| Founded | 1931 |
|---|---|
| Location | 9650 Rockville Pike Bethesda, MD 20814 |
| Key people | President: Philip Hieter President-Elect: Michael Lynch Past President: Paul W. Sternberg Secretary: Mariana F. Wolfner Treasurer: Carol S. Newlon Executive Director: Adam P. Fagen |
| Members | 4,942 |
| Website | www.genetics-gsa.org |
The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is a scholarly membership society of approximately 5,000 genetics 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.[1]
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 (fruit flies), Caenorhabditis elegans (nematode roundworms), yeasts, humans, mice, bacteria, Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress), maize (corn), Chlamydomonas (green algae), Xenopus (frogs), and other animals, plants, and fungi.
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The mission of the Genetics Society of America is
The Genetics Society of America endeavors to be the collective voice of its members on subjects where a deep knowledge of genetics and biological science is critically important.
The Genetics Society of America seeks to foster a unified science of genetics and to maximize its intellectual and practical impact.
Current programs address these goals by promoting:
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 (FASEB), Research!America, and American Institute of Biological Sciences (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.
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. GENEtics, the Society’s newsletter (published three times a year), keeps members apprised of Society activities.
The GSA publishes GENETICS, the leading journal for geneticists since the first issue in 1916. The GSA is also exploring new opportunities for scientific communication, such as those offered by the organism-specific genetic databases.
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.
GSA publishes two peer-edited scientific journals:
The Society also publishes The GSA Reporter (formerly GENEtics), GSA's member newsletter.
GSA organizes a number of scientific meetings, including many focused on model organisms of use in genetic studies.
Upcoming meetings include the following:
The Genetics Society of America recognizes outstanding geneticists with following awards: