Progress 12/15/24 to 05/07/25
Outputs
Target Audience:Participants of all status were targeted including graduate students, post docs, assistant professors, associate professors, professors, research scientists, research directors, editors/journalists.The conference was well attended with 155 participants from diverse professional backgrounds. The breakdown of participants included the below: Professional Background: • Graduate Students = 37 • Professor = 26 • Post Doc = 29 • Assistant Professor = 11 • Associate Professor = 12 • Research Scientist/Engineer = 28 • Research Director = 8 • Editor/Journalist = 3 • Administrator = 1 Background: • Academic = 112 • Academic/Insustrial = 29 • Government =2 • Industrial = 12 The seminar was well attended with 47 participants from diverse professional backgrounds. All continued on to attend the associated conference. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The keynote talk on the first day of the seminar provided insights into cutting-edge science in gene-by-environment interaction, while the mentoring session on the second day assisted trainees in building their careers in the fast-moving fields of quantitative genetics and genomics. There was a one-hour panel discussion, where senior scientists, from both academia and industry, answered questions from trainees about career development in quantitative genetics and genomics. These scientists served as mentors and were available to answer questions from participants throughout the GRS and GRC. The discussion covered topics such as service and its implications in academia and industry, identifying directions in a rapidly expanding field in quantitative genetics and genomics, gaining and managing independence at work, and soft skills such as writing, presenting and networking. At the GRC and the following GRS, speakers, discussion leaders, poster presenters and attendees simultaneously contributed to and benefited from thecollective skills and experience shared throughout the conference. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Quantitative Genetics and Genomics GRC was a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program included a range of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference was five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference had designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allowed for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.For this meeting we were thinking about how quantitative traits vary in time and space through interactions between genetics and ontogeny or environmental variation. Our overarching themes included a focus on longitudinal studies, which might include disease trajectories, developmental trajectories, environmental change, selection and response and genotype by environment interactions. In particular, we aimed to discuss how the hundreds of genetic associations we have found for complex traits in humans, animals and plants may be transformed into biological understanding, an ongoing and challenging endeavour. Applications of these themes included sustainability in agriculture and environmental management, management of infectious disease, and precision medicine. The Quantitative Genetics and Genomics GRS provided a unique forum for young doctoral and post-doctoral researchers to present their work, discuss new methods, cutting edge ideas, and pre-published data, as well as to build collaborative relationships with their peers. Experienced mentors and trainee moderators facilitated active participation in scientific discussion to allow all attendees to be engaged participants rather than spectators.The focus of this year's meeting was on exploring genetic, environmental and ontogenic effects, and their interactions, in quantitative genetics. We discussed trajectories of complex diseases, longitudinal studies, and evolutionary pathways. Additionally, we explored how differences in the environment, across both time and space, influence phenotypes and how genes interact with those environmental factors.We also covered infectious disease management and precision medicine, addressing the challenges we need to overcome and opportunities for future research. The presentations encompassed statistical, computational, and experimental methods. GRC was grateful for the funding provided by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for 29 conference attendees and 17 seminar attendees. The funds were spent in line the goals of the proposal and the conference chairs focused their efforts on providing support for selected participants to attend the 2025 Quantitative Genetics and Genomics Conference and Seminar. At the end of the conference, participants had the opportunity to elect future conference chairs and evaluate the meeting's scientific content, diversity of the program, and overall atmosphere. Feedback collected was extremely positive and future conference chairs will use the community's comments to ensure future iterations of the meeting continue to serve the mission of the organization and the needs of the field. General sentiments expressed included: There were ample opportunities for networking between junior and senior scientists, creating a welcoming environment. Scientific content was cutting edge. Speaker pool was engaging. The Conference Evaluation Committee and GRC Board of Trustees reviews all conference evaluations at the end of the conference season, using feedback provided by the communities to determine which meetings should be approved for future scheduling.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Conference Program: https://www.grc.org/quantitative-genetics-and-genomics-conference/2025/
Seminar Program: https://www.grc.org/quantitative-genetics-and-genomics-grs-conference/2025/
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