The meeting will be held at the Asilomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove, California (near Monterey, California). The conference will open on Tuesday evening, March 15 with an Opening Mixer from 7:30 pm – 10:30 pm and end on Sunday, March 20 at 12:00 pm.

All meeting questions should be directed to Anne Marie Mahoney, GSA Meetings Manager, Mahoney@genetics-gsa.org, Genetics Society of America, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland  20814, telephone: 301-634-7039.

                                                Chairs of the Scientific Program

Important Conference Dates:

POSTER ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS

The abstract submission for Posters website will open on October 27, 2010. Complete instructions for electronic submission of poster abstracts will be available when the site opens.  If you encounter difficulties in submitting your abstract via the web, contact: Prof. Kevin McCluskey, Curator FGSC, at http://www.fgsc.net/contact.cfm. Invited speakers should e-mail abstracts directly to the FGSC and not via the online system.

PLENARY SESSIONS

The scientific chairs have organized the plenary sessions. Each session will consist of five invited talks of general interest.

CONCURRENT SESSIONS

There will be four sets of concurrent sessions on a variety of topics.  Twenty-six sessions are planned and are listed in the tentative conference schedule.

POSTER SESSIONS

Deadline for receipt of abstracts: December 14, 2010. All abstracts must be submitted via the web. Poster Sessions will be in the evenings, March 16-18.  Two authors will share a 4’ high x 8’ wide poster board. The useable space for each author will measure 3’10” (110 cm) wide x 3’10” (110 cm) high.  No materials for making posters will be available at the conference grounds. We encourage photos of the authors be attached to posters to facilitate identification by new members of the group.

If you submit an abstract, you will be expected to bring a poster. Concurrent session organizers will have early access to the abstracts and will invite additional speakers from the abstract pool to speak. You are still expected to bring a poster if you are asked to give a talk. If you are an invited concurrent session speaker, you do not need to submit an abstract unless you are also bringing a poster. 

AD HOC SESSIONS

Time is available before the meeting and in the early afternoons for ad hoc sessions. Those wishing to convene such informal sessions should contact one of the scientific chairs with the title, date they would like to hold the session and number of people expected. Ad Hoc organizers will be responsible for coordinating all aspects of the session, including speaker presentations. The ad hoc session information must be received by December 14, 2010 to be included in the program book.

AUDIO VISUAL

The following equipment will be provided in all plenary and concurrent workshop sessions: a Mac computer loaded with PowerPoint, an LCD projector, laser pointer and a lavaliere microphone.

Presenters must arrive 45 minutes prior to the start of their session. Please have your presentation stored on a thumbdrive (Keynote or PowerPoint format preferred). While both Windows and Mac OS formats will be accepted, Mac OS is preferred. Everyone’s presentations will be loaded on the meeting computer. 

POSTER SESSION AWARDS

Awards will be given for the best poster presentations. Prizes will be given to the students or postdocs judged to have the best posters. Both scientific merit and clarity of presentation will be taken into account. The awards will be presented at the Closing Banquet on Saturday, March 19.

REGISTRATION

Deadline for conference registration and housing reservations is December 14, 2010. Neither submission of an abstract nor GSA membership is required for attendance at the meeting. If you wish to join GSA, you may do so online at the GSA web site: http://www.genetics-gsa.org (click on Membership).

Conference registration will be accepted via the Fungal Conference Online Registration website opening on October 27, 2010 or by mailing in the appropriate form. Payment may be made by Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover.

Registration Fees:

If you choose to mail in a registration form, it will be processed ONLY if accompanied by payment, which may be made by a credit card or a check drawn on a US bank, payable to the Genetics Society of America. Purchase orders will not be accepted. Credit card payments will be accepted by fax, but not by telephone.

A $35 processing fee will be charged for all meeting registration cancellations. There will be no refunds for cancellations received after February 10, 2009. Cancellations must be in writing, an e-mail is sufficient. Cancellation notices should be sent to Mahoney@genetics-gsa.org. There will be a $50 fee for late registrations and these applications will be considered on a space available basis.

Roommate Bulletin Board
An electronic bulletin board is available on the online registration webpage to facilitate finding a roommate. Registrants can post messages regarding what type of roommate they are looking for (male or female to share a double, triple or quad) and the participants will respond directly to the registrant.

Oversubscription Policy

Due to the popularity of the meeting, registration will be open up to 1,000 people. To accommodate the increase, there will be a video/audio feed sent to Chapel which seats an additional 220 people.   If limiting attendance is still necessary, first year graduate student registrations will be considered lowest priority, as there will be opportunities for them to attend a future meeting.

Receipt Confirmations

Receipt confirmations will appear directly online after a successful online registration submission. If you do not get an immediate receipt confirmation your registration was not entered correctly.  

HOUSING

Asilomar Conference Center is located on 107 acres of forest, dune and beach at the tip of the Monterey Peninsula. Asilomar retains many of the original flora and fauna of the peninsula. Please go to www.visitAsilomar.com for detailed information about the area. The weather is brisk (40-60◦ F) with a possibility of rain. Bring warm clothing and a raincoat.

Accommodations

All Asilomar rooms have private baths. There are very few singles available. Requests for single rooms will be honored in the order received. All rates include meals, beginning with Tuesday dinner and concluding with Sunday lunch. No refunds are available for missed meals. Infants under age 2 years of age may stay in your room with no charge. Children from 3-17 years old are charged the special rate of $393 provided there is triple or quadruple occupancy with one adult in certain rooms. Otherwise, they pay regular rates. No pets are allowed on the grounds.

Due to the increased size of the meeting a number of people will be housed at two hotels located across the street from Asilomar.  The cost will be the same as staying on the Asilomar grounds. For those assigned to the hotel, an Asilomar meal card will be given to the attendee when they check in at the Conference Registration Desk.

Every attempt will be made to honor your housing request. Due to Asilomar room limitations it may be necessary to move you to a different rooming category. You will be charged accordingly.

If an attendee would like to bring a guest, the guest MUST fill in a registration/housing reservation form and indicate their roommate on the form. Please be sure that both people indicate each other as roommates. The guest does not need to pay a meeting registration fee.

Check-in

Check-in begins at 4:00 pm on Tuesday, March 15 in the Administration Building. Check-out is at 11:00 am on Sunday, March 20.

Housing Cancellations

If you must cancel your housing, please advise Anne Marie Mahoney, GSA Meetings Manager, Mahoney@genetics-gsa.org immediately. Individuals who cancel after February 10, 2011 will not be entitled to a refund unless a substitution can be made.

Special Meals

There will be a Closing Banquet on Saturday, March 19. Please indicate your meal preference on the registration form. Anyone who is staying at Asilomar but not attending the conference can purchase a ticket for the banquet on Saturday night for $30. On Sunday, March 20, box lunches will be available. Please indicate on the registration if you would like a box lunch.

Telephone and Mail

There are no phones in the rooms. The address and phone number is C/o Fungal Genetics Conference, Asilomar Conference Center, PO Box 537, Pacific Grove, CA  93950, Phone (831) 372-8016, Fax: (831) 372-7227.

ADDITIONAL FEES

For individuals who choose to make their own hotel reservation, a meal package can be purchased for the cost is $250. This rate includes dinner on Tuesday, March 15 through lunch on Sunday, March 20 and the Asilomar facilities fee. Individual meal tickets, for those staying off-site, can be bought from the Asilomar front desk. 

 VISA AND PASSPORT INFORMATION

As part of security procedures, applications for visas are sent to the U.S. State Department   (http://travel.state.gov/visa) for a security review.  You can also visit the International Visitors Office  (http://www.national academies.ortg/visas) website. We advise scientists traveling to the United States to apply for a visa as early as possible; at least three months before visa is needed.

New for International Visitors

Visitors traveling to the United States from all countries (including visa waiver countries) are required to register personal details online at least three days in advance of travel. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) (http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/esta/) is a free, automated system used to determine the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States. It collects the same information as the paper I-94W form you usually complete when traveling to the United States. ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel. An ESTA authorization generally will be valid for up to two years. DHS recommends that travelers submit an ESTA application as soon as they begin making travel plans.

Visas

To assist you with the Visa application process (not required for countries included in the Visa Waiver Program):

• Apply for visa at least three (3) months in advance. For countries that are on the State Sponsors of Terrorism List, the State Department suggests applying for a visa six (6) to eight (8) months in advance.
• Provide your entire trip itinerary, including travel to any countries other than the United States, at the time of visa application.
• If completion of travel plans is contingent upon early approval of the visa application, specify this at the time of the application.
• Provide proof of scientific status. For example, proof that you submitted an abstract for the meeting. Do not wait until you receive notification that your abstract has been accepted before applying for a visa. It is very rare that an abstract is denied.
• Provide meeting website and a copy of your letter of invitation.
• Provide evidence that you are intending to return to your country of residence. This includes such things as:
  • family ties in current country of residence
  • property ownership
  • bank account
  • an employment contract or statement from employer showing that position will continue after the dates of the meeting
• Requirements vary by passport-issuing country and citizenship (not merely residency).
   

Visa Waiver Program

The Visa Waiver Program (http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html ) enables nationals of 36 participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business (visitor (B) visa purposes only) for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.

Letters of Invitation

For security purposes, letters of invitation can only be sent to individuals that have registered for the meeting. After you have registered, you will be given a link to generate a letter of invitation. If you have any questions, please contact Mahoney@genetics-gsa.org.

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