2012 Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology Conference
By Diedre Ribbens
Traveling to Princeton for the Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology Conference was an amazing experience and one of the highlights of my summer. The conference was hosted by the Genetics Society of America and was a weeklong, yeast-focused extravaganza of research talks, posters, and mingling with some of the biggest names in the fungal world. Not only did I get to hear some amazing stories about research in any number of fields, I also got to enjoy the sights of Princeton University.
Lee Hartwell Award recipient Stan Fields (inventor of the Yeast Two-Hybrid system) , accepting his award.
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I was glad that the GSA awarded me some travel funds to attend the conference, because I had been selected to give a talk. My talk was scheduled for Friday, the last day of the conference, so I had all week to sit back and enjoy hearing about others’ research. There were thirteen different sessions, on topics ranging from evolution to high-throughput technology, to cell biology and biochemistry. Every speaker presented a project that was conducted in some species of yeast; the most common type was budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), but others worked on fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe; myself included) or more unusual types of yeast used to brew beer or wine. Along with the 12-minute talks presented in these sessions, a few researchers were given achievement awards, named in honor of yeast research greats like Ira Herskowitz and Lee Hartwell. One awardee was Stan Fields (University of Washington-Seattle), inventor of the Yeast Two-Hybrid assay. He joked during his acceptance lecture that most students learning about Yeast Two-Hybrid are surprised to discover that its inventor is not yet deceased, because it is always presented as such an established and well-used assay.
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Some of my favorite lectures were about work being done on evolution in yeast. Budding yeast is a remarkable organism to use for the study of evolution because of its quick generation time and the ability to select for traits that help the organism prosper in a particular environment, such as one that is low in sugar. Combined with high-throughput sequencing technology, the genetic changes in populations of yeast can be followed over time, and the rise and fall of mutations conferring beneficial, detrimental, or neutral phenotypes can be identified and analyzed. Another talk focused on how yeast could be winners, cheaters, or cooperators when mixed genotypes were grown together, just like animal behaviorists and sociologists study in more complex organisms
Another highlight of the conference was the nightly poster sessions/happy hour. Conference attendees mingled in the Princeton gymnasium, munching on snacks and sipping beverages while walking from poster to poster. One night, they even had a sponsored micro-brew event (Bottom right photo), highlighting one of the more widely appreciated applications of yeast. Singer instruments also had a booth at these sessions where they were hosting a “Tetrad Dissection Olympics.” Competitors were timed to see how quickly they could dissect six tetrads, and the winning time was awarded a brand-new Singer dissecting microscope! On the last evening, the poster session was replaced by a banquet, complete with a live band and dancing. The yeast researchers might seem serious, but they knew how to let loose and have a fun time!
Another highlight of the conference was the nightly poster sessions/happy hour. Conference attendees mingled in the Princeton gymnasium, munching on snacks and sipping beverages while walking from poster to poster. One night, they even had a sponsored micro-brew event (Bottom right photo), highlighting one of the more widely appreciated applications of yeast. Singer instruments also had a booth at these sessions where they were hosting a “Tetrad Dissection Olympics.” Competitors were timed to see how quickly they could dissect six tetrads, and the winning time was awarded a brand-new Singer dissecting microscope! On the last evening, the poster session was replaced by a banquet, complete with a live band and dancing. The yeast researchers might seem serious, but they knew how to let loose and have a fun time!