Institute for Genetic Genealogy Conference Next Month in San Diego

I4GG Speakers 2016

Please join us for a premiere Genetic Genealogy event, held in San Diego next month. The DNA Detectives brings back the Institute for Genetic Genealogy Conference (I4GG) for 2016, this time in San Diego, CA on October 22 and 23, with 14 experts presenting 21 genetic genealogy topics.

The presentations will cover all levels of experience, beginner, intermediate and advanced. Headlining the conference are leading genetic genealogy educators Blaine Bettinger and CeCe Moore (me), with special guest Schelly Talalay Dardashti of Tracing the Tribe. We are honored to be able to present the following additional speakers with expertise in a wide variety of areas in genetic genealogy: Carol Rolnick, Michelle Trostler, Kitty Cooper, Kathy Johnston, Leah Larkin, Barbara Rae Venter from DNAAdoption and Junel Davidsen, Kathleen Fernandes, Thomas Krahn from YSEQ, Afton Vechery from 23andMe and Janine Cloud from Family Tree DNA. 

This event will cover traditional genetic genealogy as well as genetic genealogy methodologies for unknown parentage, with two tracks to choose from each day. Attendees can choose from one of two presentations (in either track), running all day Saturday and Sunday. The tracks on Saturday will focus on 1) Traditional applications for Genetic Genealogy research and 2) Using DNA for unknown parentage/adoption search. Sunday will start out with an exciting keynote given by Blaine about the future of genetic genealogy. During the two tracks on Sunday experts will cover third party tools, endogamy, Jewish DNA, spreadsheets and triangulation, case studies and you will hear from two of the leading companies in the field.

We are very excited that Blaine will be presenting two brand new talks at this conference, Evaluating a Genealogical Conclusion Including DNA and DNA and the Aftermath of Uncovered Family Secrets. His wonderful new book "Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy" will be available for purchase on site. 

Both Family Tree DNA and MyHeritage will have an onsite presence at the event. 

Early registration has been extended until the end of the month (since I hadn't had time to blog about it until now). The cost is $169 for both days or $99 for one (videos will be included with the full two-day conference registration). There is still availability in our room block ($145 + tax until Oct. 4, subject to continued availability) at the Sheraton Mission Valley. 

Please go to http://i4gg.org/event-information/ to learn more and to register. Watch our awesome video below and at https://vimeo.com/181412550.


GENETIC GENEALOGY CONFERENCE i4gg 2016 SAN DIEGO OCT. 22 &23 from The DNA Detectives on Vimeo.

EVENT SCHEDULE

Saturday:

9:00 – 10:00 — Keynote: The Power of DNA, CeCe Moore

Track One

10:30 – 11:30 — Evaluating a Genealogical Conclusion including DNA, Blaine Bettinger

11:45 – 12:45 — Using the Tools at GEDmatch to Find Relatives, Kitty Cooper

2:00 – 3:00 — Getting Started with AncestryDNA, Michelle Trostler

3:15 – 4:15 — Digging Deeper with Autosomal DNA, CeCe Moore

4:30 – 5:30 — Searching for Our Most Distant (Paternal) Ancestors in Cameroon – Y Haplogroup A00, Thomas Krahn

Track Two

10:30 – 11:30 — Basics of Utilizing DNA in Unknown Parentage Search, CeCe Moore

11:45 – 12:45 — Mirror Trees Explained, Carol Rolnick

2:00 – 3:00 — How To Use the X chromosome in Family and Origins Searches, Kathy Johnston

3:15 – 4:15 — DNA and the Aftermath of Uncovered Family Secrets, Blaine Bettinger

4:30 – 5:30 — Cold Case Solved:  Autosomal DNA Analysis Reveals Lisa Jensen’s Real Identity, Barbara Rae -Venter

 Sunday:

9:00 – 10:00 — Keynote: The Science Fiction Future of Genetic Genealogy, Blaine Bettinger

10:15 – 11:15 — Exploring Ethnicity Estimates, CeCe Moore

Track One

11:45 – 12:45 — DNA Analytics: Using Databases and Spreadsheets to Find Family, Kathleen Fernandes

2:00 – 3:00 — Advanced Third Party Tools, Blaine Bettinger

3:15 – 4:15 — Genetic Genealogy Case Studies, CeCe Moore

4:30 – 5:30 — Ancestry discoveries with 23andMe , Afton Vechery

Track Two

11:45 – 12:45 — When Your Tree Is a Banyan: Coping with Endogamy in Genetic Genealogy, Leah LaPerle Larkin

2:00 – 3:00 — Tracing the Tribe with DNA, Schelly Talalay Dardashti

3:15 – 4:15 — Family Tree DNA, Strength in Numbers: Advancing Your Research Through Group Projects, Janine Cloud

4:30 – 5:30 — Practical Applications for mtDNA Testing, CeCe Moore

We hope to see you there!

Videos of the event will be offered for sale at a future date. 

Upcoming Presentations: November 8th and 14th

I am speaking twice in the next week and a half - once locally and once in Austin, Texas. I hope to see some of you there! Details follow:

• November 8, 2013 - Adoption Knowledge Affiliates Conference, Austin, TX.   

1:15 – 2:45pm, Session A: Using DNA Testing to Discover the Genealogical Roots of Adoptees
Due to recent technological advances, adoptees and individuals without knowledge of their genealogy are increasingly turning to DNA testing to discover their genetic roots. The tight-knit AdoptionDNA community has been in the forefront of innovation in this area, helping many adoptees rediscover their birth families and ancestral origins. Attendees will learn some of the techniques and tools successfully used.

• November 14, 2013 - Diamond Gateway Women's Club at 6:30pm, Penasquitos, CA. Reservations required, contact Dael at 619-252-0804 or daelnk612@yahoo.com. There is a $5 fee. Mt. Carmel Church of the Nazarene, 10060 Carmel Mt. Rd., San Diego, 92129.

Last Chance for Early Bird Pricing for June 6th "Family History and DNA:Genetic Genealogy in 2013" Conference

Tomorrow, May 7th, is the last day for early bird pricing for the genetic genealogy conference to be held on June 6th in Burbank, CA. We have a truly outstanding program planned for this first-ever independently produced genetic genealogy conference (co-sponsored by the International Society of Genetic Genealogy and the Southern California Genealogical Society). I hope you will decide to join us if you haven't already signed up. Attendance is limited to 350 and we are more than 75% sold-out, so don't wait too long!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The details:

Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2013

June 6, 2013 – 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport

2500 Hollywood Way

Burbank, CA 91505

 

Speakers and Topics:

We will have Dr. Spencer Wells as our keynote speaker and Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as our luncheon speaker. The rest of the day will feature three concurrent tracks, aimed at the beginner through advanced genetic genealogist. All presenters and topics are found on the Jamboree website on the DNA Day page.

 

Cost:

Through Tuesday, May 7, 2013 (Extended Early Bird Deadline)

SCGS Members: $175

Non-Members $195

 

May 8 through Friday, May 24

SCGS Members: $200

Non-Members $220

 

Henry Louis Gates Luncheon (extra payment required)

Attendee: $20

Guest accompanying attendee: $60

 

Reservations can be made online at here. Payments may also be made by phone at 818.843.7247 (closed Mondays) with Visa or MasterCard.

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The 44^th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree will follow Friday through Sunday, June 7-9. DNA sessions will be held during Jamboree as well, including an expert’s panel on Friday afternoon. I will be participating in that panel as well as the Blogger's Summit panel on Saturday before lunch and speaking about Adoption and DNA on Saturday afternoon. I hope to see you there!

Brought to you by the AdoptionDNA Community...DNAGedcom

I think most people know how highly I think of the work that the AdoptionDNA Community is doing. They are a proactive group of incredibly intelligent and talented individuals with connections to the adoption world who have banded together with a common cause - to give hope to all adoptees searching for their heritage. I am proud to say that I often collaborate with members of their community and can count a handful of them among my closest colleagues.

Fortunately, for the rest of us non-adoptees, this innovative work is starting to benefit us all. The methodology that they have created for adoption cases has recently resulted in many success stories and can be applied to most any relatively recent genealogical brick wall. The technology experts among them have created ways to streamline the work of autosomal DNA matching and analysis and are now offering to share this with the rest of the genetic genealogy community.

The New DNAGedcom Site

The new website DNAGedcom delivers some of the tools that are most often requested from the major DNA genealogy companies. In this first phase of development, developer Rob Warthen has recently enabled access for all users to the FTDNA Family Finder and 23andMe downloads (though he cautions users that, at this early stage, there may still be bugs to work out). Through DNAGedcom it is now possible to download a full list of your matches, including the matching segment data from both companies. Those of us who have worked extensively with autosomal DNA for genealogy, know what a huge time saver this is. For me, with over 1000 shares on my main account at 23andMe, it has saved me tens if not hundreds of hours.

Users are required to register to use the site, but it is a quick and easy process.

Create an Account

For Family Tree DNA's Family Finder, this means that instead of downloading the matching segments from the Chromosome Browser five at a time, it can be done all at once. You can also download a file of "In Common With" matches, which formerly had to be checked and compiled one-by-one. To use the ICW tool, you still must assign each of your Family Finder matches to a specific relationship like "Distant Cousin" (which is certainly true for the vast number of our matches) until such time that FTDNA removes that requirement for their filter. (At the 2012 FTDNA Administrators' Conference, they announced their intention to do so.)

Family Tree DNA Tools

For 23andMe, this means that instead of downloading the matching segments for Family Inheritance Advanced three at a time, it is now possible to download a file with all the matching segment data for each of your matches that you are sharing genomes with all at once. If you have a single profile on your account, the Ancestry Finder matching files will also be downloaded. I usually integrate the public matches from the Ancestry Finder file with the Family Inheritance Advanced data to create a master spreadsheet of all available matching segments for each of the profiles I manage.

23andMe Tools

There is even a place to store your spreadsheets (.csv files up to 200 KB)!

Member Spreadsheet Storage

This website is still in the early development stages, but intends to continue to deliver the most often requested tools to the genetic genealogy community. In fact, there is already a full featured phase two version of the site with even more highly desirable capabilities in development. (Rob tells me that improving AncestryDNA's functionality is next on the list!) The site is currently run solely on donations and affiliate income. The website agreement can be found here and is linked to directly from the home page. Any problems with the site should be directed to support@dnagedcom.com.

There are lots of exciting plans in store over at DNAGedcom and I am thrilled to be joining the team that will be further developing this groundbreaking new site. So far, we are:

Robert Warthen - Chief Technology Officer
Karin Corbeil - Chief Operating Officer
Diane Harman-Hoog - President
James Kelley – Professional Technologist and Systems Programmer
Gaye Tannenbaum – Technology Advisor
Patty Drabing – Principal Researcher and Advisor
CeCe Moore – Genetic Genealogy Advisor

Those of you familiar with adoption search, may recognize the names of some of our top traditional search angels there. Their experience and expertise, combined with that of our very talented technology experts has made for a powerful team.

So, go check it out, but please don't crash the server! (JK - Rob tells me it is stable.)