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 . 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 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 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 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 Genetics Society of America 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 Genetics Society of America 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 ; 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. Please research. Along with other scientific director, joined us last winter. Sherry stay tuned. societies, we need to make our has been instrumental in creating My second major goal is to bring case, clearly and vividly, to both an atmosphere within the GSA that to fruition our commitment to the leadership of NIH and to our promotes change and focuses on improve the teaching of genetics at representatives in Congress. The expanding our goals and horizons. the college level. This is something recent decision by the GSA to join Although many of you will never meet we have been discussing for as long FASEB will give us a louder voice on our staff in Bethesda, I can tell you we as I have been associated with the such matters, as does our membership benefit tremendously from their efforts Society. We have achieved some of in the Coalition for Life Sciences. We on our behalf, both day-to-day in the this goal – for example, Pat Pukkila are the people who best understand office, and in facilitating the various has done an excellent job editing the power of research on non-human meetings sponsored by the GSA. Our a section of GENETICS devoted to organisms, and we need to seize every newsletter has a new, visually enticing advances in teaching – but we need opportunity available to make that format, and our website will soon to do more. The Education Committee case. We are hard at work on a ’white be the useful tool that we have long of the Board, currently headed by paper’ describing the past, present, desired. And more is planned. Sue Lovett, will now always include and most critically, future importance of a representative from a primarily continued on page eighteen

3 Genetics Society of America The GSA Reporter January | February 2010 Plan now for June GENETICS 2010: Model Organisms to Human Biology Meeting Geneticists will be wowing Boston For science and baseball fans: come with cutting edge science when keynote speakers early or stay late and see great model organism and human biology baseball with the Boston Red Sox researchers hit Beantown for the playing the Philadelphia Phillies (June GENETICS 2010: Model Organisms to 11) or the Arizona Diamondbacks Human Biology (MOHB) Meeting, June (June 16). 12-15, 2010 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. Keynote speakers include IMPORTANT DATES 2009 Nobel laureate Carol Greider of the Johns Hopkins Medical School, Abstract Submission Opens: Jeremy Berg, director of the National February 17, 2010 Institute of General Medical Sciences Registration Site Opens: at the National Institutes of Health, February 24 and 2008 Lasker Award winner Gary Abstract Submission Ruvkun of Harvard Medical School and Deadline: Massachusetts General Hospital. March 24 Carol Greider, PhD, Johns Hopkins There are nine invited platform Medical School For more information, visit the meeting sessions, outlined below, as well as Web site at www.mohb.org/2010. poster sessions. There are also two workshops planned for registrants on Each session will include two Saturday, June 12th from 2:00 -5:00 additional speakers, to be chosen from p.m., prior to the start of the platform submitted abstracts. sessions that evening. The topics for session one these workshops are: High-Throughput RNAi Screening in Model Systems used personal to Study Human Biology at Genome genomics Scale, co-chaired by Stephanie Mohr and Liz Perkins both of ; and Education and Outreach, co-chaired by Beth De Stasio, Lawrence University and Pat Pukkila, University of North Carolina. (See Gary Ruvkun, PhD, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hopsital article on page 6 for more information about the Education and Outreach Workshop.) Co-chair•speaker Co-chair•speaker Organizing co-chairs are GSA Past Chuck Langley, PhD David Altshuler, MD. PhD University of California, Harvard Medical School, President Fred Winston and GSA Davis Mass. General Hospital President Scott Hawley. The MOHB meeting “brings together investigators who study model organisms and those who study human biology and disease; these groups don’t normally interact,” said Winston. “Model organisms are invaluable to the understanding of diverse aspects of human biology,” he speaker speaker added. Leonid Kruglyak, PhD, Carlos Bustamante, PhD Jeremy Berg, PhD, National Institute of Lewis-Sigler Institute, Cornell University General Medical Sciences of the National Princeton University Institute of Health

4 Genetics Society of America January | February 2010 The GSA Reporter

session two session three session four sex and gene models cancer as a expression of disease genetic disease

Co-chair•speaker Co-chair•speaker Co-chair•speaker Co-chair•speaker Co-chair•speaker Co-chair•speaker Barbara Meyer, PhD, Melissa Hines, PhD, Susan Lindquist, PhD, Rick Lifton, PhD, Angelika Amon, PhD, Phil Beachy, PhD, University of California, , /MIT Yale University MIT Stanford University School Berkeley United Kingdom School of Medicine of Medicine

speaker speaker speaker speaker speaker speaker David Page, PhD, Eric Vilain, MD, PhD, Eric Olson, PhD, Phil Hieter, PhD, Kathryn Anderson, PhD, Richard Kolodner, PhD, Whitehead Institute/MIT University of California, University of Texas, University of British Sloan-Kettering Institute University of Cal., San Los Angeles SW Medical Center at Columbia, Vancouver Diego and Ludwig Institute Dallas

session five session six session seven neurogenetics: modern approaches to stem cell: from synapses pathogenesis and infectious the genetics to senescence disease of commitment

Co-chair•speaker Co-chair•speaker Co-chair•speaker Co-chair•speaker Co-chair•speaker Co-chair•speaker Barry Ganetzky, PhD, Pamela Sklar, PhD, Gerry Fink, PhD, Joe DeRisi, PhD, Minx Fuller, PhD, George Daley, PhD, University of Wisconsin, Harvard Medical School & Whitehead Institute/MIT University of California, Stanford University Harvard Medical School Madison Mass General Hospital San Francisco and Children’s Hospital

speaker speaker speaker speaker speaker speaker Li-Huei Tsai, PhD, Erik Jorgensen, PhD John Mekalanos, PhD, Peter Palese, PhD, Anjana Rao, PhD, Joanna Wysocka, PhD, MIT University of Utah Harvard Medical School Mount Sinai School of Harvard Medical School Stanford University School Medicine of Medicine

Genetics Society of America 5 The GSA Reporter January | February 2010

session eight organismal architecture Education and Outreach Workshop and developmental disabilities at the MOHB Meeting Session Chairs: Patricia Pukkila (Univ of North Carolina) and Beth De Stasio (Lawrence Univ, WI) Hear about new approaches to genetics education and participate in discussions targeted to your problem areas in education and outreach programs at a GSA-sponsored workshop on Saturday, June 12th from 2-5 pm at the Genetics 201O: Model Organisms to Human Biology Meeting. Co-chair•speaker Co-chair•speaker Olivier Pourquie, PhD, Matt Warman, MD, Keynote speakers include Sally Hoskins of the City College of New York, Stowers Institute for Harvard Medical School who has published on the use of primary literature and the popular press Medical Research and Children’s Hospital in the classroom, and A. Malcolm Campbell, co-author of the genomics textbook, Discovering Genomics, Proteomics, and Bioinformatics, now in its second edition, and winner of the 2006 Bruce Alberts award for Excellence in Science Education, and Director of the Genome Consortium for Active Teaching. Hoskins will describe the CREATE (Considered, Read, Elucidate, Analyze and Thinking of an Experiment ) approach she developed for undergraduate biology education, which uses close reading and intensive analysis of journal speaker speaker Denis Duboule, PhD, Nicholas Katsanis, PhD, articles, coupled with behind-the-scenes e-mail interviews with paper University of Geneva and Johns Hopkins School of authors. It is designed to simultaneously demystify the universal logic of School of Life Sciences, Medicine Federal Institute of data interpretation and humanize researchers and the research process. Technology, Lausanne, Campbell’s presentation will focus on science teaching in synthetic biology Switzerland -- a topic at the edge of our discipline. session nine Discussion groups will focus on topics identified by attendees as problem analyzing areas, and may include: teaching introductory biology, active learning in large classes, investigative labs in genetics, and middle school outreach programs. Please submit in advance of MOHB your discussion topic requests to [email protected] or [email protected] so your problem area(s) may be addressed directly. There will also be a poster session devoted to education and outreach at the MOHB meeting.

Co-chair•speaker Co-chair•speaker Teaching approaches, labs for undergraduate Barbara Wold, PhD, Joe Ecker, PhD, genetics courses, and outreach programs are CalTech The Salk Institute among the examples of possible submissions. Abstract submissions open February 17, 2010. We look forward to your participation at this first of its kind GSA-sponsored education workshop. For more information about the workshop, contact Pat Pukkila or Beth De Stasio.

speaker speaker Rich Young, PhD, Stuart Kim, PhD, Whitehead Institute/MIT Stanford University

6 Genetics Society of America dear abbot: January | February 2010 , The GSA Reporter

Dear A Buzz: As a teacher myself, I can understand your concerns. It is a well-known fact to every faculty member in undergraduate science departments that the largest proportion of students enrolling in courses is seeking a career in medicine. They are following the prescription for admission that has directed them to a specific constellation of courses, which has remained relatively unchanged for decades, although not quite as far back as my time. The certainty of these requirements, and the population of students following them, has affected the structure, size, and composition of academic departments – where faculty are hired and where they are not. It is thus perceptive that you and your colleagues have noticed that the foundation of this industry indeed appears to be moving. A harbinger of this appears in the recently minted report, Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians, of the Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians Committee, a group of scientists, science educators, and physicians from colleges, universities and medical schools jointly convened Dear Abbot: by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the HHMI to re-examine premedical and medical training. I teach genetics at a The thrust of this 43-page report (online at https://services.aamc.org/publications) is that the premed prescription should change from the present system of small, undergraduate liberal specified course requirements to a series of “scientific competencies.” These arts college where many of our competencies would be assessed by examining the spectrum of courses an applicant has taken and by a new-and-improved MCAT. life science majors are pre- This is provocative: competencies would include a thorough working knowledge med. Recently, my colleagues of basic math, statistics, chemistry, physics, genetics and epigenetics, evolution, and cell and and , all common aspects of a life and I have heard “buzz” – at sciences curriculum. Absent, perhaps conspicuously, is the depth of chemical knowledge afforded by two full years of organic chemistry. The future of curricula conferences, from colleagues as envisioned by the report would lie in the development of interdisciplinary at other institutions and online courses rather than in reinforcing academic silos. Whether this report drives the change or simply signals that changes are in the information – that the pre-med wind is probably irrelevant. It seems likely that enhanced emphases will appear curriculum may be changing. in disciplines classically associated with the life sciences, and the good news is that genetics will be prominent in this mix – unfortunately at the expense of some We are wondering where this sciences that we’ve all classically associated with premed training. From the viewpoint of a basic scientist involved in undergraduate medical education, such buzz is coming from? If true, changes would be welcome; for the things covered in the first year of medical what these curriculum changes school now, knowledge of the Friedel-Crafts reaction isn’t as useful as a feel for the role of epigenetics in gene regulation. Of course, it’s medical schools that admit might be? And, how they may medical students, not the AAMC, so the kinetics of the change is uncertain. But the probability of change seems high, and as Bob Dylan wrote, “you don’t need a affect those of us now teaching weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” pre-med undergrads? Signed, The Abbot A Buzz in the Wind (aka, Jay Dunlap, Dartmouth Medical School, [email protected])

Genetics Society of America 7 The GSA Reporter January | February 2010

continued 1 Congratulations 2010 GSA Board Members Haber (Brandeis Univ), and Directors Victor Ambros (Univ of Massachusetts Medical School), Nancy Bonini (Univ of Pennsylvania) and Tim Schedl (Washington Univ of St. Louis). The Society extends its thanks to these members for their service during the past three years. Scott Hawley (Stowers Institute of Medical Research), who was vice president last year, began his year as president

Beth A. De Stasio A. Beth Silhavy Thomas J. of GSA on January 1. Fred Winston (Harvard Medical School), who served as president in 2009, remains on the Board for another year in the role of past president. Other continuing members of the Board, with their tenure noted in parentheses, include: Treasurer (2010) Trudy F. Mackay (North Carolina State Univ, Raleigh); Journal Editor (2013) Mark Johnston (Univ of Colorado Health Science Center, Denver) and Directors: (2010) Sally A. Camper (Univ of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor); (2011) Jay C. Dunlap (Dartmouth Medical School); (2011) Douglas E. Koshland (HHMI/Carnegie Institution of Washington); (2010) Charles H. Langley (Univ of California, Davis); (2010) Susan T. Lovett

Sue Jinks-Robertson Utpal Banerjee (Brandeis Univ); (2011) Susan R. Wessler (Univ of Georgia, Athens). Genetics and Molecular Biology Meeting July 27-August 1, 2010 University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

Special Presentations: Lifetime Achievement Award Paul Nurse, The Rockefeller University, New York City Ira Herskowitz Award Brenda Andrews, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada Winge-Lindegren Address Jasper Rine, University of California, Berkeley Lee Hartwell Lecture Randy Schekman, University of California, Berkeley

Abstract Submission deadline – April 14, 2010 Registration deadline – June 24, 2010

8 Genetics Society of America January | February 2010 The GSA Reporter Rosalind Franklin Award Recipients Reflect Its International Aspect The 2010 Rosalind Franklin Young A native of China, Dr. Wang came to Investigator Awards funded by The the United States via Canada, where Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation, as an undergraduate she attended were awarded to Jue (Jade) D. Wang McGill University, majoring in physics. (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston), Although a highly respected, award- a native of China and Iiris Hovatta winning physics student, she switched (University of Helsinki) from Finland. to biology for graduate school. She Each recipient will receive $25,000 attended the University of California (USD) a year for three years and were in San Francisco where she earned acknowledged at the 59th Annual her Ph.D. in Jonathan Weissman’s lab Meeting of the American Society of and was the first member of his lab Human Genetics in Honolulu, Hawaii on to use bacteria as a model organism. October 23, 2009. She produced significant advances in Drs. Wang and Hovatta were understanding molecular chaperones Jue (Jade) D. Wang selected from among nearly 100 important to cell survival. During Baylor College of applicants who represented the her postdoctoral training with Alan D. Medicine, Grossman, Ph.D., MIT, she was able to United States, Canada, Europe, Houston Asia, Africa, Australia and the Middle visualize previously unknown aspects East. Their work and goals reflect the of DNA replication by developing a spirit and dedication of British scientist whole-genome tiling microarray. Rosalind Franklin, for whom the award Dr. Hovatta received her undergraduate is named. Their originality, scientific degree and doctorate from the creativity and seminal discoveries institution where she now works, the within their fields, exemplify the University of Helsinki. Dr. Hovatta’s innovative thinking Franklin used while initial work included studies into the working on determining the structure genetic and molecular background of of DNA. psychiatric diseases, including linkage Both researchers are delighted by this mapping studies of schizophrenia in award. Dr. Wang received her award well-characterized Finnish families. for her work with bacteria. She is For postdoctoral studies she attended currently working on DNA replication the Max Planck Institute, focusing on regulation at Baylor, where she is Iiris Hovatta the neuro-developmental origins of seeking to identify small molecules University of Helsinki, psychiatric disorders. Still interested Finland and involved in replication in neuropsychiatric diseases, she and additional regulators. “This award moved to the Salk Institute, where she initiated a novel approach using is making a big difference in the work to select her for this award. “I am I am doing, giving me the freedom to the mouse model for studying the especially happy that receiving the neurobiology of anxiety. She has continue to pursue innovative, cutting award has resulted in greater publicity edge research in bacterial genetics. I investigated the complex relationship of psychiatric genetics, and the field between DNA and RNA level variations have several highly promising female of anxiety disorders. They are among graduate students and I plan to use the in the brain. In 2007 she established the most common mental illnesses and the Molecular Research Program money to support their research,” said yet the characterization of their genetic Dr. Wang. at the University of Helsinki, which background is just beginning on a incorporates her mastery of concepts Dr. Hovatta’s research in psychiatric larger scale,” said Dr. Hovatta. She will in inter- and multidisciplinary studies. genetics and her ability to move from be using the award “to test some new mouse models to human field work hypotheses” for which she does not The applications for the Rosalind were what influenced the reviewers have solid funding. Franklin Young Investigator Awards continued on page fourteen

Genetics Society of America 9 The GSA Reporter January | February 2010

As an undergraduate at Duke University majoring in computer Jason A. Stajich: science, Jason Stajich (pronounced Stı-ch) had a world of possibilities open to him. When he graduated his Using Bioinformatics choice was genetics. As an undergrad, he had worked as a programmer in a He Bridges the Divide human genetics lab where they were doing disease gene mapping and he recognized the enormous amount between Bench Science of data that needed manipulation in genomic sequencing. Stajich, now an and Data Analysis assistant professor of Bioinformatics and Assistant Bioinformaticist in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at the University of California, Riverside, saw he could straddle the divide between The GSA computer science and genetics with Reporter bioinformatics. Young From Worms to Fungi As much as the data manipulation Researcher interested Stajich, the science also intrigued him. In graduate school, Profile also at Duke, Jason began working with the genomes of C. elegans and C. briggsae during a summer in Lincoln Stein’s lab at Cold Spring Harbor, and with his computer skills, gravitated to comparative genomics. But he quickly realized that there’s “more data available in fungi and the data is what drew me in.” In Fred Dietrich’s lab at Duke he was able to explore the growing wealth of genomic sequence data from fungi. From data flowed questions: How did pathogenic fungi evolve? What can we learn about their evolution from their genomes? How does the genome, genes, and gene structure evolve? With all these questions and more needing answers, Stajich became hooked. “I fell in love with the Jason Stajich uniqueness of fungi. There’s bread (UC-Riverside), mold, lichens, , and mushrooms. taking a break, but There’s a lot of diversity and we don’t never far from his know that much about them,” he said. computer. Plus, there are a few additional benefits to working with fungi: “They’re a good model system to manipulate, they grow

10 Genetics Society of America January | February 2010 The GSA Reporter fast, and they’re not unhappy when you environment and how organic matter systems: the human pathogenic go away for a weekend,” Stajich added. degrades. They’re an important part fungi Coccidioides; the amphibian It was also in graduate school that of the plant nutrient cycle,” he told pathogen and chytrid fungus, Stajich became a leader of the us. Research on fungi that interact Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis; BioPerl open source project and later with plants by providing nutrients, or and the model filamentous fungus, president of the Open Bioinformatics those that act as biological agents with Neurospora, including N. crassa, N. Foundation (OBF), a nonprofit plant pathogens may be important in tetrasperma and N. discreta.” foundation advocating the use of open developing biofuels or other green From Post Doc to source bioinformatics programming sources of energy. The general public tools. His work grew from an interest may erroneously think of fungi as Professor more closely related to plants than in encouraging construction of new Stajich’s relatively seamless jump animals, but research on fungi has comparative and computational from post doc to tenure-track assistant broad implications on the fundamental genome analysis tools. An objective professor, was not just luck, although pathways of how a cell works and of the projects of the OBF is to make he acknowledges that being in the grows making them models for data manipulation, computation, and right field helped him find his current studying cancer. analysis easier by building a library of position. “Meeting and knowing the programming routines that researchers Evolution of the fungal cell wall is right people” was instrumental in can use to construct applications that part of the research in Stajich’s lab. his search. The “right people” were solve bioinformatics tasks from file The objective is “to describe the largely a part of the fungal genetics format conversion to summarizing differences in cell walls comparing community Stajich BLAST reports. lineages of early branching met at The GSA Although data analysis is still a “huge fungi to understand the aspect of what I do,” Stajich is less evolution of the genes “They’re a involved with BioPerl and OBF today that synthesize and as his lab work in fungal evolutionary assemble the cell good model system to biology takes precedence. Stajich wall components.” is working on projects that study Reconstructing manipulate, the mold, Neurospora crassa, the the history of mushroom, Coprinopsis cinerea, proteins that make they grow fast, and and the frog killing chytrid fungus, the cell wall in Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. fungal ancestors The research in his lab is focused may lead to an they’re not unhappy when understanding of on two areas: how the fungal cell you go away for a wall evolved, being an important why and how a cell wall exists and may aspect of interaction with the weekend” environment and in some cases a have implications for critical component of virulence, and higher organisms such as Conferences, how post transcriptional regulation mice or even humans. How Fungal Genetics in fungi is involved in the evolution and when the wall is remodeled can Meeting. “Attending a of development. Bioinformatics and help in our understanding of fungal Fungal Genetics meeting while I was comparative biology permeate these pathogensis of plants and animals and in graduate school solidified for me research topics by providing links from the fundamental basis of this regulation that I belonged in this community functional to genomic and evolutionary may be important in understanding and was really appreciated for what I data. how multicellular fungal structures could contribute, “said Stajich. “They evolved. were very friendly and willing to The Importance of Prior to receiving his appointment at engage me. It’s where I met my post Fungi UC-Riverside last summer, Stajich was doc adviser and these meetings were a post doc in John W. Taylor’s lab in very critical to my trajectory in the Although some politicians may the Department of Plant and Microbial field.” question why one would study fungi, Biology at UC-Berkeley. There, he there are, Stajich noted, lots of good To post docs looking for their first “worked on comparative genomics reasons. “Fungi play a huge role in the position, Stajich offers the following and evolution in three different advice:

Genetics Society of America 11 The GSA Reporter January | February 2010 continued 11 The GSA Reporter Young Researcher Profile: Jason A. Stajich

1. Network. Go to meetings, meet “between squishy biology that’s a Californian. Now at UC- Riverside, people and get to know them. If you interesting and computational analysis” he’s looking forward to exploring the know people at other universities, find to get answers to experimental Californian desert and the challenge out what jobs are coming up and find questions. of bridging the divide between out as much as you can about that fungal experimentation and the ever university and the position. Future Exploring expanding field of bioinformatics. 2. Publish. Develop a record of your While he admits he spends much work in the field. of his time on the computer for data analysis and some might consider him 3. Find an advocate. Your PI should a “computer geek,” Stajich does not do that for you, but if he/she can’t Correction: spend his limited free time playing or doesn’t, find someone who computer games. He Vol 6, No 3, page 20, the author will help promote you for likes to explore the of the publication “How to Get academic/research outdoors via hiking a Tenure-Track Position at a positions. or biking. Originally Predominantly Undergraduate Now that he’s an assistant from North Carolina, Institution (PUI),” was misidentified. professor, with two graduate students even after three years The authors are Michelle N. Bushey, in his lab and a post doc coming as a post doc at Deborah E. Lycan and Pat Videtich. in the spring, Stajich recognizes Berkeley, Stajich is still the challenge of finding a balance getting used to being

GSA Awards Given at SACNAS National Conference Three students received recognition by GSA for their research presentations at the SACNAS National Conference in Dallas, Texas, October 15 – 18, 2009. The Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS ) is a scientific society dedicated to fostering the success of Hispanic/Chicano and Native Americans in attaining advanced degrees, careers, and positions of leadership. SACNAS counts over 20,000 in members, partners, and affiliates from a diversity of disciplines, institutions, ethnicities, and educational trajectories. The students who received research presentation awards from GSA were: Marie FialkowskiT Purdue Univ, Graduate Oral Symposia Presentation, “Dietary Intakes of Pacific Northwest Tribal Nations” Tiffany OrnelasS Univ of California, San Diego, Undergraduate Poster Presentation, “Calcium Sensing Receptor (CaSR) Activates Extracellular Calcium Influx in Human Aortic Smoothmuscle Cells” Eduardo Torree Emory Univ, Undergraduate Poster Presentation, “Role of Topoisomerase II in Epigenetic Regulation”. The GSA is a long-time supporter of SACNAS and congratulates all 2009 awardees. For more information about 2010 SACNAS National Conference (Sept 30 – Oct 3, Anaheim, CA), please visit www. sacnas.org.

12 Genetics Society of America January | February 2010 The GSA Reporter

Drosophila Kinesin 14, encoded by the April in D.C. Welcomes Ncd – Non-claret disjunctional – gene, which her group discovered. Currently Drosophilists and Cherry her group is creating additional that can trap the Ncd motor Blossoms into different conformations as a tool to dissect the mechanisms whereby Ncd moves along microtubules. • Kenneth Irvine (HHMI and Waksman Institute, Rutgers Univ) investigates two important developmental signaling pathways: those mediated by the Notch receptor and the Fat protocadherin. His lab uses a combination of genetics, biochemistry and cell culture to understand the mechanistic features April in Washington, D.C. is fusion through light and high-pressure and developmental roles of these synonymous with cherry blossoms freezing electron microscopy. Their pathways. Their recent work on and tourists, and this year drosophilists studies challenged the traditional the Fat pathway has uncovered will be among the visitors when the view on fusion pore formation and new downstream components of 51st Annual Drosophila Research provided conceptual advances in our the Fat signaling pathway, which is Conference heads to D.C., April 7-11, understanding of myoblast fusion. instrumental in planar cell polarity and 2010 at the Marriott Wardman Park. • Chiara Cirelli (Univ of Wisconsin, tissue growth. Organized by Debbie Andrew (Johns Madison) aims in her research to • Elisabeth Knust (Max Planck Hopkins Medical School), Mark Fortini understand the function of sleep and Institute for Molecular Cell (Thomas Jefferson Univ), Steven clarify the functional consequences Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Hou (NIH), and Leslie Pick (Univ of of sleep loss. Her team uses a and The German Research Maryland, College Park), the program combination of different approaches, Council) studies the roles of promises, as always, interesting from genetics in fruit flies to whole- apical membrane proteins in the speakers and exceptional science. genome expression profiling in establishment and maintenance of Plenary speakers, listed below, include invertebrates and mammals, to epithelial cell polarity. Her group first several focusing on molecular details behavioral and EEG analysis in mice characterized the highly conserved underlying cell behavior, cell-cell and rats. apical membrane protein Crumbs interaction and cell signaling. • Lynn Cooley (Yale Univ), whose (Crb) as a key determinant in cell polarity. Her group has been dissecting Plenary presenters are: research in Drosophila oogenesis has identified and characterized many the role of this large transmembrane • Eric Baehrecke (Univ of Mass of the components of the ring canals protein through structure-function Medical School, Worcester) that interconnect the nurse cells and analysis and identified and pioneered the use of Drosophila as presumptive oocyte produced during characterized proteins of related a model system to study autophagy incomplete cytokinesis in mitosis. In function, including Stardust and and now studies the mechanisms addition, the Cooley lab is studying Bazooka. underlying it, cell survival, and the functions of somatic ring canals • Antonia Monteiro (Yale Univ) programmed cell death. in Drosophila epithelia and a novel studies the evolution of morphological • Elizabeth Chen (Johns Hopkins mononucleated muscle cell type found diversity and novelty using the Univ School of Medicine) studies the in the Drosophila ovary. butterfly as a model system. She has process of myoblast fusion in skeletal • Sharyn Endow (Duke Univ) focuses identified genes responsible for the muscle cells, using a combination of on the force-generating molecular development of wing pattern variability genetics, biochemistry, molecular and motors that drive spindle movement in different species and is tracking cell biology. Her group discovered during mitotic and meiotic cell division. their divergence through phylogeny unique, fusion-promoting actin- The Endow lab has focused on enriched structures at the site of continued on page fourteen

Genetics Society of America 13 The GSA Reporter January | February 2010 continued 13 April in D.C. Welcomes Drosophilists and Cherry Blossoms to reconstruct both ancestral wing revealed that this pathway functions studies indicate that Dscam1, and patterns and gene expression patterns. in both flies and mammals to regulate a closely related gene Dscam2, act She has pioneered techniques to organ size. in a redundant fashion to regulate manipulate ectopic expression of • Ting Xie (Stowers Institute of the formation of precise patterns candidate genes to test their functions Medical Research) uses Drosophila of synaptic connections between in wing patterning. ovarian germline stem cells (GSCs) photoreceptor axons and dendrites of • Craig Montell (Johns Hopkins and somatic stem cells (SSCs) as lamina monopolar neurons. Univ) studies the TRP superfamily well as mouse testicular GSCs and Come hear these speakers and others of cation channels, which include 28 eye stem cells to study the molecular present their latest research results at mammalian proteins and 13 Drosophila mechanisms underlying adult stem cell the 51st Annual Drosophila Research proteins. His lab has further regulation in vivo. Conference, April 7-11, 2010. Deadline investigated the role of TRP channels • S. Lawrence Zipursky (UCLA) for early (discounted) registration is in sensory physiology, including is particularly interested in the role Thursday, February 18, 2010. Deadline chemosensory and thermal inputs. of specific cell surface proteins for hotel reservations is Tuesday, • Duojia Pan (Johns Hopkins Univ which mediate selective interactions March 16, 2010. Come before the School of Medicine) studies control between neurons. His lab has focused meeting and see the Tidal Basin cherry of organ size and tumorigenesis by on understanding the role of a large blossoms in full bloom as part of the the Hippo signaling pathway. Recent family of cell recognition molecules National Cherry Blossom Festival. studies from his laboratory have encoded by the Dscam1 locus. Recent We look forward to seeing you in Washington, D.C. in April! continued 9 Rosalind Franklin Award Recipients Reflect Its International Aspect were reviewed by a distinguished committee that included members of both the Genetics Society of America and the American Society of Human Genetics. They were: Sally Camper, Ph.D. (Univ of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor); Marian Carlson, Ph.D. (Columbia Univ, New York); Beverly S. Emanuel, Ph.D. (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, PA); Judith E. Kimble, Ph.D. (Univ of Wisconsin, Madison); Mary-Claire King, Ph.D.(Univ of Washington, Seattle); Amy Pasquinelli, Ph.D. (Univ of California, San Diego); Molly Przeworski, Ph.D. (Univ of , IL); Janet D. Rowley, M.D., Ph.D. (Univ of Chicago, IL); Trudi Schüpbach, Ph.D. (Princeton Univ, NJ); and, Susan Wessler, Ph.D. (Univ of Georgia, Athens). Reviewers Amy Pasquinelli and Molly Przeworski are past recipients of the Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award. Pasquinelli, the first recipient in 2004, is an assistant professor of biology at UCSD. Przeworski, an evolutionary geneticist and an associate professor at the , was the second recipient of the award in 2007.

14 Genetics Society of America January | February 2010 The GSA Reporter DeLill Nasser Travel Award Recipients Announced The GSA is pleased to announce the six recipients of the 2010 DeLill Nasser Awards for Professional Development in Genetics. These travel grants are given to young geneticists to attend national and international meetings or enroll in laboratory courses. These awards are named in honor of DeLill Nasser (1929- 2000), who was instrumental in promoting genetics research during her 22 years with the National Science Foundation. She was particularly supportive of young scientists, those at the beginning of their careers, and those trying to open new areas of genetic inquiry. The six recipients of the 2010 DeLill Nasser Awards are: Bryce Daines Marc Erhardt • Erkan Buzbas, University of Michigan, who will use the award to attend the 60th American Society of Human Genetics Meeting in Washington, D.C., November 2-6, 2010. • Bryce Daines, Baylor College of Medicine, who will use the award to attend the 51st Drosophila Research Conference in Washington, D.C., April 7-11, 2010. • Marc Erhardt, University of Utah, who will use his award to attend the Gordon Research Conference, “Sensory Transduction in Microorganisms” in Ventura, CA, January 24-29, 2010. Te-Wen Lo Rebecca Shapiro • Diane Genereux, University of Washington, Seattle, who will use the award to attend the Developmental Origins and Epigenesis in Human Health and Disease Erkan Buzbas and Diane Genereux not pictured (D1) meeting in Singapore, April 26-30, 2010. • Te-Wen Lo, University of California-Berkeley, who will use the award to attend the Evolutionary Biology of Caenorhabditis and Other Nematodes meeting at the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus in Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom, June 5-8, 2010. • Rebecca Shapiro, University of Toronto, who will use her award to attend the Gordon Research Conference, “Cellular and Molecular Fungal Biology” in Holderness, NH, June 13-18, 2010. The GSA congratulates these outstanding young scientists on being selected for this award. continued 2 GSA Board Holds Fall Meeting research on model organisms, including a summary of about NIMGS’ past and future support for model organism major breakthroughs that resulted from model organism research, concerns about the impact of the end of the research, and a description of promising areas “stimulus package” funding in 2011, and questions of current research that may lead to the next about the new NIH application and peer breakthroughs. Hawley summarized the review process. comments on the draft that were received The meeting was termed a “success” from GSA members, and the White by both Winston and Marts. GSA Board Paper is currently under revision based Meetings in 2010 will take place April on those comments and the ensuing 5-6, in advance of the 51st Annual discussion at the Board meeting. Drosophila Meeting at the Marriott The Board took advantage of the Wardman Park in Washington, D.C.; and meeting’s location in Bethesda to November 1-2, in advance of the annual invite Laurie Tompkins, Chief of the meeting of the American Society for Genetic Mechanisms Branch at the Human Genetics, also in Washington, D.C. National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), for a lively conversation

Genetics Society of America 15 The Future of Genetics is Here

GENETICS 2010: Model Organisms to Human Biology 2 June 12 –15 • Boston, Massachusetts 0 51st Annual Drosophila Research Conference 1 April 7 – 11 • Washington, D.C. Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology Meeting 0 July 27 – August 1 • Vancouver, BC, Canada Genetics Society of America Conferences and Coming in 2011…

26th Fungal Genetics Conference March 15 – 20 • Pacific Grove, California 52nd Annual Drosophila Research Conference March 30 – April 2 • San Diego, California 18th International C. elegans Meeting discover. June • Los Angeles, California MouseGenetics 2011 June 22 – 26 • Washington, D.C. understand. inform. for additional information: genetics-gsa.org/conferences January | February 2010 The GSA Reporter

Supporters ($50-99) Thank You to Our August- , Univ Cambridge, United Kingdom Bonita J. Brewer, Univ Washington, Seattle, WA November 2009 Donors Worthie E. Briles, Northern Illinois Univ, Dekalb, IL The Genetics Society of America acknowledges and thanks Allan B. Burdick, Columbia, MO the nearly 150 members who have given donations to the Shelagh D. Campbell, Univ Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada Dean S. Dawson, Oklahoma Med Res Fndn, Oklahoma City, OK Society from August to November 2009. We recognize Robin E. Denell, Kansas State Univ, Manhattan, KS nearly 100 of these members below and the more than Magda Gabor-Hotchkiss, Lenox, MA 50 anonymous donors for their generosity. Your donations Susan A. Gerbi, Brown Univ BioMed Division, Providence, RI support numerous ongoing programs and activities David J. Harris, Auburndale, MA Elizabeth H. Harris, Duke Univ, Durham, NC including: student awards at The GSA Conferences; Jonathan Hodgkin, Univ Oxford, United Kingdom participation in the Coalition for Life Sciences and other Joel A. Huberman, Roswell Park Cancer Inst, Buffalo, NY public policy activities; GSA media and public outreach; and Jasmine, Kharazmi, Biotech Ctr Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland educational outreach efforts. Andrew J. Kreuz, Stevenson Univ, Baltimore, MD William M. Leiserson, Yale Univ, New Haven, CT Please join your colleagues in supporting the next Leslie A. Lewis, York Col CUNY, Jamaica, NY generation of geneticists. You can make a donation online Margaret Lieb, South Pasadena, CA Corinne A. Michels, Queens College - CUNY, Flushing, NY at http://www.genetics-gsa.org/pages/joinrenew.shtml David R. Mitchell, SUNY Upstate Med Univ, Syracuse, NY when you pay or renew your 2010 dues; at the GSA online Eric G. Moss, UMDNJ, Stratford, NJ donation site, https://genetics.faseb.org/gsa_donation/ Howard A. Nash, NIMH, Bethesda, MD donate.shtml; or, send a check payable to “The Genetics Yasuji Oshima, Osaka, Japan Society of America” with “donation” written in the memo to Mary Ann Osley, Univ of New Mexico HSC, Albuquerque, NM Kenneth Paigen, Jackson Lab, Bar Harbor, ME the GSA Offices at 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814, Annette L. Parks, Dept. of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN Attn: Sherry A. Marts, Executive Director. Louis J. Pierro, Manchester, CT Rama S. Singh, McMaster Univ, Hamilton, ON, Canada Anonymous (9) Boosters ($100+) Friends ($1-49) William J. Dickinson, Salt Lake City, UT Marsha I. Altschuler, Williams Col, Williamstown, MA JoAnne Engebrecht, Univ California, Davis, CA Linda Ambrosio, Iowa State Univ, Ames, IA Stanley Fields, Univ Washington, Seattle, WA Michael R. Botts, Univ Wisc, Madison, WI Victoria Finnerty, Emory Univ, Atlanta, GA Hugh D. Braymer, Pennington Biomedical Res Ctr, Baton Rouge, LA Naomi C. Franklin, Univ Utah, Salt Lake City, UT Julie A. Brill, Hosp Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada James E. Haber, Brandeis Univ, Waltham, MA Susan M. Dibartolomeis, Millersville Univ, Millersville, PA Robert K. Herman, Univ Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN Shyam K. Dube, Univ Maryland Biotech Inst, College Park, MD Yoshiki Hotta, Research Org Information & Systems, Tokyo, Japan Daniel E. Dykhuizen, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY Judith A. Jaehning, Boulder, CO Craig S. Echt, USDA Forest Service, Saucier, MS Mark Johnston, UCHSC, Fitzsimons, Aurora, CO Billy W. Geer, Galesburg, IL J.L. Kermicle, Univ Wisconsin, Madison, WI Clare A. Hasenkampf, Univ Toronto, Scarborough, ON, Canada Eric Kubli, Univ Zurich-Irchel, Zurich, Switzerland Randall M. Jeter, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX Johng K. Lim, Altoona, WI Tatiana S. Karpova, NCI/NIH, Bethesda, MD Susan T. Lovett, Brandeis Univ, Waltham, MA Rebecca S. Lamb, Ohio State Univ, Columbus, OH Anthony P. Mahowald, Univ Chicago, Chicago, IL H.V. Malling, Chapel Hill, NC Molly F. Mastrangelo, Oldtown, MD Xian Mao, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China Orlando J. Miller, Lansdowne, VA Hope H. Punnett, Philadelphia, PA Walter E. Nance, Sewanee, TN Oren Schuldiner, Weizmann Inst Sci, Rehovot, Israel David L. Nanney, Univ Illinois, Urbana, IL Allison Silveus, Tarrant County College-NE, Hurst, TX Lester J. Newman, Portland, OR Janice B. Spofford, Univ Chicago, Chicago, IL Berl R. Oakley, Univ Kansas, Lawrence, KS Jason Stajich, Univ California, Riverside, CA Ray D. Owen, California Inst Technology, Pasadena, CA Bernard S. Strauss, Univ Chicago, Chicago, IL Leo W. Parks, Seattle, WA Jeffrey Stuart, Purdue Univ, Thomas D. Petes, Duke Univ Med Ctr, Durham, NC West Lafayette, IN Edward Pollak, Iowa State Univ, Ames, IA A.F. Troyer, DeKalb, IL Bih-Hwa Shieh, Vanderbilt Univ, Nashville, TN David L. Williamson, Nesconset, NY Malcolm M. Smith, Univ Virginia, Charlottesville, VA Ulrike Wintersberger, Wien, Austria Millard Susman, Univ Wisconsin, Madison, WI William B. Wood, Univ Colorado, Naoyuki Takahata, Graduate Univ Advanced Studies, Kanagawa, Japan Boulder, CO Jeremy Thorner, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA Armon F. Yanders, Columbia, MO Naoki Yamanaka, Univ Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN Anonymous (35) , Stanford Univ, Stanford, CA Anonymous (9)

Genetics Society of America 17 president’s message The GSA Reporter continued 3 January | February 2010 research in an ever-expanding number of ‘model organisms’. questions and comments. I look forward to hearing from you Many of you took the time to comment on the last version of soon. the white paper, and your comments are truly appreciated. With best wishes, It is going to be a busy year. We all benefit from the Scott Hawley, President enormous hard work done in the last few years by my [email protected] predecessors and many others. But we need to be more than good stewards of their efforts: we need to expand them. I hope that you will feel free to contact me with your ideas, continued 1 FASEB Welcomes GSA to the Federation investment in the nation’s research and staff professionalism make 2. Subscribe to the Washington enterprise. FASEB policy statements informed, Update: http://lyris.faseb.org/ thoughtful, and effective. Two full- subscribe/ our bi-weekly electronic As we extol the promise and potential time staff in our Capitol Hill Office, newsletter about federal policy benefits of biomedical research, along with the support of legislative issues important to biomedical we must also continually remind consultants with unique and unrivaled research. policymakers and the public that experience on appropriations 3. Join one of the Science Policy the benefits of biomedical research, legislation, ensures that messages including better health and improved Committee subcommittees: from FASEB are delivered in a timely http://www.faseb.org/LinkClick.as quality of life, are most effectively and effective manner. achieved through strong support for px?fileticket=FVvVhCmwKCM% investigator-initiated, basic research. FASEB’s unique structure and 3d&tabid=103 and volunteer to NIH and NSF are being challenged approach to public affairs enables the help formulate policy on issues of by many groups to concentrate our Federation to serve as the leading concern to scientists. investigations on specific diseases force in shaping biological research I also hope that you will make use of and processes, but we must educate policy. By virtue of our size, diversity, our advocacy resources. At http://opa. our nation’s leaders and citizens and the active participation of working faseb.org/ you can find data on NIH about the essential contribution of scientists on our Board and policy funding trends, illustrated articles on fundamental research, such as the committees, we are frequently sought recent breakthroughs in biomedical work done by GSA members and out by legislators, federal agencies, research, information on employment others on model systems. journalists, and other groups and training in the biomedical developing programs and policies sciences, and advocacy tools in At FASEB, policy development affecting science. FASEB’s outstanding begins with the working scientists support of evolution education and reputation, built on decades of animal research. representing FASEB member sound policy, and backed by the societies and reflects the views membership of 23 societies and well Thanks in large part to the incredible of a broad cross-section of the over 90,000 scientists, assures that our advances in genetics research, we research community. GSA President views are heard and respected. have entered an era that will yield Scott Hawley will serve as your unprecedented progress in the representative on the FASEB board. I Here are three easy ways for GSA biological sciences. However, with look forward to his contributions to members to get involved in FASEB’s wars, a weak economy, and a decade our dialogue. Staff scientists in the Public Affairs program: of unmet domestic spending priorities, Office of Public Affairs (OPA) conduct 1. Sign up for the FASEB e-action competition for resources is intense, policy research and contribute list: http://capwiz.com/faseb/mlm/ and it will be critical for us to make the their experience, communications signup/ to receive e-mail alerts strongest possible case for investment skills, and strategic intelligence from when your voice is needed on in basic research. We are pleased to Congress and federal agencies. major public policy issues. have the GSA join with FASEB to work This combination of volunteer action toward this goal.

18 Genetics Society of America policy update: January | February 2010 The GSA Reporter

For 20 years, leading scientists have been presenting, in a Policy Update nonpartisan setting, briefings that highlight their important by Lynn Marquis, National Director, research discoveries and contributions to the life science Coalition for the Life Sciences enterprise. Among those who have made presentations are GSA member and Nobel laureate Martin Chalfie and Leslie Vosshall, a member of the Drosophila community. The Congressional Biomedical The briefings seek to inform and educate Congress about advances in health care that are being made through Research Caucus: What it is and our investment in scientific research. The briefings Why it Matters also explore future advances that could be achieved with increased support, and could help us maintain our The discussion of scientific issues has always been economic advantage in world markets in biomedical intimidating for nonscientists. This may be especially true on research and biotechnology enterprises. As science has Capitol Hill, where many people who determine the fate and become increasingly politicized, the CBRC focuses on both direction of the scientific enterprise are not scientists and explaining the need for ongoing scientific inquiry as well as have not been exposed to science instruction since college. demonstrating the value of research. To ease the anxiety in discussing scientific topics, the The CBRC has proved to be an effective vehicle for Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus (CBRC) explaining topics of interests and concern in the life seeks to build bridges between scientists and politicians. sciences to Congress. As biomedical scientific issues The CBRC presents monthly scientific continue to raise political questions, the CBRC will maintain briefings that not only promote exciting its role as an educational resource for the discussion and developments in all fields of exchange of ideas on issues involving biomedical research. life science and biomedical research, but also clearly Caucus briefings are videotaped and can be found on the explain the needs of CLS website at http://www.coalitionforlifesciences.org. science to legislators. Attendees include Congressional staff Congressional Liaison (the people who Committee: A Call to Action are most likely to craft congressional Members of the biomedical research community are being legislation and urged to join the Congressional Liaison Committee (CLC), who we are most the advocacy arm of the Coalition for the Life Sciences. interested in trying Since 1992, thousands of scientists have joined the CLC, to reach), members creating a network of biomedical professionals interested of the President’s in securing necessary research funding from the federal administration, government. In recent years, we have asked our advocates biomedical research to weigh-in on issues ranging from blunting the Bush cuts advocates, and, in smaller to the NIH, to the unprecedented funding for the NIH in the numbers, members of American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. As a result, the Congress themselves. CLC has become a vital and critical voice on Capitol Hill. The CBRC is a bipartisan, bicameral There are many challenges that lay ahead for the biomedical Congressional Caucus. Brian Bilbray (R- research field and without an organized advocacy effort, CA), Michael Castle (R-DE), Jackie Speier (D-CA), and funding growth for research is by no means secure. It is Rush Holt (D-NJ) serve as co-chairs. Eighty members of the important to mobilize our scientific resources in order to House of Representatives and nine members of the Senate maintain a healthy and vibrant research enterprise. comprise the Caucus membership. The Coalition for the There is real power in numbers. To join, visit the CLS website Life Sciences (CLS), with help from a grant from the Howard at www.coalitionforlifesciences.org. You can also follow us on Hughes Medical Institute, is proud to sponsor these scientific Facebook! briefings of the CBRC on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

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GSA January-May 2010 Calendar

JANUARY MARCH APRIL 30 4 7-11 DROS Image Award Yeast Registration Site Opens 16 51st Annual Drosophila Research Submissions Deadline Conference, Washington, D.C. 30 DROS Hotel Reservations17 Deadline 14 DROS Late Abstract Yeast Abstract Submission24 Opens Yeast Abstract Submission Deadline MOHB Abstract Submission Deadline Submission Deadline FEBRUARY 29 MOHB Abstract Revision and MAY 17 Withdrawal Deadline 30 MOHB Abstract Submission Opens DROS Advance 10 18 Registration Deadline MOHB Meeting and DROS Early (Discounted) Conference Registration Deadline Housing Registration Deadlines 24 MOHB Registration Site Opens