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  • SMBE Satellite Meeting on the Genetics of Admixed Populations

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The SMBE Satellite Meeting on the Genetics of Admixed Populations was held in San Antonio, Texas, on May 18–20, 2016. The meeting was held at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute with additional sponsorship from the American Association of Anthropological Genetics (AAAG), and was held in place of the biannual Applications of Genomics in Anthropological Genetics (AGAR) meeting usually sponsored by AAAG. The conference was organized by Amy Goldberg (PhD Candidate, Stanford University), Anne Stone (Professor, Arizona State University), Heather Norton (Assistant Professor, Cincinnati University), and Ellen Quillen (Staff Scientist, Texas Biomedical Research Institute).

A primary goal of the meeting was to foster discussion and potential collaboration between a wide range of scientists working on hybridization and admixture in different species. Attendees had diverse academic backgrounds, working on a range of taxa and methods. Sessions varied in focus from largely theoretical to completely empirical. Researchers presented novel data and analyses on species from eucalyptuses to bears and diverse human populations. These admixed populations were used to answer basic questions in evolutionary and population biology about species ranges and expansions, phenotypic and medical implications of admixture, and local adaptation.

Fifty-eight people attended the conference, including ten invited speakers and four invited panelist. Beginning Wednesday morning and running until Friday midday, the scientific content of the conference included five sessions of talks, a poster session, and a panel discussion. Each session was composed of two invited speakers and four or five abstract-driven talks. Invited speakers were allotted thirty minutes to speak with an additional five for discussion. Abstract-driven talks were given twenty minutes, including questions. Almost every talk was followed by multiple productive questions, and every attendee was an author on an abstract. On the second evening, there was a 1.5-hour poster session that included twenty-eight posters.

The conference had broad geographic and demographic representation. Thirteen countries were represented, with attendees from the US, Sweden, Australia, Canada, UK, Chile, Italy, India, Mexico, Germany, New Zealand, France, and Turkey. We encouraged females and underrepresented groups [End Page 84] by (1) using blinded abstract review, (2) giving additional financial support, and (3) being thoughtful about the invited speaker list. The conference organizing committee was composed of four women in a wide range of academic positions. Overall, 52% of attendees and 48% of speakers were female, and 41% were from underrepresented groups.

We aimed to highlight trainee participation and leadership during this conference. We accomplished this goal through multiple avenues. First, half of all invited speakers, one per session, was a student or postdoc. Second, we reduced costs of attendance by choosing an inexpensive location and hotel, and providing travel awards to twelve students with an emphasis on those from under-represented groups. Multiple trainees commented on the usefulness of the travel awards, as this was a meeting not in their yearly budget and not attended by their PI. Overall, sixty percent of attendees were trainees.

The structure of the meeting encouraged participation by and interaction between all attendees. The program included longer question periods after talks and coffee breaks, communal lunches, group transportation to and from the venue, refreshments at the extended poster session, and an open panel discussion. Almost all participants attended the dinner function the final night.

Overall, the conference was a success, with high attendance and participation during the meeting. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with informal comments on the size and scope of the meeting and participants. The meeting agenda follows.

SMBE Satellite Meeting on the Genetics of Admixed Populations, San Antonio, Texas, May 2016

Wednesday, May 18

8:15–8:45 am
  check in

8:45–9:00 am
  welcome

Session 1: Empirical studies of population histories

9:00–9:35 am
  Bridgett von Holdt, Whole genome sequence analysis shows two endemic species of North American wolf are admixtures of the coyote and gray wolf

9:35–10:10 am
  Torsten Günther, Sampling populations before, during, and after migration events— using ancient DNA to study European prehistory

10:10–10:30 am
  coffee break

10:30–10:50 am
  Alicia Martin, The history of admixture in the...

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