The Fungal Genetics Policy Committee invites you to attend the 24th Fungal Genetics Conference, sponsored by the Genetics Society of America.

The meeting will be at the Asilomar Conference Center, Pacific Grove, California (near Monterey, California).

The conference will open on Tuesday evening, March 20 with an Opening Mixer from 7:30 pm – 10:30 pm and end on Sunday, March 25 at 12:00 pm.

All meeting questions should be directed to Anne Marie Mahoney, GSA Meetings Manager, annemarie.Mahoney@verizon.net, Genetics Society of America, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland  20814.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS

Abstract submissions will be online at the FGSC web site beginning on October 27, 2006. 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: Kevin McCluskey, PhD, Curator FGSC, at http://www.fgsc.net/contact.cfm.

PLENARY SESSIONS

The 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-five sessions are planned and are listed in the tentative conference schedule.

POSTER SESSIONS

Deadline for receipt of abstracts: December 13, 2006. All abstracts must be submitted via the web. Poster Sessions will be in the evenings, March 21-23. The size of the poster should not exceed 4 feet (112 cm) x 4 feet (112 cm). Two authors will share a 4-foot high x 8-foot wide poster board. 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 may 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 in the early afternoons and Sunday morning for ad hoc meetings. Those wishing to convene such informal sessions should contact one of the scientific chairs.

AUDIO VISUAL

The following equipment will be provided in all sessions: an LCD projector, laser pointer and lavaliere microphone. Presenters should plan to be in Merrill Hall 60 minutes prior to the start of their plenary session to load their presentation.

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 24.

VISAS

The National Academies has a useful web site concerning obtaining a visa (http://national-academies.org/visas). As part of new security procedures, many applications are being sent to the State Department in Washington where they are reviewed, with assistance from other agencies. Because of the number of visas being processed and the need to be thorough with the reviews, this can take as much as 3 to 4 months. Therefore, we advise scientists intending to come to the United States to apply for their visa as early as possible.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Some funds will be available to support the participation of students and others that might otherwise be unable to attend. Awards are generally limited to room and board, although in special circumstances, travel assistance may also be available. If you wish to be considered for such support, please submit the Financial Support Application  (doc or pdf) form. All applicants will be notified of financial award decisions in time to register for the meeting. Deadline for receipt of financial assistance requests is November 15, 2006.

TRAVEL

Monterey is the closest commercial airport to Asilomar. Taxis meet all arriving flights and cost approximately $25 per person. The airport is about 20 minutes from Asilomar. The closest major airports are, in order of convenience, San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland.

For maps and directions to Asilomar please go to: http://www.visitasilomar.com/maps.aspx 

PERKINS FUND AWARD

The Perkins Fund Award allows graduate students or postdoctoral scientists that utilize Neurospora as an experimental organism to attend the Fungal Genetics Conference or the Neurospora Conference. It is now time to solicit the fifth round of nominations for Perkins Fund Awardees.

As a result of your generosity, the fund can support two awards to attend the upcoming 24th Fungal Genetics Conference. Awards of approximately $400 each will go to one graduate student and one postdoctoral scientist. Nominations for Perkins Fund Awardees should be made in the form of a one-page letter from the candidate’s research advisor. This letter should include a 200 word description of why the individual’s work is exceptional. Up to two re-prints or pre-prints of published research may also be included with the nomination.

Evaluation of the nominations will be overseen by the Neurospora Policy Committee. The awardees will be notified prior to the meeting, and the award will be presented at the banquet on the final night of the meeting.

The nomination letter and any accompanying materials should be sent as a PDF via e-mail no later than November 29, 2006 and should be sent to: Dr. Oded Yarden, Chair Neurospora Policy Committee, E-mail: Oded.Yarden@huji.ac.il

REGISTRATION

Deadline for conference registration and housing reservations is December 13, 2006. 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 GSA Membership/Joining the GSA in the menu on the left of your screen).

Conference registration will be accepted via the Fungal Conference Online Registration website opening on October 27, 2006 or by mailing in the appropriate form (doc or pdf). 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 $25 processing fee will be charged for all meeting registration cancellations. There will be no refunds for cancellations received after February 11, 2007. Cancellations must be in writing, an e-mail is sufficient. Cancellation notices should be sent to annemarie.mahoney@verizon.net. 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

Space is limited at Asilomar Conference Center to 750 participants. To encourage participation by as many labs as possible, IN THE EVENT THAT THE MEETING IS OVERSUBSCRIBED, there will be a limit of four registrants from any one lab. For labs with multiple registration submissions, priority will be given to more senior graduate students and postdoctorals. If limiting attendance is necessary, first year graduate student registrations will be considered lowest priority, as there will be opportunities for them to attend a future meeting.

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 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 $306 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.

In addition to the rooms at Asilomar a limited number of people will be housed at the Deer Haven Inn. The Deer Haven Inn is 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 3:00 pm on Tuesday, March 20 in the Administration Building. Check-out is noon on Sunday, March 25.

Housing Cancellations

If you must cancel your housing, please advise Anne Marie Mahoney, GSA Meetings Manager, annemarie.mahoney@verizon.net immediately. Individuals who cancel after February 11, 2007 will not be entitled to a refund unless a substitution can be made.

Special Meals

There will be a Closing Banquet on Saturday, March 24. 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 $25. On Sunday, March 25, 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 is available for $235. This rate includes dinner on Tuesday, March 20 through lunch on Sunday, March 25 and the Asilomar facilities fee. 

Go to the 24th Fungal Genetics Conference home page