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 wor ...

researchers and educators, established in 1931. The Society was formed from the reorganization of the Joint Genetics Sections of the American Society of Zoologists 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 organism A model organism (often shortened to model) is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the model organism will provide insight into the workin ...

s 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 species ...

'' (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'' (ro ...

'' (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 constitut ...

zebrafish The zebrafish (''Danio rerio'') is a freshwater fish belonging to the minnow family ( Cyprinidae) of the order Cypriniformes. Native to South Asia, it is a popular aquarium fish, frequently sold under the trade name zebra danio (and thus often ...

humans Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

mice 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' ...

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 among ...

, ''

Arabidopsis thaliana ''Arabidopsis thaliana'', the thale cress, mouse-ear cress or arabidopsis, is a small flowering plant native to Eurasia and Africa. ''A. thaliana'' is considered a weed; it is found along the shoulders of roads and in disturbed land. A winter a ...

'' (thale cress),

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

(corn), ''

Chlamydomonas ''Chlamydomonas'' is a genus of green algae consisting of about 150 speciesSmith, G.M. 1955 ''Cryptogamic Botany Volume 1. Algae and Fungi'' McGraw-Hill Book Company Inc of unicellular flagellates, found in stagnant water and on damp soil, ...

'' (

green algae The green algae (singular: green alga) are a group consisting of the Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister which contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/Streptophyta. The land plants (Embryophytes) have emerged deep in the Charophyte alga as ...

), ''

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-known ...

'' (frogs), and other

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

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 exclud ...

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 from ...

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 academ ...

(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 wor ...

'', 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 journal In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. Content Articles in scientific journals are mostly written by active scientists such as s ...

s: * ''

''. Established in 1916, ''GENETICS'' is a monthly

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 inform ...

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 physi ...

. The current editor-in-chief is Mark Johnston. * '' G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics''. Established in 2011, ''G3'' is an

open access Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which research outputs are distributed online, free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 definition), or libre op ...

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

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...

studies, genome‐wide association studies, and

QTL A quantitative trait locus (QTL) is a locus (section of DNA) that correlates with variation of a quantitative trait in the phenotype of a population of organisms. QTLs are mapped by identifying which molecular markers (such as SNPs or AFLPs) c ...

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 The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) is a professional society that was founded in 1960.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

s 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. *

: 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 from ...

: 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 constitut ...

: The Yeast Genetics Meeting is generally held in even-numbered years. *

Zebrafish The zebrafish (''Danio rerio'') is a freshwater fish belonging to the minnow family ( Cyprinidae) of the order Cypriniformes. Native to South Asia, it is a popular aquarium fish, frequently sold under the trade name zebra danio (and thus often ...

: 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 In mathematics, especially in the area of abstract algebra that studies infinite groups, the adverb virtually is used to modify a property so that it need only hold for a subgroup of finite index. Given a property P, the group ''G'' is said to b ...

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 identif ...

GSA awards

The Genetics Society of America recognizes outstanding geneticists with following awards: *The

Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal The Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal is awarded by the Genetics Society of America (GSA) for lifetime contributions to the field of genetics. The medal is named after Thomas Hunt Morgan, the 1933 Nobel Prize winner, who received this award for his work wi ...

for lifetime contributions to the field of genetics *The

Genetics Society of America Medal The Genetics Society of American Medal is a medal awarded by the Genetics Society of America (GSA) for outstanding contributions to the field of genetics in the last 15 years. The Medal was established by society in 1981 and recognizes members who ...

for outstanding contributions to the field of genetics in the last 15 years *The

George W. Beadle Award The George W. Beadle Award is a scientific prize given by the Genetics Society of America to individuals who have made “outstanding contributions” to Genetics. The Award was established in 1999 and named in honor of George Wells Beadle, who won ...

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 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