2024 AGA Award Outcomes
Ecological, Evolutionary, and Conservation Genomics (EECG) Research Awards
The AGA grants EECG Research Awards each year to graduate and post-doctoral researchers who are at a critical point in their research, where additional funds would allow them to conclude their research project and prepare it for publication.
57 students and post-docs applied for funding this year, and 11 received funding (Table 1), one of whom* received the Robert K. Wayne Conservation Scholarship and Research Award. This special EECG award was established in memory of Robert Wayne to support graduate students whose research directly benefits a threatened species.
Awardees can expect letters of congratulation with more specific information and banking details request soon.
Table 1. Recipients of the 2024 Ecological, Evolutionary, and Conservation Genomics Research Awards.
1 |
Madeleine |
Becker |
Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute |
United States |
Controlling for time: disentangling evolutionary and conservation genomics questions using ‘time series museomics’ in the California Channel Island deer mouse |
2 |
Laura |
Cespedes Arias |
The University of Chicago |
United States |
The genetic underpinnings of partial reproductive isolation in a warbler hybrid zone |
3 |
Daniel |
Estévez Barcia |
Greenland Institute of Natural Resources |
Greenland |
GRINFISH: (Genomics of Reindhartius hippoglossoides on Inshore Fisheries) |
4 |
Jacob |
Fredette-Roman |
University of Wisconsin-Madison |
United States |
Characterizing the mechanisms of mutation rate evolution in diploid and haploid S. cerevisiae |
5 |
Benjamin |
Karin |
University of California Berkeley |
United States |
Using ontogenetic and seasonal color change to unlock the genetic basis of vibrant red and blue coloration in a California lizard |
6 |
Zachary |
Muscavitch |
University Of Connecticut |
United States |
Unveiling the Mysteries of Fog Lichens: Phylogenomic Insights into the Phenotypic Diversity of a Niche-Specific Radiation |
7 |
Henry |
North |
University of Cambridge |
United Kingdom |
Leveraging evolutionary genomics to infer the past and forecast the future spread of an invasive agricultural pest |
8 |
Elizabeth |
Sheldon |
Georgia Southern University, Armstrong Campus |
United Kingdom |
Epigenetic and dietary diversity in Alaskan coastal wolves: Harnessing DNA methylation to help delineate conservation units in North American wolves. |
9 |
Gabrielle |
Welsh |
University of Denver |
United States |
Genomic architecture of convergent novel signals in the Pacific field cricket |
10 |
Michael |
Yuan |
California Academy of Sciences |
United States |
Microgeographic adaptation and landscape connectivity in two anoles from the small, environmentally heterogeneous island of St. Martin |
11 |
Cameron |
So* |
McGill University |
Canada |
Testing the conservation value of range-edge populations: local adaptation, genetic load, and inbreeding in wild lupine |
Natural selection is largely a numbers game, and diverse genetic elements have evolved to gain greater-than-random transmission via mechanisms other than (and potentially detrimental to) individual fitness. Selfish genetic elements, and the selection they exert through individual costs and compensatory/suppressor evolution, contribute to population fitness and phenotypic variation, promote species barriers and diversification, and shape the deep evolution of genome architecture and cellular processes. Logo from AGA President Lila Fishman’s symposium Selfish Evolution: Mechanisms & Consequences of Genomic Conflict
Apply now for an AGA
This course will host 25-30 students, especially welcoming to participants from African countries, and 15-20 faculty from around the world. The course will feature the latest methods, interpretations, and applications of genetic/genomic analyses for the conservation of endangered species, and the faculty will share their expertise in technologies, research strategies, and translation featuring population-based studies.
https://conservationgenetics.
This two-day workshop will be part of the 25th Biennial Marine Mammal Conference in Perth this year, accommodating up to 150 experts and novices. It will focus on advancements in marine mammal genomics, highlighting novel methods and applications in evolution, conservation, and emerging diseases, and integrating genomics with traditional knowledge.
https://www.smmconference.org/
Do you want to create interdisciplinary teaching resources for inclusive undergraduate evolution education? The Resources for Inclusive Evolution Education (#RIE2) working group is looking for participants to do just that! Apply now by filling out this google form! Deadline is 5 p.m. PT on May 28, 2024 #ScienceEducation #EvolutionEducation #TeachingEvolution
Please contact inclusive.evoedu@gmail.com
Any questions? Contact the Managing Editor at theaga@theaga.org.