JULY 2013 | ISSUE 69 GENETICS SOCIETY NEWS In this issue The Genetics Society News is edited by • New award: The Mary Lyon Medal Manuela Marescotti and items for future issues can be sent to the editor, by email • An affectionate remembrance of Professor Hewitt to [email protected]. The • Meetings Newsletter is published twice a year, with • Student and Travel Reports copy dates of 1st June and 26th November. Cover image from the Genetics Society forthcoming meeting From Genes to Shape. See page 4 for further details. A WORD FROM THE EDITOR A word from the NEW editor Welcome to issue 69. and Eleftheria Zeggini (Sanger Centre) “Applied and quantitative Dear Readers, Genetics”. I do believe that we all will do our best to contribute to This issue sees the newsletter with the good shape of the Society. a new Editor. I would like to thank the former newsletter editor, David As usual this issue is full of Hosken, for the great job he did interesting articles, meeting while he took care of the Genetics reports, student reports, showing Society newsletter. I would the involvement of the Genetics like also to thank the honorary Society in spreading genetics- secretary, Tanya Whitfield, for the related science. Thanks to all of assistance she gave me during my those who kindly contributed. first experience as newsletter editor In particular, a huge thank to of this society. Dave Lunt for his piece about Godfrey Hewitt. His words about Nevertheless, the April AGM Professor Hewitt not only remind brought a breath of fresh air inside us the scientific contribution the Genetics Society; in fact, I and the rigorous approach in his am not the only “new entry” of work, but also highlight a unique the Society Executive Committee. personality that allowed him to Kay Boulton (Edinburgh) has be a great mentor of students become the new post-graduate and post-docs. It is not easy to representative, and, also, some find a scientist that has all these of the area-specific Committee qualities; maybe that is the reason members have been replaced for him for being considered such by Jonathan Pettitt (Aberdeen), an outstanding researcher. for “Gene structure, function and regulation”; Martin Taylor Read on and enjoy. (Edinburgh) “Genomics”; Malcolm Logan (NIMR) for “Cell Best wishes, and Developmental Genetics” Manuela Marescotti This issue is full of interesting articles, meeting reports, student reports, showing the involvement of the Genetics Society in spreading genetics-related science. Thanks to all of those who kindly contributed. 2 . GENETICS SOCIETY NEWS . ISSUE 69 Issue 69 . July 2013 For more details please contact: The Genetics Society C/O Portland Customer Services Commerce Way, Colchester CO2 8HP CONTENTS Switchboard: +44 (0)1206 796 351 Fax: +44 (0)1206 798 650 Email: [email protected] Web: www.genetics.org.uk Meeting Announcements 4 - 6 The Genetics Society Journals Heredity 2013 Autumn Meeting www.nature.com/hdy 2014 Spring Meeting Managing Editor: Professor Michael Bruford Heredity Editorial Office, Cardiff University, Cathays Park, External Meetings Diary Cardiff, CF10 3AX, Wales Sectional Interest Groups 7 Genes and Development www.genesdev.org Editor: T. Grodzicker, Genes & Development, Cold Spring Genetics Society Business 8 - 16 Harbor Laboratory Press, 500 Sunnyside Boulevard, Woodbury, New York, 11797, USA Obituary 17 - 18 President Prof Enrico Coen, John Innes Centre, Norwich Genetics Society Meeting Reports 19 - 22 Genomics for Health and Society Vice-Presidents Prof Chris Smith, University of Cambridge Prof Rebecca Oakey, King’s College London Genetics Society Sponsored Events 23 - 30 Prof Elizabeth Fisher, University College London Making human heredity: populations Honorary Secretary and public health in the postwar era Dr Tanya Whitfield, University of Sheffield Mammalian Genetics & Honorary Treasurer Development workshop Prof Hiro Ohkura, University of Edinburgh Population Genetics Group Conference Scientific Meetings Secretary 3rd UK RNA splicing meeting Prof Dirk-Jan de Koning, Swedish University of Agricultural British Yeast Group Meeting Sciences, Uppsala Arabidopsis Sectional Interest Newsletter Editor group meeting Dr Manuela Marescotti, Institute of Genetics and Monthly London Fly Meetings Biophysics, Naples Pombe club Postgraduate Representative Kay Boulton, University of Edinburgh The 2014 Balfour Lecturer, Elizabeth Murchison Features 33 Ordinary Committee Members Dr Ian Henderson, University of Cambridge Dr Matthew Hurles, The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute Travel Reports 35 - 42 Mrs Dominique Kleyn, BioIndustry Association Deep Sea Biology Dr Malcom Logan, National Institute for Medical Research, London Drosophila Prof Judith Mank, University College London Dr Jonathan Pettitt, University of Aberdeen DNA Replication and Recombination Prof Jane Rogers, The Genome Analysis Centre, Norwich Ear Research in mice Prof Jon Slate, University of Sheffield Human Genetics Dr Martin Taylor, University of Edinburgh Dr Colum Walsh, University of Ulster Plant and Animal Genome Prof John Whittaker, GlaxoSmithKline, Harlow Dr Eleftheria Zeggini, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridge variation affecting all regions of the medfly genome and examine the possible effect of resistance on the medfly life- history traits in newly colonized sites. My Heredity Fieldwork Grant Report 43 - 44 Adam Hargreaves, Bangor University presentation was well received. I discussed the further steps of my project with fellow postdocs and junior researchers and got a lot of interesting ideas and suggestions. The meeting ended with an elegant banquet at the Exhibition hall of the Town & Design and Print country Hotel, where delegates could meet and enjoy a beautiful evening of abundant food, wine and music. This meeting was a very important venue for me to meet the Training Grants 45 leading authorities in the field of genomics applied to agricultural systems. I am very Advocate Art grateful to the Genetic Society for awarding me the Junior Scientist Travel Grant, 01372 274068 Programmed Cell Death effectors in www.advocate-art.com Arabidopsis thaliana seed development Advertising in Genetics Society News Studentship Reports 46 - 49 represents an opportunity to reach Chromosome separation a large community of professional Ethanol sensitivity in Drosophila geneticists. For rates please email Acyl-CoA thioesterase [email protected] Meiosis which sponsored my trip to San Diego. www.genetics.org.uk . 3 2013 Autumn Meeting From Genes to Shape Thursday 7 – Friday 8 November. The Royal Society, London How does digital information in a linear DNA sequence lead to Speakers include the dynamic shape of individual cells, such as pollen tubes and Anja Geitmann Université de Montréal neurons, and growing multicellular structures such as flowers Ray Goldstein University of Cambridge or wings? Recent advances in genetics, imaging, cell biology, Verônica Grieneisen John Innes Centre, Norwich biophysics and computational biology are being used to address Max Heiman Harvard Medical School this problem at a mechanistic level for the first time. Frank Jülicher Max Planck Institut, Dresden Stan Leibler Princeton and Rockefeller Universities This two-day meeting brings together scientists working at Sophie Martin University of Lausanne the interface of these disciplines to unravel the mechanisms Benedicte Sanson University of Cambridge underlying shape generation from the subcellular to the tissue James Sharpe EMBL-CRG, Barcelona scale. Topics include cytoskeleton dynamics, cell polarity, growth Jan Traas ENS, Lyon and deformation of cell sheets and formation of primordia and appendages. The meeting will highlight unifying principles by Meeting organisers ranging over microbial, plant and animal systems. Enrico Coen and Buzz Baum for registration, visit www.genetics.org.uk 2014 Spring Meeting Psychiatric Genetics: Pathways and Prospects Friday 4 April 2014. The Royal Society, London Mental illness represents a major problem for affected Speakers individuals, for their loved ones, and for society at large. Many Professor Michael Owen, Cardiff University mental disorders have a substantial genetic component, but Professor Cathryn Lewis, Institute of Psychiatry until recently very little consistent data existed regarding the Professor J. David Sweatt, University of Alabama underpinnings of these complex and multifactorial conditions. Professor Marcus Munafo, University of Bristol Professor Ricardo Dolmetsch, Stanford University As more and more robust genetic risk variants are identified, we Professor Henrik Walter, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin are now beginning to understand the physiological mechanisms Dr Susan Kelly, University of Exeter that go awry in psychiatric disorders, and therefore how we Dr Nita Farahany, Duke University might treat them more effectively. Now is an opportune time to reflect on recent successes within the field of psychiatric Scientific Organisers genetics, to delineate ways to move forward, and to consider the Dr William Davies, Dr Ian Jones and impact of the discipline across many diverse sectors of society. Dr Jamie Lewis for registration, visit www.genetics.org.uk EXTERNAL MEETINGS DIARY 6 We will happily include any announcements for genetics-based meetings in this section. Please send any items to the editor. Exploring Human Host-Microbiome Interactions in Functional Genomics and Systems Biology 2013 Health & Disease 2013 21-23 November 2013, Cambridge, UK 8-10 July 2013, Cambridge https://registration.hinxton.wellcome.ac.uk/