2010 January/February
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The GSA Reporter January | February 2010 jan|feb 2010 New Name/ New Congratulations to the Newly-Elected Look for the 2010 GSA Board Members GSA Newsletter The GSA is pleased to welcome six Sandler Lectureship Committee, Welcome to The GSA Reporter, newly-elected members to the Board and was the chair of the first GSA formerly GENEtics. We hope you like of Directors who represent the breadth Education/Outreach Committee the new name and the new design. and depth of our Society’s members created in 2008. and their research interests. The new The GSA Reporter will appear in your The four new Board members who will Board officers are Paul Sternberg, mailbox and online in January, May, serve as directors include a newly- Ph.D. (CalTech and HHMI) vice and September, and will bring you created position to reflect GSA’s president, to become news and information on Genetics strong commitment to president in 2011 and Society of America conferences, undergraduate genetics Mariana Wolfner, Ph.D. programs, and activities. Please education. Beth DeStasio, (Cornell Univ), secretary. send comments and story ideas to who is dedicated to The new directors are: the editor, Phyllis Edelman at training students, both Elizabeth (Beth) A. De [email protected]. We majors and non-majors Stasio, Ph.D., (Lawrence look forward to hearing from you! in science, to become University, WI), Thomas J. more conversant Silhavy, Ph.D. (Princeton and comfortable in University), Sue Jinks- understanding recent FASEB Welcomes Robertson, Ph.D. advances in biology, (Duke University Medical GSA to the takes this new seat. Center), and Utpal Paul Sternberg She is also a C. elegans Banerjee, Ph.D. (UCLA). Vice President Federation researcher, studying These new officers and by Mark O. Lively, Ph.D., muscle contraction and directors began their FASEB President synapse maintenance. three-year tenure on Other new board directors We are very pleased to January 1, 2010. have the Genetics Society of include Tom Silhavy, who Both Sternberg and America as a member of The is particularly interested Wolfner previously served Federation of American Societies in the protein production on the GSA Board of for Experimental Biology and signal transduction Directors. Sternberg was (FASEB), and, in this time of in bacteria such as E. on the Board from 2002- rapidly expanding scientific coli; Sue Jinks-Robertson, 2004 and Wolfner was opportunity, we look forward whose lab examines the a Board member from to forging a stronger and more regulation of genome 2006-2008. Sternberg is effective partnership on behalf Mariana Wolfner, stability in S. cerevisiae; an active member of the of life science research. FASEB’s Secretary and Utpal Banerjee, a C. elegans community principle goal for the coming year past president of the and since 1999 has been the primary is to convince Congress that the Drosophila board whose research is in investigator for the online C. elegans expanded capacity created by the Drosophila developmental biology. and related nematode databases, stimulus funds must become the Retiring from the Board this year are Wormbase. Wolfner, an active member starting point for steady, sustained Past President (2008) Trudi Schüpbach of the Drosophila community within continued on page eighteen (Princeton Univ), Secretary Jim GSA, served many years on the Larry continued on page eight 1 GeneticsSocietyofAmerica The GSA Reporter January | February 2010 GSA Board Holds Fall Meeting Presided over by GSA President Fred the Federation of American Societies Winston, the GSA Board of Directors for Experimental Biology (FASEB) met at the GSA offices in Bethesda, and Howard Garrison, FASEB Deputy Maryland on November 18 and 19, Executive Director for Public Policy, 2009. GSA Board members brought made presentations to the Board that Published three times a year a diversity of experiences, opinions, generated lively discussion of the and distributed by expertise, and ideas to the meeting, public policy issues The Genetics Society of America along with a deep commitment to the facing GSA success and prosperity of GSA and and its Volume 7, Number 1 its service to members. officers The Board met for two days R. Scott Hawley, President of intensive discussion Paul W. Sternberg, Vice President and decision-making, Fred Winston, Past President interspersed with Trudy F. Mackay, Treasurer mealtime opportunities Mariana F. Wolfner, Secretary to get to know each Mark Johnston, GENETICS, other and the GSA Editor-in-Chief staff. In her report, board of directors GSA Executive Director Sherry Marts Utpal Banerjee highlighted recent staff Sally A. Camper initiatives aimed at raising Elizabeth A. De Stasio the visibility of GSA as the Jay C. Dunlap authoritative voice of genetics Sue Jinks-Robertson both within the scientific Douglas E. Koshland community and among reporters Charles H. Langley and writers for the scientific and lay Susan T. Lovett media. members, Thomas J. Silhavy including concerns about funding Susan R. Wessler The Board received good news appropriations for NIH and NSF. from its Finance Committee, whose executive director Following discussion, the Board voted report indicated that GSA is on solid to apply to join FASEB beginning in Sherry A. Marts financial ground and is weathering 2010. (The FASEB Board voted to managing editor the economic downturn very well. accept GSA’s applications at their The Board approved the budget for meeting on December 7. See article Phyllis R. Edelman 2010, which reflected plans for three on page 1.) Membership in FASEB The publication of an advertisement in this GSA conferences, including the GSA’s newsletter does not constitute on the part of will provide GSA with additional The Genetics Society of America a guarantee flagship meeting “Genetics 2010: opportunities to represent its members or endorsement of the quality or value of the Model Organisms to Human Biology.” advertised products or services described in the in Washington, particularly at the advertisement, or of any of the representations Mark Johnston, editor-in-chief, and science funding agencies such as NIH, or claims made by the advertisers with respect Tracey DePellegrin Connelly, executive NSF, and USDA. to such products or services. editor of GENETICS, reported on the 9650 Rockville Pike changes resulting from the journal’s The Board also heard a report from Bethesda, MD 20814-3998 revised scope and the successful the GSA White Paper Task Force, Tel: (301) 634-7300 effort to reduce significantly the time headed by Vice President Scott Hawley. Fax: (301) 634-7079 from manuscript submission to final The Task Force drafted an outline Email: [email protected] decision on acceptance. for a white paper to be presented www.genetics-gsa.org to officials at NIH that describes the Lynn Marquis, National Director of the critical importance of basic genetic Copyright ©2010 by the Genetics Society of America. Coalition for the Life Sciences; and All rights reserved. Guy Fogelman, Executive Director of continued on page fifteen 2 GeneticsSocietyofAmerica president’s message The GSA Reporter January | February 2010 Our journal, GENETICS has changed undergraduate college or university. in ways that make it far more visible, The first board member to fill that seat exciting, and profitable for the society is Beth De Stasio (Lawrence Univ, WI); – without sacrificing the rigor that we welcome her onboard! We have has been the hallmark of the journal also established a Special Interest for nearly a century. Editor-in-Chief Group for GSA members interested Mark Johnston and Executive Editor in teaching. Sherry, Sue, and I are Tracey DePellegrin Connelly have discussing how best to coordinate accomplished this feat in collaboration staffing to support our teaching with more than 80 associate editors, mission. Our first goal is to complete eight senior editors, and with the a first-ever census of what is being frequent advice of and consultation taught in genetics courses around the country and survey how the discipline is being taught. We will “Along with other scientific also mount an effort to increase Goal Setting for societies, we need to make the number of peer-validated our case, clearly and vividly, teaching resources available to the New Year GSA members on, or with links to both the leadership of NIH from, the GSA website. As I begin my term as president, I have and to our representatives in My third goal is to increase three major goals in mind. The first of Congress.” these is simple: do no harm. The the GSA’s role in the loud society and the journal are in good chorus of voices promoting the critical roles of model organism- shape. The efforts of my predecessor, with GSA members. The change in the Fred Winston and of several presidents based basic research in the future journal has necessitated – and been of biomedical research. Frankly, before him, have redefined both driven by – a change in its scope. As the purpose and the process of the this was not a job I expected, much we have seen that scope change, we less wanted. I thought the obvious GSA. We now have a biennial society have realized that a large part of our meeting (Model Organisms to Human successes of model organisms in community would be well-served by fueling the engines of biological Biology) that brings together the the creation of a sister journal focused diverse interests of our community. thought and understanding during on the development of resources, the last century made this argument Fred has done a great job organizing tools, and methods. The GSA Board the 2010 meeting in Boston; I know no longer necessary. But there are of Directors is giving this possibility unexpected words emanating from it will be a great success, both serious consideration and GSA Board intellectually and financially. high places, questioning NIH’s committees are providing the careful commitment to model organism Sherry Marts, our new executive scrutiny that this idea deserves.