Events
Upcoming events hosted by or involving Genetics Otago will be listed here. Please check back regularly for updates. A calendar of events that may be of interest to our members can be found at the bottom of this page and in the sidebar of other pages on this site, please note that this includes events hosted outside of Genetics Otago.
Logan Walker IPL
Preparing for the future of genetic health
Logan is a cancer geneticist and the current Associate Dean Research, at the University of Otago Christchurch. His research focuses on understanding the impact of genetic changes on health. After completing post-doctoral training in Australia, and returning to the University of Otago, his research programme was significantly strengthened by being awarded a Sir Charles Hercus Health Research Fellowship (Health Research Council) followed by a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship (Royal Society Te Apārangi).
He is an invited member of several international groups tasked with improving protocols for genetic testing around the world. This work includes developing RNA diagnostic guidelines for both the clinical and research setting, and providing expert advice about the implementation of these guidelines and the interpretation of genetic test results. In collaboration with multiple international consortia, he has also contributed to and led some of the largest genetic association studies to discover inherited DNA copy number changes that increase or decrease susceptibility to cancer.s.
Date: Tuessday, 11th March 2025
Time: 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Venue: Rolleston Lecture Theatre, Christchurch Campus (and via Zoom)
AlphaFold for Geneticists
The AlphaFold for Geneticists workshop will introduce participants to the AI tool AlphaFold. Attendees will learn how to run AlphaFold on their chosen variant and interpret outputted results. Led by experts Prof Peter Mace and Dr Adam Middleton, the session will provide insight into the strengths and limitations of AlphaFold. Further details will be provided to registrants.
Date: Monday, 24th March 2025
Time: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Venue: TBC, Dunedin Campus
This workshop is now full, please email go@otago.ac.nz if you would like to be added to the waitlist.
Calendar of Events
The below is a calendar of events hosted by GO as well as events hosted by others that may be of interest to our members. If you have an event you would like us to include please contact us here.
Have you heard about flow cytometry but aren’t yet confident enough to use it? Are you a flow cytometry wizard but are unsure why all the kids are talking about spectral cytometry? Then this is the crash course for you. Kate Pilkington from Cytek Biosciences will be visiting the university to give 4 talks over 2 days. See the Itinerary below.
Monday 12th July – 10:30am – 12:00pm – Introduction to Flow Cytometry
Monday 12th July – 3:30pm – 4:30pm – Panel Design Workshop
Tuesday 13th July – 9:30am – 11:00am – Spectral Cytometry
Tuesday 13th July – 1:00pm – 2:30pm – Flow Cytometry Best Practices (Including Reference control use)
Tuesday 13th July – 2:30pm – 3:00pm – Otago Flow Cytometry Unit updates
All talks and workshops will take place in room 208, second floor microbiology and immunology building.
Please register using the link below. Registration Essential.
See you there,
The OMNI Flow Cytometry TeamFlow Cytometry Crash Course
Bioethics Seminar
Trustworthy Governance of Health and Genomic Data: Lessons from Singapore
Angela Ballantyne
Associate Professor of Bioethics
Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice, University of Otago (Wellington)
In this presentation I will report the preliminary findings from three connected studies on public attitudes to data-sharing and precision medicine in Singapore: seven focus groups with 62 participants, conducted in three languages (English, Mandarin and Malay); a household survey in 2020 with 1,000 Singaporeans to assess public preferences on sharing health-related data for precision medicine; and a four-day citizens’ jury to deliberate on sharing data with comical companies. This research is important because much of the existing literature on public attitudes to PM and data sharing comes from Europe and North America. Across our three studies, four ethical values emerged as the central considerations for ethical and trusted health data use in Singapore: public interests, fairness, accountability and transparency. In all three studies, consent was not a determinative factor for public trust or support of data sharing. While participants generally thought the potential benefits of data sharing outweighed the risks, they were cognizant of various risks including data leaks, data misuse, privacy breaches, misdiagnosis and threats to the doctor-patient relationship (due to an increasingly data-driven approach), and group harms such as stigmatization, discrimination, loss of access to medical care. In this presentation, I will draw on our empirical findings and propose recommendations for trustworthy data governance in Singapore and consider how these lessons compare to the New Zealand context.
Room 119, Bioethics Seminar Room 71 Frederick Street, Dunedin
Video linked:
To secure the booking for this seminar video link in Christchurch and Wellington, please register your name, subject and date of the seminar for attendance:
Wellington School of Medicine Room C31 Contact: Videoconferencing University of Otago Wellington avvcsupport.uow@otago.ac.nz or University of Otago Christchurch Room 7.11 Contact: av.uoc@otago.ac.nz
Please note: if there is no registration (for northern campuses) by the Thursday prior to the advertised seminar, the booking for that campus venue will be terminated.
Dunedin attendees do not need to register
Department of Botany Seminars—Semester Two 2021
Wednesdays at 12 noon in the Physical Education Building, 55 Union St West, room 2.13 (unless otherwise stated please see schedule below).
For those who cannot attend in person, you are welcome to join via the Zoom link below: https://otago.zoom.us/j/94239463064?pwd=d051YWFwdVB1bi9FSzBjYzkwNWJBUT09 Password: 807740
Consider your career prospects with a PhD
Course Duration: 2 Hours
Platform: Face-to-face
Overview: Introducing the Career LEAN Canvas to provide a structure for planning your career.
Contents:
Understanding yourself and your options are the basis of starting to consider your career development. This workshop will focus on practical ways to enhance your future options. Bring your questions and career problems to be solved.
The workshop will be facilitated by Yvonne Gaut, Career Development Centre.
https://corpapp.otago.ac.nz/training/hedc/course/16754/date/202105/
Feeling like there are too many statistics programs and/or not sure which one (or ones) would be best for you? Come along to this seminar to learn about the software biostatisticians work with, find out why we use certain programs and for what, and discover sources of information so you can learn more about the software best for you and your research.
Presented by: Andrew Gray, Senior Research Fellow, Biostatistics Centre
The School is delighted to announce the 2021 BMS Postgraduate Symposium will be held on Wednesday 28th July 2021.
Venue: The Terrace Lounge, 1st Floor, Union Building
Registration and Abstract submissions now open!
A flyer for display and registration form are attached – further speaker information to follow.
2021 BMS PGS Registration Form
We look forward to receiving your entries!
Entry deadline: 30th June 2021 to: bmsadmin@otago.ac.nz
Department of Botany Seminars—Semester Two 2021
Wednesdays at 12 noon in the Physical Education Building, 55 Union St West, room 2.13 (unless otherwise stated please see schedule below).
For those who cannot attend in person, you are welcome to join via the Zoom link below: https://otago.zoom.us/j/94239463064?pwd=d051YWFwdVB1bi9FSzBjYzkwNWJBUT09 Password: 807740
Chiasma’s flagship event of the year, SYNAPSE, brings you the opportunity to connect with science and technology employers!
The theme for SYNAPSE 2021 is ADAPT – A fast-paced future!
This year’s synapse is all about adapting to new technologies, innovative ideas, and collaborations.
Synapse will include a keynote speaker, a panel discussion, and an expo. In the expo portion, STEM-related companies will hold booths that interested students can approach, as a networking opportunity.
Guests are invited to enjoy refreshments and nibbles while networking with industry professionals.
The event is FREE but registration is essential so click the button below to register. We can’t wait for you to join us for another year at Synapse!
Speakers, panellists and booth holders will be announced via social media in the weeks prior to the event (https://www.facebook.com/chiasmadunedin).
Synapse 2021 is proudly sponsored by Pacific Edge and Genetics Otago.
Please find attached the Bioethics Seminar poster for next Monday – 2 August 2021, at 1-1:50pm – presented by Dr Phillip Wilcox, titled, “Confessions of an Accidental (Māori) Bioethicist.”
Bioethics Seminar Poster – Dr Phillip Wilcox – 2 August 2021
For those who wish to attend in person, please come to the Bioethics Seminar Room (Room 119), Bioethics Centre (Level 1, 71 Frederick Street, Dunedin 9016).
For those who cannot attend in person, you are welcome to join via the ZOOM link below:
Meeting ID: https://otago.zoom.us/j/922351556
Password: 595584
To those joining online, we ask that you please mute yourself upon arrival to avoid accidental interruptions.
Video linked:
To secure the booking for this seminar video link (northern campuses), please register your name, subject and date of the seminar for attendance:
University of Otago, Wellington Room C.31 Contact: avvcsupport.uow@otago.ac.nz
University of Otago Christchurch Room 7.11 Contact: av.uoc@otago.ac.nz
Please note: if there is no registration (for northern campuses) by the Thursday prior to the advertised seminar, the booking currently in place will be terminated.
Dunedin attendees do not need to register.
Department of Botany Seminars—Semester Two 2021
Wednesdays at 12 noon in the Physical Education Building, 55 Union St West, room 2.13 (unless otherwise stated please see schedule below).
For those who cannot attend in person, you are welcome to join via the Zoom link below: https://otago.zoom.us/j/94239463064?pwd=d051YWFwdVB1bi9FSzBjYzkwNWJBUT09 Password: 807740