Lawrence Molecular Biologist Named to Genetics Society of America Board of Directors

Beth De Stasio, professor of biology and Raymond H. Herzog Professor of Science, has been elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the Genetics Society of America.

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In announcing her appointment, the GSA cited De Stasio’s commitment to “training undergraduate students — both majors and non-majors in science — to become more conversant and comfortable in understanding recent advances in biology.”

A 1983 graduate of Lawrence, De Stasio joined the Lawrence faculty in 1992 under the auspices of a $700,000 grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to establish the college’s first program in molecular biology. Her research interests focus on muscle function and the maintenance of nerve function during aging. She was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholar Fellowship in 2009 to conduct research at the Karolinska Institutet near Stockholm, Sweden.

Founded in 1931, the Genetics Society of America is the professional membership organization for geneticists and science educators. With more than 4,000 members, the GSA works to advance knowledge in the basic mechanisms of inheritance, from the molecular to the population level. It promotes research in genetics and facilitates communication among geneticists worldwide on current and cutting-edge topics in genetics research.