Conference announcement posted by request of the NY Genealogical & Biographical Society. --Moderator, NYHIST-L DNA FOR GENEALOGISTS: HOW TO LEARN ABOUT YOUR ANCESTRY THROUGH DNA An all-day workshop, Saturday, June 18, 2005 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM 122 East 58 Street, New York, NY The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society is pleased to present a fascinating day-long workshop about the revealing world of DNA testing for genealogists. This workshop is geared to help the newcomer to DNA testing learn the essentials, from an understanding of DNA to being tested and interpreting the results. Led by two top experts in the field, Family Tree DNAšs president Bennett Greenspan and genealogist Megan Smolenyak, this workshop offers a practical, understandable, step-by-step, start-to-finish guided journey into what the genealogist needs to know about DNA testing. Learn: * What DNA is * What DNA testing offers genealogists * How DNA testing can advance the genealogical and anthropological knowledge of your ancestry * How to choose the right DNA tests for you and where to find them * How to start a DNA surname project or take the test on your own * How to interpret the results Take advantage of the discounted conference rate of $99 for Y-12 DNA testing (usually $159) and do your DNA cheek-swab test on-the-spot! Or take the test kit to give to a man in your family. Testing kits for a full array of tests--Y-DNA for men and mtDNA for men and women--will be available to conference attendees at special discount prices. SCHEDULE 9:30 AM - 10:00: AM REGISTRATION AND DNA TESTING 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM WELCOME 10: 15 AM - 11:45 AM REAL WORLD DNA TESTING. Megan Smolenyak With amazing swiftness, "genetealogy" (the marriage of genetics and genealogy) is graduating from pioneering research to standard practice. But what is it exactly and how can we use it to further our genealogical endeavors? Come hear one of the co-authors of Trace Your Roots with DNA discuss her own experience launching and managing a DNA project, including such considerations as test selection factors, vendor choice criteria (e.g., number of markers, cost, etc.), and convincing others to participate. Shešll also address other genealogical DNA tests such as mtDNA, SNP, and DNAPrint. 11:45 AM - 1:45 PM BUFFET LUNCH/ DNA TESTING/ DNA VIDEO/ NYG&B LIBRARY TOUR 1:45 PM - 3:15 PM DNA TESTING FOR THE MODERN GENEALOGIST: ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION MADE (ALMOST) SIMPLE. Bennett Greenspan Bennett Greenspan will discuss both the deep anthropology and the recent genealogical information that you have stored within your DNA, from learning about the migratory patterns of your ancestors thousands of years ago to confirming your personal heritage within recent generations. This rich history can shed new and exciting light on your ancestry. This lecture will unravel the secrets used by molecular anthropologists in terms understandable to any non-science major. 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM Q& A PANEL: ASK THE EXPERTS Bennett Greenspan, Anita Lustenberger, Meriwether Schmid, Megan Smolenyak Bring your questions to our speakers and two other experts in DNA testing, genetics, and genealogy. 4:30 PM - 5:00 PM DNA TESTING OUR SPEAKERS AND Q&A EXPERTS Bennett Greenspan is President and CEO of Family Tree DNA, a world leader in the field of Genetic Genealogy and the first genealogy-driven and most popular DNA testing service in the United States. An entrepreneur and life-long genealogy enthusiast, Mr. Greenspan founded Family Tree DNA in 1999, turning a hobby into a full-time vocation. Anita Anderson Lustenberger, CG is a certified genealogist and a certified genetic counselor, who worked for twenty years in genetics and birth defects clinics in New York. She is a NYGBS Trustee. Meriwether Schmid, FGBS, is a Trustee of the NYGBS, Secretary of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Genealogy Chair of the Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich, Trustee and DNA project administrator for the Meriwether Society, and project administrator for the Cowgill Cousins Group. Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak has been an avid genealogist for more than three decades and is an expert at family history research and a DNA project administrator. She is a consultant with the U.S. Army's Repatriation project using genealogical research and DNA testing to trace families of servicemen killed or MIA in Korea and Vietnam. A popular speaker throughout the country, she is the author of the several books, including Honoring Your Ancestors and the newly-released Trace Your Roots with DNA: Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree. COST Purchase the combined workshop and Y-12 DNA testing (for men) or pay just the price of the workshop and decide about the testing at the workshop. Workshop and buffet lunch: $60 members/ $90 non-members Workshop, buffet lunch, Y-12 DNA test (for men): $159 members/ $189 non-members Upgrades to Y-25 and Y-37 DNA tests for men, as well as mtDNA tests for men and women are available at discounted conference prices upon request. Results in approximately 7 weeks. Space is limited. Please visit www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org or call 212-755-8532 to register.