Grant: Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant: Genetics

The University of British Columbia is one of the foremost venues for genetic research in Canada, including studies on model organisms such as plants, yeast, flies, mice, and worms (Caenorhabditis elegans). One of the best-known and most accomplished C. elegans geneticists is UBC's Don Riddle, who will retire in December 2010. To celebrate Don's lifetime achievements and contributions to the field of genetics, we will hold a symposium at UBC that aims to highlight recent and historic advances in the field of worm genetics. Don has been a highly acclaimed C. elegans geneticist for more than three decades. Indeed, he helped establish this now widely used genetic model organism, initially as a trainee with Nobel Laureate Sydney Brenner, and then independently. Don's discoveries have impacted several areas in the discipline of genetics; perhaps best known is Don's identification and genetic characterization of the "dauer" pathway (dauer larvae are specialized for survival). Research on dauer formation has since become a boon for scientists, as it has lead to the characterization of Insulin signaling, the TGF-beta pathway and other important signaling cascades. Moreover, Don has made seminal contributions to the field of aging research and its genetic regulation, and to the genetics of morphological development and neurobiology in C. elegans. The symposium will feature several distinguished geneticists. Confirmed speakers include Nobel Laureate Martin Chalfie, Gairdner and Lasker award winner Gary Ruvkun, and Gairdner Award winner Robert Waterston. These are international leaders in the field of genetics, and the possibility to attend their seminars is a tremendous opportunity for students, postdoctoral fellows, researchers, and interested layman. Thus, this symposium is an outstanding one-time opportunity to disseminate cutting-edge genetic and genomic research to a broad audience, and therefore ideally aligns the mandate of the Institute of Genetics.