News

Daniel Hartl, PhD, of Harvard University is the recipient of the 2019 Genetics Society of America (GSA) Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal for his influential contributions to experimental and theoretical genetics research. His extraordinarily broad research program combines mathematical models with cutting-edge experimental techniques to tackle important questions in evolutionary biology and genomics. The Morgan Medal…

Bruce Weir, PhD, of the University of Washington in Seattle is the recipient of the 2019 Genetics Society of America (GSA) Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence in Education, in recognition of his work training thousands of researchers in the rigorous use of statistical analysis methods for genetic and genomic data. The Jones Award recognizes…

The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is excited to announce the latest cohort of student and postdoc leaders joining the Early Career Scientist Leadership Program. Participants receive training and mentoring and serve on committees charged with understanding the needs, interests, concerns, and challenges of early career scientist members of the GSA. As part of this…

The Genetics Society of America (GSA) has joined the Societies Consortium on Sexual Harassment in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine). The Societies Consortium aims to address sexual and gender-based harassment in science and advance professional and ethical conduct, climate, and culture in STEMM fields. “GSA works to advance the field of genetics, but…

Prize recognizes extraordinary creativity and ingenuity in genetics research. Joseph Heitman, MD, PhD of Duke University is the recipient of the 2019 Genetics Society of America (GSA) Edward Novitski Prize. Heitman is honored for his work on human fungal pathogens and for identifying the molecular targets of widely-used immunosuppressive drugs. The latter work proved to…

An analysis of the acknowledgment sections of theoretical population genetics papers from the 1970s and 1980s reveals overlooked contributions of women to the foundation of the field. Theoretical population genetics has a gender imbalance, and it’s easy to get the impression that it’s always been this way. After all, introductory genetics courses emphasize important concepts…

GSA is pleased to announce the recipients of the DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics for Spring 2019! Given twice a year to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, DeLill Nasser Awards support attendance at meetings and laboratory courses. The award is named in honor of DeLill Nasser, a long-time GSA supporter and National Science Foundation Program…

The gene Ade2 links metabolism and sleep in the fat bodies of Drosophila. All animals need to eat and sleep. In fact, these critical behaviors are intertwined: animals adjust their sleep needs based on food availability and energy storage. In a Featured article in G3, Yurgel et al. delved into the molecular mechanisms that connect…

GSA President Jeannie Lee announces a new Strategic Plan for GSA. When I became President earlier this year, I set out with two major goals in mind for the Society in 2018:  (1) To establish a new Strategic Plan that would map out a vibrant 5-10 year future for our community that includes scholarship, support…

DONATE NOW   GSA is grateful for the support of all its members, but we would like to give special acknowledgment to those who made additional donations toward our activities in 2018. Charitable donations to GSA support the future of our field through professional development programs, advocacy, travel awards, and much more. And don’t forget,…

We are pleased to announce the election of six new leaders to the GSA Board of Directors: 2019 Vice-President / 2020 President Denise Montell Robert and Patricia Duggan Professor, Distinguished Professor, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara Denise Montell’s research aims to uncover the fundamental mechanisms that control how cells build…