ConGen

Dear Conservation Genetics Community:

The American Genetic Association together with the Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center, Front Royal, Virginia s is organizing a 10-day intensive course in methods, interpretation, and applications of molecular genetic analyses for conservation of endangered species, Recent Advances in Conservation Genetics (ConGen-2018) on August 19 – 30, 2018.

On behalf of The Organizing Committee for ConGen-2018, it is my pleasure and a privilege to invite you to this important international event which will take place in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley village of front Royal, Va. (adjacent to the International Airport Dulles (IAD) outside Washington DC), a hot spot of biodiversity and an up-and-coming site for scientific research, education and communication.

The course will be directed by Dr. Stephen J. O’Brien, and taught by renowned scientists in methods, interpretation, and applications of molecular genetic analyses for conservation of endangered species, who will also share a variety of their personal experiences in this important field. ConGen2018 faculty is an amazing group of people who come from all around the world and will be teaching, sharing their conservation stories and interacting with students during the course.

ConGen-2018 participants will be conservation scientists representing academia, government, NGOs, or industry studying genetics of endangered species. Every day of the course, an open popular science evening lecture will be presented by the internationally renowned faculty to the members of the conservation-minded public, faculty and students from the universities, local businesses, governmental and non-governmental organizations in the area.

Located in beautiful Harmony Hollow, just outside Front Royal, Virginia, the Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center is a unique, beautiful location that is home to year-round camps and educational programs, as well as providing facilities and services to groups seeking a relaxed, economical retreat experience.  The Center’s unique location is easily accessible from major metropolitan areas, and offers a quiet, peaceful respite for your youth group, team or organization to reconnect, regroup and relax.  The Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center is a public recreation area, offering facilities including a public pool, picnic shelters, and multi-use trails that are open to the general public at little to no cost.

Who should apply? Applicants should be conservation-minded scientists (advanced graduate students, post-docs, teachers, and researchers with advanced degrees) from academia, government, NGOs, or industry who are studying the genetics of endangered species and who will apply the knowledge gained from this course to the conservation of such species.

Please submit your registration here: registration form

Early Registration – paid by May 1, 2018: The cost per participant will be US$2,000 and will include your accommodation, all meals and travel from and to the airport (IAD or WAS).

Late Registration – paid after May 1 and before August 1, 2018: The cost of late registration per participant will be US$2,250 and will include your accommodation, all meals and travel from and to the airport.

Application forms: Please complete the application form below and submit together with a CV. Successful applicants will be notified via email and will be sent additional course information and they must ensure that they check the following list. Payment must be made in full by direct bank deposit (SWIFT), or using the PayPal link that will only be made available to the successful applicants.

Scholarships: A limited number of partial or full scholarships may be awarded to registered students. The scholarship application is a separate process and will be coordinated with our sponsors. To be eligible for a scholarship, please apply on this application page.

You must file an application before March 15, 2018 to be eligible for the scholarship support at ConGen2018. If you can provide at least 50% scholarship awarded by an outside sponsor, your application will be given a priority, but the final decision will be based on need, scholastic potential, likelihood of conservation translation, the applicant’s CV, and other information contained in the application form. Scholarships will be awarded as a complete or partial refund of the tuition for those applicants but will not cover the cost of the out of state travel.

We hope that Recent Advances in Conservation Genetics (ConGen-2018) will provide a great venue for networking: meeting people, seeing old and making new friends, and help promote conservation issues in regionally as well as worldwide. We are counting on your help and participation in the course.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Stephen J. O’Brien, ConGen-2018 Director

For my ConGen 2018 Co- Directors:
Taras K Oleksyk
Klaus Koepfli
Eduardo Eizirik