i4GG 2022 Institute

 2022 Institute for Genetic Genealogy (i4GG) 

  I attended the 2022 Institute for Genetic Genealogy in San Diego, California last month. This is the third time I have attended and the first one held by the Institute since the pandemic began. The venue was the Sheraton Hotel in Mission Valley, an area of San Diego. I grew up in San Diego and currently live 25 miles north of here, so I felt right at home.

  Two full days of speakers from the Genetic Genealogy field, who are some of the best and brightest out there, were gathered for the event. Several of my friends attended in person, some local and some who drove or flew in. This event was also live-streamed to an international audience by CeCe Moore's husband, Lennart Martinson, and his crew.

   This year as I listened to the speakers and took notes, I noticed that the institute has progressed and really is geared to the "professional", rather than the average student like me. Which is a good thing for the genetic community. I still learn and pick up new ways of exploring my own DNA connections, but I don't think I will be starting a business anytime soon. The format and time allotted for breaks and lunch were very generous and very appreciated. Time enough to socialize and make new friends and see old ones.

  I highly recommend this institute for the intermediate and advanced students alike, and I hope CeCe continues this educational venue for years to come. "Thank you" to Lennart for his generosity to me for the ticket to attend. :) 

Here is the schedule for each day:

SATURDAY, April 9, 2022

SESSIONS

9:00 – 9:15

Welcome, CeCe Moore

9:15 – 10:15

What’s New at GEDmatch, Kitty Cooper

10:20 – 11:20

Identifying John and Jane Does through Investigative Genetic Genealogy, Margaret Press

11:30 – 12:30

Investigative Genetic Genealogy, CeCe Moore

12:30 – 2:00

LUNCH BREAK

2:00 – 3:15

Perspectives on Hispanic DNA – Tips for Overcoming These Most Challenging Cases, Carol Rolnick

3:30 – 4:30

Best Practices in the Field of Investigative Genetic Genealogy, CeCe Moore

4:30 – 5:30

Panel on Investigative Genetic Genealogy, Moderator: CeCe Moore, Margaret Press, Kevin Lord, Carol Rolnick

SUNDAY, April 10, 2022

SESSIONS

9:00 – 10:20

One Man, Multiple Names, an Unexpected DNA Discovery, Dana Leeds

10:25 – 11:25

Complex Autosomal DNA and Y-Chromosome Case Analyses, Tim Janzen

11:30 – 12:00

Case Study, CeCe Moore

12:00 – 2:00

LUNCH BREAK

2:00 – 3:00

Finding Your Roots Season 8: DNA Case Studies, Kimberly N. Morgan

3:05 – 4:05

Solving the 87-Year-Old Mystery of the Hatbox Baby, Bonnie Bossert

4:15 – 5:30

John Doe and an Adoptee, CeCe Moore

kitty munson cooper

my friend from escondido, lisa medina

Paul graham, paul baltzer & paul hawthorne

Watching live and live streaming!

Lennart at his command post

lennart with lisa medina

cece and kitty

Until next time...

i4GG 2017 Conference

 2017 Institute for Genetic Genealogy (i4GG)

 I attended the 2017 Institute for Genetic Genealogy held in my beautiful hometown of San Diego. This was the2^nd. time for me to attend the still new institute, this having been their 3^rd. conference since 2014. It was founded by CeCe Moore and Dr. Tim Janzen to organize genetic genealogy conferences, funding genealogical and anthropological genetic testing, and considering a credentialing board.

  The two-day event was held at the Sheraton Hotel in Mission Valley on December 9^th. & 10^th. A few days before the conference I saw a post by CeCe Moore indicating that it was sold out! I heard an un-official count of approximately 273 people registered, not including the instructors and support staff.

 This conference was organized by CeCe and her husband, Lennart Martinson. Lennart runs his own film production company, and he used his expertise to film the whole conference which should be available in early February. Everything went smoothly with very few hiccups. The hundreds of people from throughout the U.S. and elsewhere were quite friendly and joyful. I met several Facebook friends in person for the first time and reconnected with several more.

 I also saw a larger San Diego area crowd than the previous year. This conference is geared to the intermediate to advanced genetic genealogists, but there were many beginners in attendance too. I would say a high percentage of people come to i4GG because they are honing in on their skills for their own business. I am there personally for my own education to help me understand how to break through brick walls in my family research.

Classes I attended on Saturday, December 9^th.

·       Opening Keynote – CeCe Moore.

·       The Limitations of Cousin Matching – Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D.

·       What’s New at Gedmatch – 2017 – Kitty Cooper.

·       Creating and Utilizing Genetic Networks In Your Research – CeCe Moore.

·       Power Tools for the Genetic Genealogist – Angie Bush.

  Classes I attended on Sunday, December 10^th.

·       Identifying the Man Known as Paul Fronczak through DNA Detective Work – CeCe Moore, Carol Rolnick and Michelle Trostler.

·       DNA Successes In–And Despite Of—Endogamy – Lara Diamond.

·       Using DNAGedcom’s GWorks – Rob Warthen, founder of DNAGedcom.

·       Breaking Down Genealogical Brick Walls with AncestryDNA – CeCe Moore.

·       Visual Phasing How-To – Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D.

  I took a few photos of the two-day event

CeCe Moore during the Keynote

Debby Anderson and Diane Hall - Bloggers and fellow SDGS members.

Two bass players! Myself and Jake Fletcher from Ancestry ProGenealogists

Packed house!

CeCe Moore of the DNA Detectives

Blaine Bettinger and Linda Okazaki

My friend from Arizona and fellow SLIG alumni - Mckell Keeney

Says it all!

Author of Genetic Genealogy in Practice, Blaine Bettinger!

The always entertaining, Kitty Cooper! Check out her blog!

The awesome Angie Bush of Ancestry ProGenealogists

I met my friend Janine Cloud from FTDNA finally! 

Panel with CeCe Moore, Carol Rolnick, and Michelle Trostler.

My friend and fellow SLIG alumni, Lara Diamond!

With the awesome Bonnie Schrack of DNA RootSearch. 

Blaine let us take photos! 

i4GG 2017 was a success!

Until next time!

i4GG 2016 International Genetic Genealogy Conference

I attended my first genetic genealogy conference this past weekend. The 2016 International Genetic Genealogy Conference is the product of CeCe Moore and Dr. Tim Janzen’s Institute for Genetic Genealogy or i4GG for short. This is only the second one to be held, the first one being held in Washington D.C. two years ago.

 I have been to several classes and webinars, including a chromosome mapping course earlier this year at NGS Fort Lauderdale and taught by geneticist Angie Bush, but I am still at the novice level, mostly from not applying what I have learned due to time restraints and a full time job. This conference, however, has sparked my will power to really dive into it. I have taken tests with the three major companies and have tested my dad, mom, and a maternal uncle, so I have plenty to get me started.

 The conference was held at the Sheraton Mission Valley on Saturday and Sunday, October 22-23, 2016 and had approximately 250 attendees. There were two ballrooms where the classes were held, one ballroom being quite a bit smaller. So you had the choice of attending one class or another, but the whole conference was being filmed by CeCe Moore’s husband Lennart Martinson and his company StudioNTV, so I wasn’t too worried when I couldn’t fit into the standing room only presentation of Kitty Cooper’s “Using the Tools at GEDmatch to Find Relatives”.

 I would like to especially thank Lennart Martinson for permission to take photos of the event and also to say that he did an excellent job putting the nuts and bolts of this conference together. Everyone had a great time and learned a lot! Lennart mentioned they were already thinking of the next one somewhere up north. San Francisco? Portland? Seattle? We’ll have to wait and see… I can’t wait!

 The classes with an asterisk before it are the ones I attended. I can’t wait for the video!

Saturday:

Opening Keynote

*9:00 – 10:00 — The Power of DNA, CeCe Moore

Track One

*10:15 – 11:15 — Evaluating a Genealogical Conclusion including DNA, Blaine Bettinger

11:30 – 12:30 — Using the Tools at GEDmatch to Find Relatives, Kitty Cooper

2:00 – 3:00 — Getting Started with AncestryDNA, Michelle Trostler

*3:15 – 4:15 — Digging Deeper with Autosomal DNA, CeCe Moore

4:30 – 5:30 — Searching for Our Most Distant (Paternal) Ancestors in Cameroon – Y Haplogroup A00, Thomas Krahn

Track Two

10:15 – 11:15 — Basics of Utilizing DNA in Unknown Parentage Search, CeCe Moore

*11:30 – 12:30 — Mirror Trees Explained, Carol Rolnick

*2:00 – 3:00 — How To Use the X chromosome in Family and Origins Searches, Kathy Johnston

3:15 – 4:15 — DNA and the Aftermath of Uncovered Family Secrets, Blaine Bettinger

4:30 – 5:30 — Cold Case Solved:  Autosomal DNA Analysis Reveals Lisa Jensen’s Real Identity, Barbara Rae –Venter

 Sunday:

All Attendees

*9:00 – 10:00 — Exploring Ethnicity Estimates, CeCe Moore

Track One

*10:15 – 11:15 — DNA Analytics: Using Databases and Spreadsheets to Find Family, Kathleen Fernandes

11:30 – 12:30 — Tracing the Tribe with DNA, Schelly Talalay Dardashti

2:00 – 3:00 — Family Tree DNA, Strength in Numbers: Advancing Your Research Through Group Projects, Janine Cloud

3:15 – 4:15 — Ancestry discoveries with 23andMe , Robin Smith

Track Two

10:15 – 11:15 — When Your Tree Is a Banyan: Coping with Endogamy in Genetic Genealogy, Leah LaPerle Larkin

*11:30 – 12:30 — Advanced Third Party Tools, Blaine Bettinger

*2:00 – 3:00 — Genetic Genealogy Case Studies, CeCe Moore

*3:15 – 4:15 — Practical Applications for mtDNA Testing, CeCe Moore

Closing Keynote

4:30 – 5:30 — The Science Fiction Future of Genetic Genealogy, Blaine Bettinger

Below are some of the better pictures I took.

Lennart Martinson's Tool

Pre-conference

Bill Zeigler, editor of the San Diego Genealogical Society's Newsletter.

Keynote by CeCe Moore

Blaine Bettinger getting ready for his presentation.

The vendor hall

YSEQ vendor from Berlin, Germany.

FamilyTree DNA vendor.

Volunteers help with the registration table.

The conference hotel.

MyHeritage was a sponsor. I put up the signs along with a hotel employee. 

Just because.

CeCe Moore

Compass Ballroom

Compass Ballroom

Blaine Bettinger

Carol Rolnick

Carol Rolnick

Professional Genealogist Barry Kline

Blaine Bettinger signing his two new books for me. Thanks, Blaine!!!

SDGS friends, Diane Hall and Diane Lott. 

Kathy Johnston

Kathy Johnston... You had to be there.

CeCe Moore

CeCe Moore

Local girl, Kathleen Fernandes

Kathleen Fernandes

Blaine Bettinger's class in the Compass Ballroom.

The Compass Ballroom was usually sold out.

Schelly Dardashti giving a MyHeritage presentation.

Lunch with Arizona friends, Laurie and Tiger Desmarais.

CeCe Moore

CeCe Moore

Bling