January 22, 2014

 

 

Society News

GSA will be busy in 2014!  Along with our work with the GSA Journals and in education, career development, policy, science communication, and more, we will be sponsoring six international conferences: the 55th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, March 26–30, San Diego, CA; the 16th International Conference on the Cell and Molecular Biology of Chlamydomonas, June 8–13, Pacific Grove, CA; the 11th International Conference on Zebrafish Development and Genetics, June 24–28, Madison, WI; the Yeast Genetics Meeting, July 29–August 3, Seattle, WA; the 15th International Xenopus Conference, August 24–28, Pacific Grove, CA; and the 27th Annual Mouse Molecular Genetics Conference, September 29–October 3, Pacific Grove, CA. We look forward to seeing you at one or more of the 2014 GSA conferences!

Only ten days left to reap the benefits of early registration to the 55th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, March 26–30, in San Diego, CA.  The 2014 conference features keynote speaker Bruce Alberts and plenary presentations from Rolf Bodmer, Xin Chen, Aaron DiAntonio, Toshie Kai, François Karch, Arthur Lander, Erica Larschan, Trudy Mackay, Helen McNeill, Patrick O’Farrell, David Stern, and Benjamin White.  Register today and don’t miss out!  Fees increase significantly after the early registration deadline of February 3, 2014.

The GSA Journals

Got Mutant Screens? G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics wants yours! Just this month, we’ve published two screens in C. elegans. Our clear format follows a structured template that makes it fast and easy for you to submit, for reviewers to rapidly assess, and for readers to understand the screen and its results. Submit your mutant screen report to G3 now!

GSA welcomes Cristy Gelling, PhD, to its Editorial Office staff, as the GSA Journals Assistant Editor!  Cristy has a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics (Univ of New South Wales, Australia, working with Ian Dawes), an MA in Professional Writing (Carnegie Mellon), and conducted postdoctoral research in yeast genetics (with Jeff Brodsky, Univ of Pittsburgh). She is also a writer with ScienceNews, has written for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and has been a member of the Public Information Committee with the American Society for Cell Biology. Cristy will be working with GENETICS and G3 Editors-in-Chief, Senior Editors, Editorial Office staff, and the GSA staff on scientific writing and journal promotion, social media outreach, recruiting manuscripts, journal theme issues/blocks, and other projects. We’re glad to have Cristy on board!

New for 2014! GENETICS and G3 now feature Altmetrics on journal articles. Altmetric “donuts” visually display an article’s online attention, and allow authors and readers to see the ways in which an article is shared and discussed. Altmetric collects the relevant discussions related to each article on Facebook, Twitter, science blogs, mainstream news outlets, F1000, and other media – and shows updated results for each article

PubChase is a biomedical literature search and recommendation tool, available on the web, iOS, and Android devices. Receive automated relevant personal recommendations based on the articles in your library. If you use a reference manager (Endnote, Papers, Mendeley, Refworks, etc.) you can quickly import your bibliography and get relevant article suggestions right away. And now, as one of the benefits of your GSA membership, you receive free unlimited article PDF storage on PubChase. In the "my account" page of PubChase.com. enter "GSAPUBCHASE" into the promo code! With the cloud-stored library, any article you add to your library is instantly available to you on the web and any mobile device.

Education and Professional Development

Do you truly want to learn how to apply the principles of the Vision and Change initiative to enhance undergraduate biology education in your classroom? This is your last chance to become a Biology Scholar in the Biology Scholars Program 2014–2015 residency year!  The Biology Scholars Program strives to empower biologists to be leaders in science education reform; developed by the American Society of Microbiology, the Program also serves to catalyze professional societies like GSA to sustain undergraduate education reform.  Program goals are achieved through three year-long residencies, each of which include a brief in-person institute: Assessment (June 25–28, 2014), which focuses on developing a course/module grounded in education research; Research (July 23–26, 2014), focused on conducting evidence-based research on issues associated with student learning in biology; and Transitions (July 23–26, 2014), which helps residents transition from education research to publication.  Apply by February 1, 2014, and join the other GSA members who are Biology Scholars!

The American Society of Cell Biology wrote an article about the 2013 recipient of GSA's Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence in Education, A. Malcolm Campbell, who been active in both genetics and cell biology with his Genome Consortium for Active Teaching.

PubChase has launched an anonymous Career Advice Forum to help answer sometimes tricky “science life-related” questions, such as problems with your advisor or transitioning out of academia.  These questions are answered by a panel of mentors that include GSA Vice President Jasper Rine and former Board member Judith Berman, among others.  Browse through current questions or submit your own!

Funding and Fellowships

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has launched a national open competition to appoint up to 25 new biomedical researchers as HHMI Investigators.  According to HHMI, “this initiative represents an investment of approximately $150 million in basic biomedical research over the next five years.” The competition is open to researchers at more than 200 eligible institutions who are conducting biomedical research or research in “adjacent fields,” which include evolutionary biology and computational biologyApplications will be accepted until June 3, 2014.

The Human Frontier Science Program is accepting applications for two grant programs that support basic research conducted by international research teams. The Program Grant is for scientists at any career stage, while the Young Investigators' Grant is for teams of scientists who have started independent labs within the past five years.  Both grants provide up to $450K per year to support two to four scientists in innovative, preferably intercontinental, research collaborations.  Teams must register by March 20, 2014.

 

Included in this Issue:


January Issue

February Issue

 

NEW POSTINGS IN
GeneticsCareers.org

Cytogenetics Lab Director / Assistant DIrector, Kaiser Permanente, San Jose, CA

Research position in Computational Epigenomics and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

Research Specialist, Laboratory of Human Genetics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

Postdoc in Evolutionary Genetics, Emerson Lab at the University of California, Irvine

Research Associate/Staff Scientist or Post Doc, University of Tennessee Health Science Center/Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, TN

Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Evansville, IN

Bioinformatics - Assistant Professor, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN

Cancer Genomics Faculty at UCSC, Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz

Scientific Content Manager, Computercraft Corporation, Bethesda, MD

Staff Scientist within the Genetic Variation Working Group, Computercraft Corporation, Bethesda, MD

Project Manager for Medical Genetics Resources, Computercraft Corporation, Bethesda, MD

Postdoctoral position in molecular mechanisms of stress signaling using C. elegans, University of Florida, Gainesville

Visiting Assistant Professor, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA

Research Specialist, Rockefeller University, New York, NY

Research Scientist, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN

The Broad Institute is now accepting applications for its innovative undergraduate summer research opportunity, the Summer Research Program in Genomics (SRPG). The SRPG program is designed for students with a commitment to biomedical research and an interest in genomics. SRPG is specifically designed to support young scientists from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in the biomedical sciences, students with a commitment to research and an interest in genomics. The program features a paid nine-week research experience, travel sponsorship to present findings at a national conference, and a variety of professional development opportunities.  Apply by January 31, 2014.

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is accepting applications for Investigator Awards in its recently-announced Data-Driven Discovery (DDD) Initiative.  The Initiative represents “a major investment in individuals who are pushing the frontiers of a new kind of data-driven science—inherently multidisciplinary, combining natural sciences with methods from statistics and computer science. The competition seeks innovators with bold ideas and a willingness to strike out in new directions and take risks with the potential for huge payoffs in data-intensive science.”  During 2014, the foundation’s DDD Initiative expects to make about 15 awards to selected investigators at approximately $1.5 million each ($200-300K/year for five years).  Pre-applications will be accepted until February 24, 2014.

Policy

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed a $1.012 trillion omnibus appropriations bill that will fund the federal government through the end of the fiscal year. Although the 1,500+ page bill staves off the effects of sequestration for the year and increases funding over FY 2013 post-sequester appropriations, many agencies will still see funding levels below FY 2012. For example, while NIH will be receiving an increase of approximately $1 billion from current funding levels, this is still approximately $950 million less than the agency received in FY 2012 and comparable to the FY 2008 level.  Researchers, while happy to get some relief from sequestration, are still frustrated with the scientific funding situation.

The Economist reports that both public and private biomedical research and development spending is decreasing in North America and Europe, but increasing in Asia.  In China, where biomedical research has been made a priority, the budget for R&D has increased an average of 33% each year from 2007 to 2012.

Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News featured an article on Franklin’s List, a new political action committee dedicated to electing STEM professionals to office.  The new PAC will spend 2014 backing politicians who support STEM research, and in 2016 will begin selecting and priming STEM professionals for office.

And finally…

Recent highlights from the GSA’s social networking platforms.  Keep up with the buzz by joining us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn:

Do you have a brief announcement to submit to GSA e-News?
e-News items include news about GSA members – new positions, book publication, awards or grants received and obits; short policy items; brief research news items and grant programs; and, award nomination announcements.

Deadline for next issue: January 31, 2014.  Send items to Beth Ruedi, eruedi@genetics-gsa.org.