The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is a scholarly membership society of more than 5,500

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar work ...

researchers and educators, established in 1931. The Society was formed from the reorganization of the Joint Genetics Sections of the

American Society of Zoologists The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology is organized to integrate the many fields of specialization which occur in the broad field of biology.. The society was formed in 1902 as the American Society of Zoologists, through the merger of ...

and the Botanical Society of America.
An Abridged History of the Genetics Society of America GSA members conduct fundamental and applied research using a wide variety of model organisms to enhance understanding of living systems. Some of the systems of study include ''

Drosophila ''Drosophila'' () is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many speci ...

'' (fruit flies), ''

Caenorhabditis elegans ''Caenorhabditis elegans'' () is a free-living transparent nematode about 1 mm in length that lives in temperate soil environments. It is the type species of its genus. The name is a blend of the Greek ''caeno-'' (recent), ''rhabditis'' (r ...

'' (nematode roundworms),

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constit ...

s, zebrafish,

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, mice,

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were am ...

, '' Arabidopsis thaliana'' (thale cress),

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American English, North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous ...

(corn), '' Chlamydomonas'' ( green algae), ''

Xenopus ''Xenopus'' () (Gk., ξενος, ''xenos''=strange, πους, ''pous''=foot, commonly known as the clawed frog) is a genus of highly aquatic frogs native to sub-Saharan Africa. Twenty species are currently described within it. The two best-know ...

'' (frogs), and other

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage ...

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae excl ...

s, and

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately fr ...

Mission

GSA serves an international community of scientists who use genetics to make new discoveries and improve lives. Its mission is to cultivate an inclusive, diverse research community that engages with the public, communicates the excitement and implications of discovery, and serves as an authoritative source of information. Its activities include: * advancing biological research by supporting professional development of scientists * communicating advances and fostering collaboration through scholarly publishing and conferences * advocating for science and for scientists

Programs

Investigation of inheritance and heredity

The GSA advocates funding of research in genetics, primarily through its membership in the Coalition for the Life Sciences (CLS),

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) is a non-profit organization that is the principal umbrella organization of U.S. societies in the field of biological and medical research. This organization organizes acade ...

(FASEB), Research!America, and

American Institute of Biological Sciences The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is a nonprofit scientific charity. The organization’s mission is to promote the use of science to inform decision-making and advance biology for the benefit of science and society. Overvie ...

(AIBS). These organizations of leading scientists fosters public policies to advance basic biological research and its applications in medicine and other fields. The GSA also strives to inform state and national legislators about advances and issues in genetics.

Interaction among geneticists

The GSA organizes and sponsors several conferences for researchers (see below). These include the long-running model organism meetings: Yeast (biennial), C. elegans (biennial), Fungal (biennial) and Drosophila (annual meetings), and the new Society-wide Model Organisms to Human Biology meeting (biennial). The Meetings and Membership Committee welcomes opportunities to sponsor other meetings appropriate to its mission. ''The GSA Reporter'', the Society’s newsletter (published three times a year), keeps members apprised of Society activities.

Communication of discoveries

The GSA publishes ''

GENETICS Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar work ...

'', the leading journal for geneticists since the first issue in 1916, and '' G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics'', an open-access journal publishing high-quality fundamental research in genetics and genomics.

Education of students and the public

The GSA’s Education Committee seeks to facilitate the integration of advances in genetics in the K through college curriculum. The GSA communicates to the public advances in genetics and answers to issues by providing expert opinion to the press and others.

Publications

GSA publishes two peer-edited scientific journals: * ''

''. Established in 1916, ''GENETICS'' is a monthly scientific journal publishing investigations bearing on

heredity Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic informa ...

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

, and

molecular biology Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and phys ...

. The current editor-in-chief is Mark Johnston. * '' G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics''. Established in 2011, ''G3'' is an open access scientific journal which provides a forum for the publication of high‐quality foundational research, particularly research that generates useful genetic and genomic information such as genome maps, single

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studies, genome‐wide association studies, and QTL studies, as well as mutant screens and advances in methods and technology. The current editor-in-chief is Brenda Andrews. The Society also publishes ''The GSA Reporter'' (formerly ''GENEtics''), GSA's member newsletter. In 2013, the Society announced an editorial partnership with the American Society for Cell Biology to collaborate on the publication of journal '' CBE–Life Sciences Education''.Stefano Bertuzzi and Adam P. Fagen. (2013
Societies coming together in support of life sciences education
'' CBE–Life Sciences Education'' 12: 318-319; doi:10.1187/cbe-13-05-0098

GSA conferences

GSA organizes a number of scientific meetings, including many focused on model organisms of use in genetic studies. *

C. elegans ''Caenorhabditis elegans'' () is a free-living transparent nematode about 1 mm in length that lives in temperate soil environments. It is the type species of its genus. The name is a blend of the Greek ''caeno-'' (recent), ''rhabditis'' (r ...

: The ''C. elegans'' Meeting is generally held in odd-number years. * Chlamydomonas: The International Conference on the Cell and Molecular Biology of ''Chlamydomonas'' is generally held every four years in North America. *

: The Annual Drosophila Research Conference is held annually. *

Fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately fr ...

: The Fungal Genetics Conference is generally held in odd-numbered years. *

Mouse A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

: GSA has organized both the Mouse Genetics Conference and the Mouse Molecular Genetics Conference. *

: The International ''Xenopus'' Conference is generally held in even-numbered years. *

Yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constit ...

: The Yeast Genetics Meeting is generally held in even-numbered years. * Zebrafish: The International Conference on Zebrafish Development and Genetics is generally held in even-numbered years. The Strategic Conference of Zebrafish Investigators is generally held in odd-numbered years. In 2016, the Society co-located several of these meetings for The Allied Genetics Conference (TAGC). Intended to be held every four years, the 2020 TAGC conference was held virtually due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

GSA awards

The Genetics Society of America recognizes outstanding geneticists with following awards: *The Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal for lifetime contributions to the field of genetics *The Genetics Society of America Medal for outstanding contributions to the field of genetics in the last 15 years *The George W. Beadle Award for outstanding contributions to the community of genetics researchers *The Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence in Education in recognition of significant and sustained impact on genetics education *The

Edward Novitski Prize The Edward Novitski Prize is awarded by the Genetics Society of America (GSA) to recognize an extraordinary level of creativity and intellectual ingenuity in solving significant problems in genetics research. Named in honor of Drosophila genetic ...

in recognition of extraordinary creativity and ingenuity in solving problems in genetics. *The DeLill Nasser Awards for Professional Development in Genetics for young geneticists to attend national and international meetings and enroll in laboratory courses.

Selected past presidents

Source
GSA

References

External links

Genetics Society of America websiteThe Allied Genetics Conference
{{Authority control Genetics societies Medical and health organizations based in Maryland Scientific organizations established in 1931 Scientific societies based in the United States 1931 establishments in the United States