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.
GO Annual Symposium – New Date Confirmed!
As usual, the Symposium will highlight the fantastic research being done by GO members from around the country through presentations, posters and awards. We are aware that this date clashes with a couple of other conferences happening in NZ and we apologise if this means you are unable to attend.
Date: Thursday, 20th February 2025
Time: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Venue: TBC
Programme
A draft programme will be available here soon.
Registration
Registration for this event is now open via the button below. If you had already registered for the event scheduled for December we ask you to please register again so that we have accurate numbers for catering. If you made a payment at that time, this should have been refunded to you – please contact us if you don’t think this has been processed.
Registration will remain open until Monday the 3rd of February, however we hope that by opening now, prior to end of year budget cut-offs, you maybe able to charge the registration fee to any surplus in your 2024 University accounts.
Registration Fee
Due to budget constraints, we will be charging a $50 per person registration fee for all attendees to subsidise the costs associated with the Symposium. We have received confirmation that this registration fee can be paid from S accounts, and if you are in a position to make a donation on top of this fee, we would gladly receive it. However, we do not want the payment to be a barrier to attendance, so if you are not in a position to make a payment, please contact us go@otago.ac.nz.
Payment Methods
Payments from an S account (or other University account) can be journaled to Genetics Otago account GL.10.LH.A14.2541 via your finance associate. Please include the surname(s) of the registrants that the payment covers in the narration.
If you need to make payment using funds from outside the University this can be arranged via the Cashier’s Office. Please contact us for details (go@otago.ac.nz).
Awards
The Annual Genetics Otago Awards including The Genetics Otago Award, Outstanding Mentor Awards, Student Supervisor Award, Publication Awards, Poster Awards and Science Communication Prize will be presented at the conclusion of the Symposium and nominations for these are now open.
All award nominations should be submitted by email to go@otago.ac.nz.
Please note: Award nominations are now open until Monday 3rd February at 5pm.
Full details of the awards can be found here: Award Details.
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.
R for Successful Student Projects is back again this semester starting 16th March. Across 9 sessions online, Wednesdays 10am-12pm, Murray Cadzow and Patricia Haden from the RTIS programming team will be teaching R, starting with an introduction to R syntax, through to using R with a focus on data, then onto how to use R programmatically. During each session, there will also be time to seek help and advice on how to use R for your own projects.
Staff are welcome to join in.
Please register your interest at https://rtis-training.github.io/r4ssp.
R for Successful Student Projects is back again this semester starting 16th March. Across 9 sessions online, Wednesdays 10am-12pm, Murray Cadzow and Patricia Haden from the RTIS programming team will be teaching R, starting with an introduction to R syntax, through to using R with a focus on data, then onto how to use R programmatically. During each session, there will also be time to seek help and advice on how to use R for your own projects.
Staff are welcome to join in.
Please register your interest at https://rtis-training.github.io/r4ssp.
R for Successful Student Projects is back again this semester starting 16th March. Across 9 sessions online, Wednesdays 10am-12pm, Murray Cadzow and Patricia Haden from the RTIS programming team will be teaching R, starting with an introduction to R syntax, through to using R with a focus on data, then onto how to use R programmatically. During each session, there will also be time to seek help and advice on how to use R for your own projects.
Staff are welcome to join in.
Please register your interest at https://rtis-training.github.io/r4ssp.
Professor Andrew Pask (School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne) is visiting Dunedin next week and will be giving a special seminar on Tuesday 23rd August at 1 pm in the D’Ath Lecture Theatre.
Prof. Pask has worked on marsupial development and genetics for over 20 years. He heads up the Thylacine integrated genomic restoration research lab (TIGRR) and the evo-devo-repro lab in the School of BioSciences. His research is exploring novel ways to conserve marsupials and de-extinct the thylacine.
See attached poster for full details and Zoom link. 
Please note the change in time and venue for this seminar due to the Stop Work meeting being held from 12 – 2 pm on the 9th of May.
It’s a team game: a research journey in infection and immunity
About Professor James Ussher’s research
James is an immunologist and a clinical microbiologist (at Southern Community Laboratories) whose research programme is focussed on the immune response to infection and on antibiotic resistance.
His laboratory is investigating the role of innate-like T-cells in anti-bacterial immunity and how they might be harnessed to prevent infection. They also contribute to several vaccine development projects. In addition, his laboratory uses whole genome sequencing of antibiotic resistant bacteria to identify outbreaks and track transmission pathways to enable interventions.
He is involved in collaborative research projects in New Zealand, the Pacific, Asia, and the United Kingdom.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, he co-led the establishment of the Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand – Ohu Kaupare Huaketo (VAANZ), a multi-institutional team of researchers and industry focused on building New Zealand’s capability and platforms for vaccine development. He was a member of the Government’s COVID-19 Vaccine Taskforce and is a member of the COVID-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group.
Streaming information for Professor James Ussher
This event will be live-streamed, from 5:25pm Thursday 25th May 2023, at the following web address:
