GeneaSpy: San Diego

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...

With the institute now over, I have a full day of free research time at the Family History Library (FHL) and then a completion meeting with the SLIG committee in the late afternoon. I started off by going to the top floor for another free breakfast but they weren't serving any so I went downstairs to the restaurant. I'm glad I did because I saw one of the course coordinators and good friend Genea Philibert-Ortega and we sat down together and had a nice chat during breakfast.

After breakfast, as I was heading out the hotel doors, I saw Jean Wilcox Hibben and Gena Philibert-Ortega loading up their car and getting ready to drive back to California. Of course, I had to take a quick photo of them! They offered to take me to the library and then we said our good-byes.

Into the library and back to research! I did a little microfilm and book reading, I like blending the two. The atmosphere was different today there and not so busy. There were still several SLIG teachers and students still there. I met up again with my Arizona friends Amy and Leslie there and later we had lunch together. I found some cool books where I found information that I didn't know before.

At the SLIG completion get together, Peg Ivanyo ordered pizza for all of us! The meeting was a lot different from the others. We were asked, "If you could do anything you want at the next institute, what would it be?" I am paraphrasing here, but it gave us a chance to think. She also asked what worked and what didn't work? Peg and this team are truly exceptional to work with. One of the best qualities of working with them was the communication between us all. We even had little phone lists for everyone and we knew who to contact for what reason. A great experience for me for sure! I hope to use this knowledge in other genealogical society events that I'm apart of in the future.

Until next year SLIG... Thank you!