Upcoming Genetic Genealogy Educational Opportunities

My partner in the DNA Detectives, Angie Bush, and I are often asked about educational opportunities for those wanting to understand how to use DNA in their genealogical research, including how to find missing biological family and/or how to become a professional genetic genealogist. There are several upcoming events that one or both of us will be speaking at, and we wanted to let you know about them. Come and visit us and learn more about using DNA in your research and business!

1.  North San Diego County Genealogy Society's Fall Seminar will feature four presentations focused on DNA given by Kathleen Cooper, Jean Moss, Michelle Trostler and me. If you are local to Carlsbad, CA, please join us! (Tim Janzen will also be speaking at our NSDCGS DNA Interest Group meeting in Carlsbad on Oct. 16th.)

2.  October 17th-19th is The Genealogy Event in New York City with a Special DNA Day held on Sunday. Angie and I will both be speaking at the DNA Day, as will our colleague Blaine Bettinger and Bennett Greenspan from Family Tree DNA. This should be a fun and exciting event, and we would love to see you there.

3.  On November 1st, the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists will be holding their annual fall conference in Provo, Utah. There will be a day-long track at this conference covering all aspects of DNA testing for genealogical research taught by Angie and Paul Woodbury. If you are in Utah or nearby, this will be an excellent series of lectures that you should strongly consider attending.

4.  From November 29th to December 6th, Angie will be on a cruise sponsored by Heritage Books teaching about genetic genealogy. Craig Scott, Cyndi Ingle, Mark Lowe, and Bill Litchman will also be joining her lecturing on subjects in their areas of expertise. There will be many opportunities for individual consultation and/or small meetings with Angie about your genetic genealogy questions. This is a unique opportunity you don’t want to miss!

**If you are a project administrator, please don't miss registration for the Family Tree DNA conference to be held in Houston, Oct. 10-12. (I will be speaking there as well, but on mitochondrial DNA which is unusual for me.) Registration ends soon and must be done through your GAP sign-in. 

Early 2015 events that we will both be speaking at include:

•  The Association of Professional Genealogists Professional Management Conference held January 8th and 9th in Salt Lake City, Utah. Early bird registration ends November 15th, so register now for best pricing!

•  The FGS and RootsTech Conferences held February 11th-14th in Salt Lake City. Early bird pricing ends September 15th!

•  The Advanced Genetic Genealogy Course sponsored by the Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy held March 26-28 in Dallas, Texas. This course is specifically designed to address unknown parentage/adoption cases. Seating is limited, so don’t wait to sign-up! Register here. 

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!

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.

Please Join Me and Shannon Christmas for Bernice Bennett's Blog Talk Radio Show on Autosomal DNA Tonight

Please join me and my good friend and colleague, Shannon Christmas, for Bernice Bennett's Blog Talk Radio show discussing Autosomal DNA testing at 6:00 pm PST tonight. We will be answering lots of your questions about autosomal DNA research and the companies that offer this test. (The show will be archived for listeners who can't listen in tonight. Since this post did not mail out as scheduled, interested readers can use that option to hear the show at the link below.)

You can listen at this link:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bernicebennett/2013/06/28/strategies-for-using-autosomal-dna

Strategies For Using Autosomal DNA
CeCe Moore and Shannon Christmas will discuss strategies for using autosomal DNA to resolve genealogical problems.

Shannon Christmas is an experienced genealogist specializing in genetic, colonial American, and African-American genealogy in Virginia and the Carolinas. He serves as a 23andMe Ancestry Ambassador, an Ancestry.com Ace, administrator of The Captain Thomas Graves of Jamestown Autosomal DNA Project, and a co-administrator of The Hemings-Jefferson-Wayles-Eppes Autosomal DNA Project.

CeCe Moore is a professional genetic genealogist and writes the popular blog "Your Genetic Genealogist", where she covers the developments in the field of DNA genealogy as an independent, unbiased authority. She is the Southern California Regional Coordinator for the International Society of Genetic Genealogy and the administrator of the organization’s DNA Newbie Mailing List. In 2012, CeCe was personally appointed by the CEO of 23andMe to serve as their lead Ancestry Ambassador, a volunteer position that enables her to promote the interests of the genealogy community.

DNA Makes a Splash at RootsTech 2013!

[I started writing this post right after Rootstech, but never published it. I had thought it was too late, but since lots of blogs are still discussing RootsTech, I decided to go ahead and publish it.]

I already wrote about the DNA announcements made at RootsTech, but DNA was such a hit at this year's RootsTech conference that I think another post is due.

This was my first attendance at RootsTech and I was impressed. The conference had more DNA talks than ever and most were standing room only. I think the organizers may need to give us all bigger rooms next year!

Nathan Murphy of the SLC Family History Library spoke to a full room about the application of Y-DNA for genealogy (Update - I just found Nathan's talk online.). Diahan Southard from The Genetic Genealogy Consultant gave an entertaining presentation on my favorite subject - autosomal DNA.  Elise Friedman from Relative Roots and Family Tree DNA gave two talks to packed rooms - one which lasted substantially longer than scheduled due to the enthusiastic questioning from the audience. AncestryDNA hosted a sold-out luncheon program featuring DNA and their product director Kenny Freestone gave a separate presentation on the AncestryDNA product.

My first presentation was on the Geno 2.0 test. My crowd was highly engaged and full of questions.

RootsTech Geno 2.0 Presentation

YGG and the Geno 2.0 Presentation Audience

My second presentation was an "Ask the Experts" genetic genealogy panel. Participants were Bennett Greenspan, CEO of Family Tree DNA; Dr. Catherine Ball, VP of Genomics and Bioinformatices for AncestryDNA and Dr. Tim Janzen, 23andMe Ancestry Ambassador and Independent Researcher. I had prepared questions, but didn't need them since we had such an enthusiastic crowd. Before we got started with questions, I asked the room how many had tested before. I was shocked to see almost every hand in the room go up. Most had tested at all three of the major companies and with multiple types of tests. I was expecting to have a much less advanced crowd, but since panels are inherently flexible, it worked out beautifully. I only wish we had more time since there were many hands raised throughout the entire hour and I don't think everyone got a chance to ask their question.

"Ask the Experts" panel - photo courtesy Lynn Broderick and the Single Leaf

The bottom line is that DNA for genealogy is here to stay. I think Dick Eastman expressed it best in the "Future of Genealogy" panel. When asked what three words best described the future of genealogy, he instead opted to respond with three letters "D.N.A."!

Upcoming Presentations: Spring 2013

With three presentations last week and a number more coming up in the next few weeks, I am fortunate to have many opportunities to educate genealogists on my favorite subject, DNA. Here is what is coming up on my schedule:

• This weekend, I am presenting at the OCCGS Genealogy BASH in Huntington Beach. This event is a celebration of the 50 year anniversary of the Orange County Genealogy Society held on Saturday, March 2nd from 8:00am - 3:30pm. I am joining seven other favorite Southern California speakers: Barbara Renick, Jean Wilcox Hibben, Norma Keating, Gina Philibert-Ortega, Randy Seaver, Linda Serna, Dawn Thurston and will be giving two talks on genetic genealogy in the afternoon. The event will be held at the Huntington Beach Central Library, 7111 Talbert Avenue, Huntington Beach, CA 92648.

• Next weekend, I will be speaking at Discover Your Roots XI: 11th Annual African American Family History Conference in Los Angeles. This is an all day event on Saturday, March 9th from 9:00am - 4:00pm to be held at the LDS Historical Chapel, 1209 South Manhattan Place, Los Angeles, CA 90019. I am joining 21 speakers at this event and will be giving a beginning genetic genealogy presentation in the afternoon. 

• On March 22nd and 23rd, I will be presenting two sessions at RootTech in Salt Lake City. "The Genographic Project 2.0" will be on Friday and the "Ask the Experts: Genetic Genealogy Panel" will be held on Saturday morning. 

• On March 30th, I will be teaching an all day genetic genealogy workshop for the Chula Vista Genealogical Society.  This is their Spring Seminar and will be held from 9:00am- 3:00pm at the Chula Vista Golf Course, 4475 Bonita Rd, Bonita CA 91902. This workshop will give attendees a good foundation for applying their DNA testing results to their genealogy research. The fee to CVGS members is only $35, $40 to non-members and late registrants after March 22 and includes a catered lunch. You can register here. There will also be copies of Richard Hills' terrific book Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA available for purchase. The Chula Vista La Quinta Inn has a block of rooms reserved for only $80 for the seminar (mention CVGS). Reserve by March 4th to get the discount.

• On April 20th, I will be speaking about beginning genetic genealogy at the Ventura County Genealogy Society at 1:00pm. This will be part of their monthly program series and will be held at the LDS Church, 3501 Loma Vista Rd, Ventura, CA 93003. 

• On May 17th, I will be speaking at the San Diego Chapter of the DAR monthly meeting at 11:00am. The meeting will be held at the Admiral Baker Golf Course, located at 2400 Admiral Baker Rd, San Diego, CA 92120.

• On June 6th,  I will be giving an intermediate level presentation on Autosomal DNA for Genealogy at the Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2013 conference. I will be joined by many of the most respected speakers in the field.

• I will be involved in three presentations at the SCGS Genealogy Jamboree on June 7th and 8th, On Friday, I will be participating in the "Genetic Genealogy: Ask the Experts" panel and on Saturday I will be presenting "Using DNA Testing to Discover the Genealogical Roots of Adoptees" and participating in the Blogger Summit panel with Thomas MacEntee. 

Whew...it is going to be a very hectic couple of months! I look forward to meeting many of you while I am busily spreading the news about the fascinating and increasingly exciting world of genetic genealogy!