GSA members Eric S. Lander and David Botstein, along with NIH Director Francis Collins, were recently awarded the 2010 Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research. The prize recognizes their landmark contributions to the Human Genome Project. The awardees were recognized at a celebration on April 23 at Albany Medical Center. This is the 10th year the prize, often called “America’s Nobel,” has been awarded. The awardees will split the $500,000 award, with Collins’ portion being donated to the Foundation for NIH. Congratulations to all!
Postdocs and graduate students, it’s not too late to sign up for the Genetics 2010: Model Organisms to Human Biology meeting at the early registration rate. We have extended the deadline. What other meeting can you go to and have lunch with a Nobel Prize winner (Carol Greider), drinks with the director of NIGMS (Jeremy Berg) and coffee with a Horwitz Prize winner (Gary Ruvkun) for the low registration fee of $335 for GSA student members and $365 for GSA postdoc members?
Sign up today!
Have you developed a novel genetic method or invented an innovative genetic technology or produced a genetic resource of unusual utility? If so, we want GENETICS to be your forum for publication. We're seeking papers for the new Methods, Technology and Resources section of the journal. Submit to GENETICS and get a fast response (average time from submission to first decision is about 30 days) from an editor who is your peer, a practicing scientist who understands the significance of your work.
The 2011 GSA Awards Nomination site is officially live! GSA members are invited to nominate their colleagues for the GSA Medal, the Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal, the George W. Beadle Award, the Elizabeth Jones Award for Excellence in Education, and the Edward Novitski Prize. Deadline for nominations is September 30.
The DeLill Nasser Travel Award site is also live, and postdocs and graduate students are encouraged to apply! Deadline for applications is September 30.
Genetic research has been taking the main stage in the public media. The first fully-functional synthetic genome was unveiled in the May 20, 2010 issue of Science Magazine. Craig Venter’s group successfully replaced a Mycoplasma capricolum bacterial genome with the synthetic Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0 genome, and the resulting bacterial cell is functional and self-replicating.
The University of California at Berkeley has recently grappled with the ethical implications of offering genetic testing as an award for an essay contest. After considering the potential ramifications of unveiling the test results to the winners, Berkeley decided that incoming students will still be given the option to submit a DNA sample if they would like to participate in school’s “On the Same Page” program, but contest winners will be given a monetary award in lieu of 23andMe genetic tests.
Did you know that you may be able to rid yourself of the debt of graduate school? The National Institutes of Health have a web page detailing their loan repayment programs, which can cover up to $35,000 per year. If the goals of your graduate research fall within the range of the mission of NIH, you may be a prime candidate for one of these programs. NIH has loan repayment programs for both extramural and NIH researchers.
