dros23!