
|
The
American Fisheries Society
Genetics
Section
Newsletter
Volume
24,
Issue 3
August
2011
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In
This Issue:
President’s Message • Wright
Award •
Phelps
Award • Symposia
Needed •
Coastwide
Publication • Symposium
Announcement •
Workshops • Job
Ads •
Fish
in the News • Newsletter
Submission • Calendar
President’s
Message
Dear Genetics
Section Members,
It’s hard to
believe that it is August
already; it seems like I just finished writing for the May newsletter. This is the pre-meeting
newsletter and much
of the information it contains is related to events that will take
place next
month in Seattle. For
those who will be
able to attend I’d like to remind you of the Section’s business meeting
that
will take place on Monday September 5 at 5:30 pm in
room 304 of the
Washington State Convention Center (the last talk of the day is at
5:15). There will
be some important business at this
meeting, including a proposal to institute a Hall of Fame for the
section to
honor members who have made significant, long-term contributions to the
section, the parent society and the field of fishery genetics. I encourage every member
to attend,
participate in the discussions and find where you can contribute to the
activities of the section. The
opportunity for a student to attend the society meetings as an ‘ad hoc’
member
of the section’s executive committee has not yet been filled, so
contact me or
Meredith Bartron (Meredith_Bartron@fws.gov) if you
are interested.
As mentioned
in past newsletters, the
following evening, Tuesday September 6, there will be a social event
with a
light dinner for section members, family, and interested non-members. While this social will
provide an opportunity
for members to get together in a casual setting, the social will also
serve to
raise funds to provide travel scholarships to students to attend and
present at
professional meetings. As
this is the
First Annual Genetics Section Social we have no precedent to help us
plan. We are
planning for a cost of approximately
$30 per person and we have received sponsorship from Life Technologies
to help
keep this affordable. Please
watch your
email and the section website for more information.
I would like
take a
moment to thank the section members who have agreed to participate in
various
ways that support the section and the society.
Further down in this newsletter are the
announcements for the winners of
the two annual awards provided by the Genetics Section.
The Wright Travel Award is the
competitive
award intended to recognize excellence in graduate-level work in
fisheries
genetics and it provides funds for travel to the Annual Meeting of the
AFS. This year the
committee was once
again chaired by Jeff Olsen with help from Mike
Canino and Willy
Eldridge. The
Stevan Phelps Award is
the award for best genetics paper published in an AFS Journal in the
past
year. This year the
committee was
chaired by Ken Currenswith help from Stew
Grant and Brian
Sloss. Joel
Carlin and Willy
Eldridge continue to provide support for the section by
preparing and
presenting the newsletter and website, often at times when their
schedules are
the busiest. They
are always open to
communication, contributions and comments from you, so I’d encourage
you to
contact them with your thanks and constructive comments. A request for input from
the section on a
review of the AFS Policy on Threatened and Endangered Species was
answered by Michael
Sandel (University of Alabama) and Matthew M. White
(Ohio
University). Please
contact one of them
if you are interested in this issue.
Lisa
Seeb, Sara Gilk-Baumer and Kerry
Naish have provided a lot of
the legwork for the social event, it wouldn’t happen without their help. Also, your executive
committee Loren
Miller (Secretary Treasurer), Meredith Bartron
(President-elect) and
Kim Scribner (Past President) have
contributed time and energy multiple
times throughout the past year to take care of the business of the
section.
Sincerely,
Bill Templin
AFS Genetics
Section President
Congratulations
to the Winners of the AFS Genetics Section Graduate Award in Memory of
James E. Wright
The Genetics
Section of the American Fisheries Society is
pleased to announce that Caroline Storer
and Emily Lescek are this year’s
recipients of the James E. Wright Graduate Award.
The award is given in the memory of Jim
Wright, one of the founders of fish genetics research and education in
North
America. The work
of Jim Wright and his
students combined classical chromosome studies and allozyme inheritance
and
helped shape our understanding of the salmonid genome.
The award is presented annually at the
Genetics Section meeting during the AFS Annual Meeting.
The award is intended to recognize
excellence
in graduate-level work in fisheries genetics and to assist graduate
students
with travel to the national meeting.
Caroline
Storer is completing her M.S. at the University
of Washington under the direction of Dr. Jim
Seeb. Caroline’s
research is
concentrated on developing effective molecular assays that can be used
to
better understand sockeye salmon population structure, ecology, and
physiology. In
Seattle, she will be
presenting a paper entitled “Rank and order: evaluating the performance
of
sockeye salmon SNP assays” at the symposium "Sockeye on the brink: Can
good fisheries management maintain and restore sockeye stocks in the
Pacific
Northwest?"
Emily Lescek
is completing her Ph.D. at the University of
Alaska Fairbanks under the direction of Drs. Andres
Lopez and Frank von
Hippel (University of Alaska Anchorage).
Emily is investigating the population
structure of threespine
stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
from Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska and identifying
regions of the
genome under selection when oceanic colonizers initially adapt to
freshwater
environments.
Caroline
and Emily are both members of AFS and the
genetics section, are active in the student units at their
universities, and
plan to pursue academic careers teaching and doing research using
genetic data
and methods to address questions relevant to fisheries management and
conservation.
Finally,
thanks to Timothy
Sullivan (University of Toledo) for his excellent application. He will be presenting a
paper entitled, “Fine
scale population genetic structure of yellow perch Perca
flavescens: a spatial and temporal analysis of Lake Erie
stocks-progress to date” as part of the best student paper competition.
The James E.
Wright Scholarship Committee:
Jeff Olsen,
Chair
Mike Canino
Willy Eldridge
Announcing
the 2010
Stevan Phelps Award Winners
The
Genetics Section of the American Fisheries
Society is pleased to announce that Steven
L. Schroder, Curtis M. Knudsen, Todd N. Pearsons, Todd W. Kassler,
Sewall F.
Young, Edward P. Bealland David E.
Fast are the recipients of the 2010 Stevan Phelps Award for
their
paper “Behavior and breeding
success of wild and first-generation hatchery male spring Chinook
salmon
spawning in an artificial stream” in Transactions of the
American Fisheries
Society 139:989-1003. This
award is
given to recognize the best genetics-related paper published in an AFS
journal
and is presented annually at the Genetics Section business meeting
during the
AFS Annual Meeting.
The
Stevan Phelps Award Committee:
Ken
Currens, Chair
Stew
Grant
Brian
Sloss
Your Favorite Symposia Are Waiting To Be Created
Symposia Needed
for the 2012 AFS meeting
Start thinking about symposia ideas for AFS
2012 in St.Paul/Minneapolis, MN. The symposia committee especially wants
topicswith broad reach to convince the coastal and marine types to headinland.
Genetics is a great topic to cross geographic boundaries andmarine/freshwater
systems. We also are promoting the idea of sponsoredsymposia - targeting
smaller contributions by privates (such as genetics/biotech companies) who
would notsponsor the whole meeting or may not participate in the trade show.
Please contact me at mille075@umn.edu with any
suggestions. I look forward to hearing
from you!
Loren Miller, AFS 2012 Symposia Chair
Special Publication:
2010 Coastwide Salmonid Genetics
Genetic
Adaptation of Natural Salmonid Populations
A special section of the AFS journal Transactions of the American Fisheries
Society edited by David Teel, Shawn Narum, Jeffrey Olsen and Fred Utter
was released in July containing papers presented at the 2010 Coastwide Salmonid
Genetics Workshop. The gathering of
salmon geneticists in Boise, Idaho on June 2-4, 2010 was the most recent
Coastwide Salmonid Genetics Meeting, a meeting series now spanning four
decades.
The 2010 Coastwide meeting included a plenary
session emphasizing genetic adaptation of salmonids, and papers in the plenary
session were invited for publication in a special section of the Transactions
of the American Fisheries Society. These
papers follow in the strong tradition of using allelic variants to study the
complexities of life history, landscape, and cultural variations in salmonid
populations. The papers include recent investigations using candidate markers
and studies employing joint analyses of loci reflecting neutral and adaptive
genetic variation. The contributions address numerous research and management
topics including associations of salmonid genetic adaptations with
environmental and phenotypic variability, population structure, reproductive
success, stock introduction, and the analysis of population mixtures.
The AFS Genetics Section provided a travel
award for Mike Ackerman, a graduate
student at the University of Washington, to present his paper “Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) under
Diversifying Selection Provide Increased Accuracy and Precision in Mixed-Stock
Analyses of Sockeye Salmon from the Copper River, Alaska.”
Copies of the entire issue featuring the
special section on genetic adaptation of salmonids are available for order from
Taylor & Francis (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00028487.2011.583537) for $20 including
shipping (AFS member price).
Symposium Announcement
Genes in Ecology, Ecology in Genes
The 9th Annual "Genes
in Ecology, Ecology in Genes" Symposium will be held on November 4, 5,
& 6, 2011, in Kansas City. We will convene in the Muehlbach/Marriott Hotel
in downtown Kansas City at 6:00 p.m. and conclude on Sunday at noon. Registration will be opening soon! Ecological Genomics is a field at the
interface of ecology, evolution and genomics that seeks to place the functional
significance of genes and genomics into an ecological and evolutionary
context. We have an outstanding lineup
of speakers for the 2011 Symposium and we encourage you to attend!
PLENARY SPEAKER: Louis Bernatchez - Université Laval
FEATURED SPEAKERS:
Bryon Adams - Brigham Young University Justin Borvitz - University of
Chicago Daniel Buckley - Cornell University John Colbourne - Indiana University
John Jaenike - University of Rochester Brian Lazzaro - Cornell University
Jeremy Marshall - Kansas State University Emilie Snell-Rood - University of
Minnesota Victoria Sork - University of California-Los Angeles
POSTER SESSIONS: A
poster session will be held on Saturday afternoon. Poster topics should be related to the field
of Ecological Genomics. A LIMITED NUMBER
OF SUBMITTED POSTER ABSTRACTS WILL BE SELECTED FOR ORAL PRESENTATIONS.
If you have questions, please contact the Ecological
Genomics Institute Directors:
Loretta Johnson, johnson@ksu.edu and Michael Herman,
mherman@ksu.edu
Kansas State University, Division of Biology, 116Ackert Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506-4901.
Funding for this symposium is provided by Kansas State University.
Upcoming Workshops
Announcing theEurope 2011 Workshop
on Comparative Genomics, CeskyKrumlov, Czech Republic, 9 – 21 January 2011.
The Workshop on Comparative Genomics consists of a series
of lectures, demonstrations and computer laboratories that cover various
aspects of comparative genomics focusing on next-generation sequencing data.
Faculty are chosen exclusively for their effectiveness in teaching theory and
practice in comparative genomics. Included among the faculty are developers and
other experts in the use of computer programs and packages such as AUGUSTUS,
Ensembl, GMOD/GBrowse, MEGAN, MIRA, and Scripture who provide demonstrations
and consultations. The course is designed for established investigators,
postdoctoral scholars, and advanced graduate students. Scientists with strong interests
in the uses of short-read sequence data, analytical methods, comparative
structure of genomes, SNP detection and analysis, genome visualization tools
and related areas are encouraged to apply for admission. Lectures and computer
laboratories total ~90 hours of scheduled instruction. Admission is limited and
highly competitive, with admissions decisions determined by an international
committee. No programming experience is required.
Topics to be covered include:
- Sequencing
technologies: short-read sequencing technologies of various types
- Assembly
and alignment: basic analyses in de novo and re-sequencing studies
- Gene
finding and annotation: functional description of genomic data – Genome
characterization: gene content; genome structure; synteny; SNPs
- Assigning
sequences to taxonomic groups in metagenomic studies
- Evolutionary
genomics
- Population
genomics
Fee: 1800 USD. Fee includes opening reception and
mid-course dinner, but does not include other meals or housing. Special
discounted pricing has been arranged for hotels, pensions and hostels. Offered in partnership with the Graduate
Research School in Genomic Ecology (GENECO) http://www.geneco.se/
Application Deadline: 15 October is the preferred
application deadline, after which time people will be admitted to the course
following review of applications by the admissions committee. However, later
applications will certainly be accepted.
For more information and online application see the Workshop web site:
http://www.molecularevolution.org/workshops/WCG
Note that the Workshop
on Molecular Evolution is also being offered immediately after the Workshop
on Comparative Genomics. See http://www.molecular
evolution.org/workshops/WME for details.
Faculty Job Announcements
Faculty Positions
Assistant Professor:
Marine Molecular Biology The rapidly growing Marine Biology Program in the
Department of Life Sciences of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi invites
applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Marine Molecular
Biology. The successful candidate will specialize in the use of cutting-edge
molecular approaches to address marine biological research problems. This position
will further expand and complement our existing program (www.marinebiology.tamucc.edu). The preferred start date is
January 2012, but no later than September 2012. A competitive startup package
will accompany this position.
Job Duties: The successful candidate will be expected to
develop a vigorous, externally-funded research program, supervise graduate
students, and teach undergraduate and graduate courses supporting the Biology
B.S. and M.S. Programs, Marine Biology M.S. Program, and, particularly, the
joint Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Marine Biology Program.
Preferred Qualifications: Candidates must have a Ph.D.
degree in a biological (or closely related) discipline. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is a
rapidly growing research university located on the Gulf of Mexico overlooking
Corpus Christi Bay. With over 10,000 students, it offers a wide array of
academic programs with 18% of the students enrolled in graduate programs.
Applications are particularly encouraged from individuals with active,
federally-funded research programs and strong external collaborations who can
take advantage of our modern research laboratories and equipment, including
those associated with our core molecular and microscopy facilities. Ample
opportunities exist for collaboration with researchers from the Department of
Life Sciences as well as from the University's strong portfolio of
marine-oriented research institutions such as the Harte Research Institute for
Gulf of Mexico Studies (http://harteresearchinstitute.org), Center for Coastal Studies (http://ccs.tamucc.edu) and Conrad Blucher Institute (http://www.cbi.tamucc.edu/). Our unique location provides many opportunities for
marine-related research including proximity to extensive bays and estuaries
along the Gulf of Mexico. With a
population of ~300,000, Corpus Christi has numerous urban conveniences while
maintaining a small-town atmosphere. Located in South Texas, Corpus Christi is
close to popular destinations, including Padre Island National Seashore, San
Antonio and Austin.
Apply online at https://islanderjobs.tamucc.edu.Application must include a cover
letter describing qualifications, research and teaching interests, curriculum
vitae, and the names and phone numbers of four or more references. The position will remain open until filled
with preference given to applicants submitting all requested documentation by August 15, 2011. Contact Information:
Dr. Paul Zimba, Search Chair, Paul.Zimba@tamucc.edu
Professor of
Integrative Biology & Director of Museum of Vertebrate Zoology
The Department of Integrative Biology and the Museum of
Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley invites
applications for a tenured joint faculty appointment in the evolutionary
biology of vertebrates. We view vertebrate evolutionary biology broadly, and
the successful candidate's research expertise might thus include (but not be
limited to) the areas of systematics, biodiversity informatics, comparative
phylogenetics, evolutionary genomics, conservation biology, evolutionary
ecology, and evolutionary and ecological dynamics in relation to environmental
change. The successful candidate will be expected to maintain a dynamic, field
collections-based, extramurally funded research program, and will have an
inspired vision for the future of the MVZ and museum-based research more
generally. Candidates must have a strong interest in undergraduate and graduate
teaching and will be expected to contribute to instruction in general and
specialized courses. A commitment to expanding and utilizing museum collections
in research, education, and outreach is required. The MVZ and IB are highly
interested in candidates who have engaged in service towards increasing the
participation of individuals from groups historically under-represented in
higher education.
For further information about the MVZ and IB, please visit
our websites (http://mvz.berkeley.edu/ and http://ib.berkeley.edu/). For information regarding
confidentiality, please refer to: http://apo.chance.berkeley.edu/evalltr.html.
Please submit application materials describing relevant
qualifications and experience for the position, a curriculum vitae, statements
of research interests, teaching
philosophy and outreach to underrepresented
groups, a vision statement for the MVZ, and the names and contact details for three references. Applications
should be submitted electronically via http://ls-ourunit.berkeley.edu:80/candidate/
selRegister.php?i=576or
via email to: VertEvol.IB.MVZ@gmail.com.If electronic submission is not
possible, materials must be sent by regular mail to: Vertebrate Biology and MVZ Director Search
Committee Department of Integrative Biology 3040 Valley Life Sciences Building
University of California Berkeley, Berkeley CA 94720-3140 USA. Applications must be received electronically
or postmarked by September 7th, 2011.
Fish in the News
Here are some clickable links to
news stories that may be of interest to you.
Reader Beware! these stories were obtained from something called “the
Internet” and their veracity was not checked by your faithful editor!
Science - Canadian Fish Scientist 'Muzzled' by Government. LINK
NewsWise.com - Sport fishing magazine honors VIMS professor. LINK
GhanaWeb - Government inaugurates a taskforce to check illegal
fishing. LINK
Politico.com - Former Murkowski
aide Arne Fuglvog admits to breaking fishing laws. LINK Baltimore Sun - ASMFC takes historic 1st step to protect menhaden. LINK
Sydney Morning Herald - Overfishing and dams driving freshwater fish
towards extinction. LINK
Guardians Press - More Than A Third Of Freshwater Fish Threatened With
Extinction. LINK
ZME Science - 357 dead sharks found on illegal fishing ship in
Galapagos Park. LINK
Post
Your News With The AFS-GS Newsletter!
The deadline for the November
2011issue is on or before October 25.
Send your notices, announcements or just fish stories (i.e., lies)to the
newsletter editor atjcarlin@gustavus.edu.
Sincerely,
Joel Carlin,
AFS Genetics Section Newsletter Editor
Calendar
of Upcoming Events
August
8/15— Fall proposal target deadline for
the Biological Oceanography Program
of the National Science Foundation. See
www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?
pims_id=11696.
8/20-25—ESEB 2011,
the 3rd Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology.University of
Tuebingen, Tuebingen Germany. See www.eseb2011.de/.
September
9/2 — Early registration deadline for
ICCB, the International Congress for
Conservation Biology: “Engaging Society in Conservation.” 28 November – 2
December 2011 at University of Canterbury, WhareWananga o Waitaha,
Christchurch, New Zealand. See www.conbio.org/Activities/
Meetings/2011/index_al.cfm?CFID=18615856.
9/4-8 — 141st Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. Seattle, WA.
The AFS meeting includes the following section-sponsored symposia: “Conservation
Genetics and Genomics In Fisheries,”“Incorporating Genetic Data into Population
Introduction Programs,” and “Larval dispersal, population connectivity and the management of marine
species.” See
www.fisheries.org/afs2011.
9/5, 5.30 p.m. — Annual Business Meeting for the AFS Genetics Section.Washington
State Convention Center room 303. See
this newsletter’s President’s Message for details.
9/9 — Abstract deadline
for annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, SICB 2012, to be held 3-7 January 2012
at Charleston Area Convention Center, Charleston SC. is 9 Sep 2011, Early registration
fee due by 3 Dec 2011. See http://www.sicb.org/meetings/2012/.
October
10/15 — Fall
application deadline for Sigma Xi Grants
in Aid of Research undergraduate and graduate research grant program. See www.sigmaxi.org/
programs/giar/index.shtml.
10/25 — Submission deadline for the November 2011 Newsletter for the AFS Genetics Section. Please send news items to the Editor at jcarlin@gustavus.edu.
November
11/5—9th Annual Symposium on “Genes in Ecology, Ecology in Genes” at the Muehlbach Marriott Hotel
in Kansas City, KS. See http://ecogen.ksu.edu/.
11/5—Application deadline for the fall 2012 EPA STAR, the Science to Achieve Results fellowships for Graduate
Environmental Study. See www.epa.gov/ ncer/fellow/.
11/18—Full proposal deadline for NSF DDIG, the Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant in the
Directorate for Biological Sciences, National Science Foundation. See www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5234&org=NSF.
11/28-12/2—ICCB, the International
Congress for Conservation Biology: “Engaging Society in Conservation.” at
University of Canterbury, WhareWananga o Waitaha, Christchurch, New
Zealand. Abstract deadline is 31
March. Early registration deadline is 2
September. Seewww.conbio.org/Activities/Meetings/2011/index_al.cfm?CFID=18615856.
December – January 2012
12/3 — Early
registration deadline for the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and
Comparative Biology, SICB 2012, to
be held 3-7 January 2012 at Charleston Area Convention Center, Charleston
SC. Abstract deadline is 9 Sep 2011,
Early registration fee due by 3 Dec 2011.
See http://www.sicb.org/meetings/2012/.
12/9—Application deadline for the fall 2012 EPA GRO, the Greater Research Opportunities fellowships for
Undergraduate Environmental Study. See www.epa.gov/ncer/fellow/.
1/3-7 — Annual meeting of
the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, SICB 2012, at Charleston Area Convention Center, Charleston
SC. Abstract deadline is 9 Sep 2011,
Early registration fee due by 3 Dec 2011.
See http://www.sicb.org/meetings/2012/.
1/12 —Early
registration deadline for World Aquaculture Society’s Aquaculture America 2012 at Las Vegas NV. See https://www.was.org/WasMeetings/
meetings/Default.aspx?code=AA2012
The
American Fisheries Society Genetics Section
August 2011
Newsletter
Volume
24, Issue 3

In
This Issue:
President’s Message • Wright
Award •
Phelps
Award • Symposia
Needed •
Coastwide
Publication • Symposium
Announcement •
Workshops • Job
Ads •
Fish
in the News • Newsletter
Submission • Calendar
|