Let me first post a disclaimer: the followng is my individual opinion and is not an official statement from the GSA, its Board, or anyone else on its staff.

This morning I listened to a generally entertaining opening address presented by the president of a scientific society. Now, one of the risks you take when injecting humor into a presentation is the risk of unintentionally offending or insulting a portion of your audience. This address had two of those moments of cultural klutziness. Keep in mind that the speaker is a White, middle-aged man.

1. He used photographs of women in bikinis to get a laugh from his audience.

2. He stated that Christopher Columbus discovered “a place that no one knew existed. . .”

He concluded his address with a statement about the importance of diversity in the scientific workforce.

His statement about what Christopher Columbus accomplished is particularly hard to forgive. Are Native Americans still this invisible? Apparently it is possible to rise through the ranks of higher education in the US and still be completely unconscious of the history of European conquest  in the Western  hemisphere.

The photo of women in bikinis? I sure do hope I don’t have to recap 40 years of feminist sociopolitical scholarship to convince readers of this blog that this just doesn’t belong in a talk at a conference, even as a lame attempt at humor. Surely, he would never have used an image that reinforced negative stereotypes of Blacks, Jews, Asians, or any other minority group. Why are offensive, stereotyped images of women still acceptable?

I don’t know if there are any Native Americans attending this conference, and I can only hope I wasn’t the only person listening who cringed at his statement about Columbus.

There are plenty of young women scientist at the conference, and I guarantee that the message of that image here.If we really want to promote diversity in the scientific workforce, we all have to resist using

As Labor Day weekend approaches, I want to take a moment to celebrate the many workers who contribute to science every day, in ways that often go unacknowledged. To those who spend their days measuring, mixing, pipetting, and more at the laboratory bench; to those who enter and crunch the data; to those who passage the cultures and mind the stocks; to those who feed and care for all the creatures we call “model organisms;” to those who order supplies, handle schedules and correspondence and travel arrangements; to those who process grant applications, edit manuscripts and account for the funds; and everyone else who works hard to keep the enterprise we call genetics moving forward: Happy Labor Day!

The GSA is forming a new Education Special Interest Group (SIG) for GSA members with a significant interest in undergraduate and graduate education. The Education SIG will provide a venue for information exchange and mutual support among its members. The GSA Education SIG will support the work of the GSA Education Committee of the GSA Board of Directors. Click here for more information.

I am, I’ll admit it, a science policy wonk. I have worked in and around DC since 1988, and I have experienced first hand the impact (good and bad) of policy decisions at the legislative and agency level. I have developed a tolerance for the slow pace of the legislative process.  I’ve learned the importance of voicing the concerns of researchers to federal funding and regulatory agencies – even when it means saying the same thing over and over again. I’ve learned how to work with those inside the agencies who want to see changes happen but who are prohibited (as federal employees) from carrying the message themselves.

I know the majority of researchers don’t have the time, energy, personal interest, or stamina to follow the action in DC – in part because the pace of the “action” often resembles a baseball game being played in slow motion and underwater. That’s why people like me, and groups like the Coalition for the Life Sciences (CLS), the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), Research!America, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, and the National Association for Biomedical Research  are here to keep an eye on developments and let you know when action is needed and advisable. (GSA is currently a member of the CLS, AIBS, and Research!America.)

Now you are, of course, entitled to your own opinion on all of the issues that we address. There may be times when GSA or the CLS will ask you to take an action with which you disagree, or that you think is irrelevant to what GSA members do. You always have the choice to ignore those requests with which you disagree. And more important, you are welcome to make your view known.

In fact, your engagement is as valuable – no, more valuable – than your agreement. Your engagement in discussions and debates on science policy is needed if we are to serve you, our members, and the wider genetics community well. The decisions made in Washington (and Bethesda, and Arlington) affect both the current state of genetics research in the US and its future directions.

For information on how to join the Congressional Liaison Committee, go to the CLS website www.coalitionforlifesciences.org and click on “Be an Advocate.” Keep an eye on the GSA website and this blog for more ways to be engaged.

Sherry

With apologies to Harry Potter:  If  you had a magic wand and could make GSA do one thing for you as a member, what would it be?.

Sherry

On behalf of the Board of Directors and Staff,  I  congratulate GSA member Harmit Malik for receiving one of this year’s Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers. The Presidential Early Career Awards, announced by the White House today,  are the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on young professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.

More information is available at

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/PRESIDENT-HONORS-OUTSTANDING-EARLY-CAREER-SCIENTISTS/

The Board of Directors and staff of Genetics Society of America congratulate Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., on the recent announcement that President Barack Obama will nominate him to be Director of the National Institutes of Health.  Dr. Collins has had a distinguished career in science and in public service. During his tenure as Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, he led the NIH effort to sequence the human genome, and greatly contributed to the emergence of genomics, bioinformatics, and several related areas of research. As the science of genetics moved into the era of genome sequences and the proliferation of  “-omics,” the NHGRI and Dr. Collins led efforts to address the societal impact and ethical implications of genetics research. His achievements in research, medicine, and science policy point to a successful tenure as NIH Director, and the GSA wish him every success.

Read the announcement at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-Announces-Intent-to-Nominate-Francis-Collins-as-NIH-Director/

If you are a member of the Genetics Society of America, what do you value about GSA membership?

If you are not a member, what would it take to get you to join?

Since 1931, the Genetics Society of America has provided services of value to its members through times of significant changes in the science of genetics, in research funding, and in science publishing. Right now we are in the midst of rapid and accelerating change in these and other areas. We’d like to know more about the value of the GSA to you, your work, and your career.

from Sherry Marts, Executive Director, Genetics Society of America:

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.” Lewis Carroll

The Genetics Society of America (GSA)  has strong ties to the beginnings of modern genetics research and a solid history of success as the primary membership society for research geneticists. For GSA to continue to thrive and grow as an organization, it must respond to multiple shifts in its environment – rapidly changing technologies; widespread changes in science publishing; and   the challenges of the current economic crisis are some examples.

My appointment in January 2009 as  GSA Executive Director provides an ideal opportunity for an in-depth look at where GSA is, where it wants to go, and how it will get there. This requires GSA to embark on a thoughtful strategic analysis and planning process.

A good strategic plan:

• projects out several years into the future
• serves as the basis for the organization’s annual operations plan
• guides a process for evaluating the relevance and usefulness of programs and projects; and
• drives decisions on the allocation of financial and human resources.

There is value inherent in the process of strategic planning, apart from the final documentation of the strategic plan. A good strategic planning process focuses the attention of an organization’s elected leaders and staff on the growth and success of the entire organization, rather than on specific programs, projects, or areas. The process encourages leadership assessment of current programs and activities, gives key leaders and stakeholders a sense ownership of the plan, and builds consensus on the organization’s direction, goals and objectives, and means to achieve its vision.

Strategic planning involves gathering information, opinions, and ideas from all of the organization’s stakeholders. In the case of GSA, this includes GSA members, organizers and attendees of the GSA Conferences, the Editorial Board of GENETICS, subscribers and contributors to GENETICS and GSA staff. This information will be used by Board and staff leadership as they articulate the organization’s vision, mission, and values. It also helps in generating action plans for achieving the vision in accordance with the organization’s stated values.

We are starting this blog as one of several ways we will involve GSA members and prospective members in our strategic planning process. Your comments here become a part of the information that your elected leaders and the GSA staff will use as we develop a vision for the future of GSA, and a plan for how to fulfill that vision.

Please, join the conversation!

Sherry