Kansas City, Mo. (Nov. 17, 2008) – Scott Hawley, Ph.D., Investigator, has been selected by the members of the Genetics Society of America (GSA) as the 2009 vice president and 2010 president.

     Founded in 1931, the GSA includes nearly 5,000 scientists and educators interested in the field of genetics. The Society promotes the communication of advances in genetics through publication of the journal GENETICS, and by sponsoring scientific meetings focused on key organisms widely used in genetic research.

     “It truly is an honor to be elected to serve the Genetics Society of America for the next two years,” said Dr. Hawley. “I look forward to participating in the planning of our Model Organisms and Human Disease Meeting in June 2010 and to helping to expand the Society’s efforts with respect to both the difficulties inherent in the current crisis in federal research funding and our role in improving the teaching of genetics in high schools and colleges. I am also looking forward to helping with the changes that are re-shaping our journal GENETICS.”

     Dr. Hawley has been an active member of the GSA for many years, making significant contributions to GENETICS, writing for the GSA newsletter, GENEtics, and attending and organizing the GSA’s annual Drosophila meetings. He is well known within the GSA community for his commitment to undergraduate and graduate student genetics education. In recognition of this commitment, Dr. Hawley was named the 2008 recipient of the GSA Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence in Education. He served as a director on the GSA Board from 1996-99 and as the first content editor of the Society Website from 2001-06.

     “All of us at the Stowers Institute take great pride in Scott Hawley’s election to the presidency of the Genetics Society of America,” said William Neaves, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. “His innovative research in Drosophila genetics, his dedication to teaching, and his loyal service over many years to the members of the Society make Dr. Hawley’s election a richly deserved honor.”

     Dr. Hawley is an American Cancer Society Research Professor. In addition to his research at the Stowers Institute, Dr. Hawley serves as a Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology at The University of Kansas Medical Center; an Adjunct Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri-Kansas City; and an Adjunct Professor of Biology at The University of Kansas. Learn more about his work at www.stowers-institute.org/labs/HawleyLab.asp.

About the Stowers Institute
     Housed in a 600,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility on a 10-acre campus in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research conducts basic research on fundamental processes of cellular life. Through its commitment to collaborative research and the use of cutting-edge technology, the Institute seeks more effective means of preventing and curing disease. The Institute was founded by Jim and Virginia Stowers, two cancer survivors who have created combined endowments of $2 billion in support of basic research of the highest quality.