Since 1924, we have been educating and supporting scientists throughout Pennsylvania by striving to promote science, technology, education and the diverse interests of our members. We strive to be a vital and valuable resource for Pennsylvania science professionals, faculty, and students.
The Pennsylvania Academy of Science seeks to:
Please join us for the 97th Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science
hosted by DeSales University
On March 25-27, 2022
Spiderman Syndrome: Bacterial DNA in Animal Genomes
Dr. Julie Dunning Hotopp Professor, University of Maryland, Institute for Genome Science
Julie is a genome biologist who studies the movement of bacterial DNA into animal genomes through a process called lateral/horizontal gene transfer. Before we even knew the structure or role of DNA, scientists studied what is now known to be lateral gene transfer (LGT) in bacteria. LGT is behind the spread of antibiotic resistance as well as pathways for remediation. When Julie began her work, it was still largely thought that foreign DNA couldn’t move into eukaryotic genomes, and particularly not animal genomes or the human genome. Through her work, and the work other others, we now know that there is a plethora of bacterial DNA in animal genomes, and possible pieces of DNA in the human genome. Her research has been featured in two books, “I Contain Multitudes” by Ed Yong and “The Tangled Tree” by David Quammen as well as being named by Discover Magazine to be one of the top 100 science discoveries in 2007.
In 1997, Julie graduated with a BS with distinction in research in Microbiology & Immunology from the University of Rochester. She obtained her PhD in Microbiology & Molecular Genetics in 2002 from Michigan State University. After doing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute for Genome Research, in 2007, she joined the faculty at the University of Maryland Baltimore where she is now a full professor.
The Pennsylvania Academy of Science is seeking proposals for the next book in the PAS Book Series. The PAS Book Series is supported by the E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Book Fund and is intended to publish books in support of PAS’s mission:
The goals of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science’s Book Series are to publish books that promote scientific research, stimulate the exchange of ideas among those engaged in scientific work, and assist in the development and distribution of information relating to science and science education, especially in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Proposals should include a summary of the proposed book’s content, a tentative title, names and affiliations of editors, and a list of possible chapters and chapter authors. Please contact the PAS Book Editor with any questions or to submit a proposal for a book: Howard Whidden (hwhidden@esu.edu). Please submit proposals by 31 March 2022 so they can be discussed at the 2022 annual meeting.
