New Faculty Profiles showcase GSA members who are establishing their first independent labs. If you’d like to be considered for a profile, please complete this form on the GSA website.   Santhosh Girirajan Assistant Professor (since 2012) Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department of Anthropology The Pennsylvania State University Lab website Twitter: @GirirajanLab   Research program:…

In preparation for The Allied Genetics Conference (TAGC), set to take place in Orlando this July, Genes to Genomes is getting the inside scoop from many of the outstanding keynote speakers in our “Behind the Podium” series. Here, GSA member Maria Sterrett speaks with Jennifer Doudna, the bacterial immunity researcher who is now famous for her contribution…

Chromosomes can shatter. In a single, catastrophic rearrangement event, tens to hundreds of breakpoints are repaired imperfectly and result in a shuffling of genetic material. One such event affects insulin signaling and dauer formation in C. elegans, as reported in this month’s G3. Chromosome shattering, or chromothripsis, is a recently described phenomenon found in some…

In 1996, when I started researching the conservation genetics of New Zealand’s critically endangered parrot, the kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus), little was known of the species’ genome.  On many occasions after a long day in the molecular lab on the hunt for an elusive gene, I found myself imagining that I had the complete genome of…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking nominations for the 2016 National Medal of Science, which is considered the nation’s honest honor for those who work in the physical, biological, mathematical, engineering, behavioral, and social sciences. This honor is presented annually by the President at a White House ceremony. First established by Congress in 1959, nearly…

With the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 omnibus bill  signed into law and in effect, Congress now shifts its attention to the budget for FY 2017, which begins on October 1. To aid in this process, the House Appropriations Committee has asked individual Representatives to submit “Programmatic Requests.” These requests are used by the Committee to identify what programs are…

  Postdoc Aimee Jaramillo-Lambert was the first person to submit an abstract for The Allied Genetics Conference (TAGC). Find out more about what she will present and why she can’t wait for TAGC.   Aimee Jaramillo-Lambert, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institutes of Health  …

A fisherman trying to catch rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) needs the right tools: proper flies, a strong rod, and a little bit of know-how. A scientist trying to understand the genetic population structure of rainbow trout in the Fall River watershed of northern California also relies on a trusty toolkit – albeit a very different…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture is seeking applications for its Research and Extension Experiential Learning for Undergraduates (REEU) program offered through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) and its Education and Literacy Initiative. The program seeks to “promote research and extension experiential learning for undergraduates such that upon…

We kick off our #IAmGSA campaign with Genetics Society of America President Stan Fields  having fun with his research group in this spoof of  Zach Galifianakis’s series Between Two Ferns. Think you can do better? Submit your video or photo related to genetics or GSA here.

Most grad students and postdocs struggle with where their training will take them as they complete each phase of their career development. After discussions with individuals in the scientific community, I’ve learned that many successful scientists followed a career path that allows them to work in areas they are truly passionate about. Questioning where we fit…