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. 

Videos from the I4GG Conference Are Now Available

The videos are now available from the Institute for Genetic Genealogy's 2014 International Genetic Genealogy Conference held last month in Washington D.C. The links have been emailed to all attendees and are available for sale to those of you who were not able to attend the event. Access to the videos may be purchased here.  

We are offering the entire package of 27 presentations for $50 and individual videos for $4. We have kept the cost low so as many people can benefit from the wonderfully educational presentations that were given there as possible. We are continuing as a not-for-profit effort and the proceeds from the sales will be shared with the speakers and used to cover remaining expenses from the conference. 

We used professional video and audio equipment in the main auditorium, so the videos that were shot in the Aiton Auditorium are of higher quality than the videos that were shot in the Ohio Room. All presentations were videotaped except those of Spencer Well and Angie Bush. We did videotape Jim Bartlett's presentation, but unfortunately the video card that held that presentation was faulty and we were unable to recover the recording. Fortunately, much of the material that Jim covered in his presentation was also included in his portion of the Family Tree DNA workshop video, so if you are interested in seeing his excellent presentation on autosomal DNA, then please see that video. (Note: The videos can be watched in HD by adjusting the settings on YouTube, which improves the quality.)
 
We would appreciate it if the community members would not share the links to the videos with others who did not attend the conference or purchase access because doing so will deprive the speakers of additional revenue from the sale of the videos that they would otherwise be receiving. If those who did not attend the conference ask you for more information about how to gain access to the videos, please refer them to the Institute for Genetic Genealogy website.
 
Tim and I are still discussing options for the next Institute for Genetic Genealogy Conference. We would like to hold the next conference within the next one to two years on the West Coast. We will post more information to the community as soon as we have solidified the date and location of the next conference.  

We are grateful to the speakers and to all of you who helped contribute to the success of this year's conference.

Below is a list of the presentations available for viewing.

Aiton Auditorium (higher quality videos):

Ancestry.com Workshop by Anna Swayne B.S. – Getting the Most from AncestryDNA – (Beginner)

23andMe Workshop by Joanna Mountain Ph.D. and Christine Moschella – Exploring All of 23andMe’s Genealogy Features – (Intermediate)

Family Tree DNA Workshop – Exploring All Family Tree DNA Products by Maurice Gleeson (Y chromosome overview), Jim Bartlett (Family Finder/autosomal DNA), CeCe Moore (mitochondrial DNA overview), and Janine Cloud (other features) – (Intermediate)

Blaine Bettinger Ph.D., J.D. – Using Free Third-Party Tools to Analyze Your Autosomal DNA – (Intermediate)

Rebekah Canada B.S. – Wanderlust – The Story of the Origins and Travels of mtDNA Haplogroup H through History and Scientific Literature – (Intermediate)

Julie Granka Ph.D. – AncestryDNA matching: large-scale findings and technology breakthroughs – (Intermediate)

William E. Howard III, Ph.D. – Using Correlation Techniques on Y-Chromosome Haplotypes to Determine TMRCAs, Date STR Marker Strings, Surname Groups, Haplogroups and SNPs – (Advanced)

Tim Janzen M.D. – Using Chromosome Mapping to Help Trace Your Family Tree – (Advanced)

Razib Kahn B.S. – Tearing the Seamless Fabric, Ancestry as a Jigsaw Puzzle – (Intermediate)

Thomas Krahn Dipl.-Ing. – I’ve Received My Y Chromosome Sequencing Results – What Now? – (Advanced)

CeCe Moore – The Four Types of DNA Used in Genetic Genealogy – (Beginner/Intermediate)

Joanna Mountain Ph.D. – 23andMe Features – (Intermediate)
Ugo Perego Ph.D. – Native American Ancestry through DNA Analysis – (Intermediate)

Judy Russell J.D. – After the Courthouse Burns: Lighting Research Fires with DNA – (Intermediate)

Larry Vick M.S. – Using Y-DNA to Reconstruct a Patrilineal Tree – (Beginner)


Ohio Room (lower quality videos):

Terry Barton M.B.A. – Surname Project Administration – (Intermediate)

Shannon Christmas M.A. – Identity by Descent: Using DNA to Extend the African-American Pedigree – (Intermediate)

Karin Corbeil B.S., Diane Harman Hoog M.B.A., and Rob Warthen M.S. – Not Just for Adoptees – Methods and Tools for Working with Autosomal DNA from the Team at DNAGedcom.com – (Intermediate)

Katherine Hope Borges – International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG) – (Beginner)

William Hurst B.S. – Mitochondrial DNA Focusing on Haplogroup K – (Intermediate)

Kathy Johnston M.D. – From X Segments to Success Stories: The Use of the X Chromosome in Genetic Genealogy – (Advanced)

Maurice Gleeson M.D. – An Irish Approach to Autosomal DNA Matches – (Intermediate)

Greg Magoon Ph.D. – ‘Next-gen’ Y chromosome Sequencing – (Advanced)

Doug McDonald Ph.D. – Understanding Autosomal Biogeographical Ancestry Results – (Advanced)

David Pike Ph.D. – The Use of Phasing in Genetic Genealogy – (Advanced)

Bonnie Schrack B.A. – Y chromosome Haplogroups A and B – (Intermediate)

Debbie Parker Wayne CG – Mitochondrial DNA: Tools and Techniques for Genealogy – (Beginner)

Countdown to the I4GG International Genetic Genealogy Conference 2014

A quick reminder about the upcoming i4gg.org conference 

(a not-for-profit event).

This is truly a unique opportunity to personally meet with - and learn from - some of the world's leading Genetic Genealogy experts who, for the first time ever, will appear under ONE roof at the first International Genetic Genealogy Conference scheduled for Friday, August 15th through August 17th.

MEET THESE WORLD RENOWNED GENETIC GENEALOGY EXPERTS:

Dr. Spencer Wells - The Genographic Project (keynote)

Joanna Mountain - 23andMe

Julie Granka - AncestryDNA
Razib Khan for Family Tree DNA

Judy Russell

David Pike

CeCe Moore

Maurice Gleeson

Tim Janzen

Jim Bartlett

Terry Barton

Blaine Bettinger

Angie Bush

Rebekah Canada

Shannon Christmas

Karin Corbeil

Diane Herman Hoog

Katherine Hope Borges

Bill Hurst

Kathy Johnston

Thomas Krahn

Greg Magoon

Doug McDonald

Ugo Perego

Bonnie Schrack

Larry Vick

Rob Warthen

Debbie Parker Wayne

William Howard

 

The fabulous Judy Russell, Julie Granka, Greg Magoon, William Howard and Razib Khan were all added to the schedule since I last wrote about the conference.

 

 Take a minute to check out this video for a quick overview:

 

There is something for everyone - all levels of experience are encouraged to attend. Expert or novice - you'll take away a world of knowledge from the i4gg.org International Genetic Genealogy Conference August 15-17 at the National Youth Conference Center in Washington DC!

Don't miss this opportunity to learn from the best! Go to i4gg.org and register today - there are still tickets available. 

Sponsored by the Institute for Genetic Genealogy. THIS IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT EVENT for the advancement of genetic genealogy.

Hope to see you there!

Upcoming Events and Why I Have Been Too Busy to Blog

I'm sorry that I haven't had time to blog much lately, but I wanted to share a few of my activities with readers of YGG, so you will know that I have not deserted you. I am presently working as a genetic genealogy consultant and educator more than full time. Here are some of the things that are going on with me that you might be interested in:

23andMe Google+ Hangout Video
On Thursday, I participated in a Google+ Hangout with 23andMe. It begins with my presentation, a very basic 30 minute walk-through of the 23andMe Ancestry features, followed by a 30 minute question/answer discussion with Ancestry Product Manager, Laurie Kahn, Christine Moschella from Customer Care and me. You can watch the video below, but I recommend viewing it directly on YouTube (by clicking the YouTube logo at the bottom right of the screen) and watching it full screen to see the details on my slides. This video was intended for beginners, but the later discussion may be of interest to others.  (I should probably thank CJ Swenson of 23andMe for bearing with my schedule limitations while trying to get this on the calendar for several months!)



 
World Science Festival in NYC - May 29
This upcoming week I will be participating in the World Science Festival in New York City as part of an exciting panel discussion entitled "It's All Relatives: The Science of Your Family Tree" with Genomic Scientist Catherine Ball of AncestryDNA, Geneticist/Anthropologist Mark D. Shriver, Geneticist/Anthropologist Brenna Henn and moderated by Broadcast Journalist Randall Pinkston. The event will be hosted by Louise Mirrer, CEO and President of the New-York Historical Society.

Researching the farthest branches of your family tree is now faster, cheaper, more accessible and more accurate than ever before. Today you can find distant living relatives, learn how you are related to important historical figures or discover how your ancestors participated in major movements in human history.  And, using advanced technologies to analyze face structure and skin pigmentation, evolutionary geneticists can determine what your ancestors actually looked like.  Join a conversation among leading researchers about how gains in computational power, together with technological innovations, are allowing scientists to come ever closer to understanding how we are all connected.

"It's All Relatives" will be held at the New-York Historical Society on Thursday, May 29th at 6:00 pm. Further information can be found and tickets purchased here.

Harper's Magazine June Issue
The lead story in this month's Harper's Magazine is "America's Ancestry Craze: Making Sense of America's Family Tree Obsession" by Maud Newton. It includes some details of my work excerpted from extensive discussions with the very talented author (and genealogist) last year. Maud will be following up with a book published by Random House to further investigate this subject that is near and dear to many of our hearts.  The magazine can be found at select newsstands and is available to subscribers online.

Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr - Season Two
We are finally close to wrapping up the interviews for season two of the PBS series "Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr."  The season will begin to air Tuesday, September 23 and will include interviews with Ben Affleck, Sally Field, Derek Jeter, Deepak Chopra, Tina Fey, Valerie Jarrett, Carole King, Tony Kushner, Ken Burns, Angela Bassett, Alan Dershowitz, Ming Tsai, Aaron Sanchez, Tom Colicchio, Rebecca Lobo, Nas Jones, Billie Jean King, Stephen King, Courtney Vance and several others. This has been a huge undertaking for me since I am the only genetic genealogist working on the show and I analyze the results of all of the guests across three companies (AncestryDNA, 23andMe and Family Tree DNA). This upcoming month will be my year anniversary working with Professor Gates on the show and his personal genetic genealogy. It sure went by fast (even though I didn't get much sleep)!

Dr. Gates and I, last year's SCGS DNA Day

SCGS Jamboree and DNA Day
SCGS Jamboree is fast approaching where I will be giving three presentations and participating in one panel discussion. My first presentation on Thursday June 5th at 10:00 am will be live streamed, "Real Life Cases from the Desk of a DNA Genealogy Detective". There will be many genetic genealogists presenting both on Thursday and throughout the rest of the conference weekend. Here is my schedule:

DNA Thursday 
TH003 - Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. "Real World Stories from the Desk of a DNA Detective." DNA testing is revealing unexpected surprises in the trees of many genealogists, involving both immediate and more distant ancestors. These surprises often lead to fascinating stories that could never have been unearthed without DNA and this new-found knowledge has taught us that our family trees on paper may not always be the same as our true genetic genealogy. After learning of its potential to reveal and unravel complex family relationships, many are flocking to DNA testing to solve their own family mysteries. Actual cases from the presenter’s own files will be shared.

TH017 - Thursday 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. "Autosomal DNA: Discovering Your Ancestors in You." As genealogists, we have all invested a significant amount of time and effort searching for information about our ancestors. Rapidly advancing genetic technologies have now made it possible to discover more about our ancestors and in ways we never could have imagined. CeCe will demonstrate the methods that the experts use to get the most out of their results, including chromosome mapping and applications for adoption and African American genealogy. Examples from CeCe's research will be shared to demonstrate the potential for using autosomal DNA to discover more about our ancestors.

Jamboree Weekend
FR019  - Friday 4:00pm - 5:00pm. "Why Should I Take a DNA Test?" This is an introductory presentation for genealogists interested in venturing into DNA testing. It will cover the basics of the three types of DNA testing used for genealogy: Y-DNA, mtDNA and autosomal DNA as well as the pros and cons of the major companies offering services to the genealogy community. Come learn about the potential of DNA testing for opening doors and breaking down brick walls in your genealogy!

SA049  - Saturday 5:00pm - 6:00 pm.  ISOGG Panel: "Ask the Experts about DNA and Genealogy." This presentation is sponsored by the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG). Where are we now? What is the current "state of the art" in relation to each of the major DNA tests? What test tells the percentage of inheritance from different areas of the world? What new tools and utilities will be developed by independent developers? What does the future hold for genetic genealogy? These questions and more will be answered by the experts. Alice Fairhurst, Moderator with panelists: Blaine Bettinger PhD JD, Katherine Borges, Dr. Maurice Gleeson and CeCe Moore. (90 minutes)


GRIPitt "Practical Genetic Genealogy" Course
I am also preparing for the upcoming Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh course in July where I will be teaching with Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD and Debbie Parker-Wayne, CG (course coordinator). The course sold out mere minutes after registration opened, so the GRIPitt administrators arranged for a second classroom. This will double our teaching load, but will allow many more people to benefit from this intensive, week-long education. Due to its popularity, we will be offering this course again in 2015 (twice).


Institute for Genetic Genealogy Conference
Tim Janzen and I are very happy with how planning is moving along for the I4GG conference. The conference will be held August 15-17 in Washington D.C. and is intended for a wide audience. We will have presentations geared for the beginner all the way through to the advanced genetic genealogist. I have heard quite a few people remark that they aren't advanced enough to attend, so I want to emphasize that everyone is welcome no matter what experience level they have with genetic genealogy. In addition to the more basic presentations like mine "The Four Types of DNA Used in Genetic Genealogy" (title subject to change), there will be workshops presented by both 23andMe and Family Tree DNA on Friday (AncestryDNA has also been invited to host a workshop). These workshops will undoubtedly be of great benefit to the less experienced attendees. I will be posting more updates about this conference in the next day or so.

SLIG Genetic Genealogy Courses
Angie Bush and I will be co-coordinating the "Advanced DNA Analysis Techniques" course for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy in January and I will also be teaching in the "Getting Started with Genetic Genealogy" course coordinated by Debbie Parker Wayne, CG. The advanced course has several prerequisites since it is intended for the intermediate to advanced genetic genealogist, but the "Getting Started" course is open to any level.   

Registration for both opens on June 14th at 9:00am (Mountain Time).


Working on Various Unknown Parentage Cases
I continue to work on several unknown parentage cases, such as the one involving Paul Fronczak (and others that remain private) with my team(s). These types of cases take a tremendous amount of time and effort, but are well worth it in the long run. 


I hope to have the opportunity to catch up with many of you soon!

Announcing the 2014 Institute for Genetic Genealogy Conference

The Institute for Genetic Genealogy is pleased to announce the 2014 International Genetic Genealogy Conference, which will be held August 15-17 in Washington, DC at the National 4-H Conference Center. This conference has been planned in order to address the great need for genetic genealogy education.

An outstanding group of genetic genealogists and population geneticists have agreed to speak at the conference, including representatives from all of the major genetic genealogy companies. Dr. Spencer Wells, who heads the National Geographic Genographic Project, will be the keynote speaker. 

The main portion of the conference will be held on August 16 and 17 with a packed schedule of presentations from morning until night for those who want to learn as much as possible during this unique opportunity. Saturday will run from 8:30 am until 9:15 pm and Sunday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. Additionally, Family Tree DNA will hold a workshop in the evening of August 15. (Other genetic genealogy companies have also been offered the opportunity to present workshops on August 15 during the afternoon.) 

More details about the conference and registration information can be found at the website. The registration fee for the conference is $85 and will be limited to 800 total attendees. Meals and lodging will be available at the conference center but must be purchased at least one month in advance. The preliminary conference schedule can be found here and descriptions of the presentations and biographical background about the speakers can be found here.

Tim Janzen (with the assistance of his wife Rachel Janzen) and I have been planning and making preparations for this conference for the past six months. Angie Bush, Charmaine Riley Holley and Paul Woodbury have also provided valuable assistance, including distributing conference flyers at RootsTech and running the Institute for Genetic Genealogy's booth there. 
 
We are grateful to all of the speakers who are willing to share their knowledge with the genetic genealogy community. A complete list of the speakers and their presentations is as follows:

1.  Ancestry.com representative - Ancestry.com DNA products

2.  Jim Bartlett - Getting the Most of Your Autosomal DNA Matches and Triangulation, an Essential Tool to Sort out Your Matches and Map Your DNA

3.  Terry Barton - Surname Project Administration

4.  Dr. Blaine Bettinger - Using Free Third-party Tools to Analyze Your Autosomal DNA

5.  Angie Bush - DNA Case Studies

6.  Rebekah Canada - Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroup H

7.  Shannon Christmas - Identity by Descent: Using DNA to Extend the African-American Pedigree

8.  Karin Corbeil, Diane Harman-Hoog, and Rob Warthen - Not Just for Adoptees: Methods and Tools for Working with Autosomal DNA Results from the Team at DNAGedcom

9.  Family Tree DNA representative - FTDNA Products

10.  Dr. Maurice Gleeson - An Irish Approach to Autosomal DNA Matches

11.  Katherine Hope-Borges - ISOGG

12.  Bill Hurst - Mitochondrial DNA Focusing on Haplogroup K

13.  Dr. Tim Janzen - Using Chromosome Mapping to Help Trace Your Family Tree

14.  Dr. Kathy Johnston - From X Segments to Success Stories: The Use of the X Chromosome in Genetic Genealogy

15.  Thomas Krahn - I've Received my Y Chromosome Sequencing Results - What Now?

16.  Dr. Doug McDonald - Understanding Autosomal Biogeographical Ancestry Results

17.  23andMe representative - 23andMe Features

18.  CeCe Moore - The Four Types of DNA Used in Genetic Genealogy

19.  Dr.  Ken Nordtvedt - Y Haplogroup I — Very Early Europeans?

20.  Dr. Ugo Perego - Native American Ancestry Through DNA Analysis

21.  Dr. David Pike - The Use of Phasing in Genetic Genealogy

22.  Bonnie Schrack - Y chromosome Haplogroups A and B

23.  Larry Vick - Using Y-DNA to Reconstruct a Patrilineal Tree

24.  Debbie Parker Wayne - Mitochondrial DNA: Tools and Techniques for Genealogy

25.  Dr. Spencer Wells - the Genographic Project

26.  Dr. Jim Wilson - BritainsDNA's Chromo2 test and Y chromosome research


We hope to see you there for this wonderful educational opportunity!