A New Capillary Sequencer for the Evolutionary Genetics Core Facility at Cornell University

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This award provides partial support for purchase of a modern capillary DNA sequencer and supporting computer equipment for the Cornell Evolutionary Genetics Core Facility (EGCF). The instrument will be equipped for both sequence determination and fragment analysis. The facility supports research by evolutionary biologists, population biologists, behavioral ecologists, and systematists. Research in these areas increasingly depends on variation in the DNA sequences of individual organisms to provide information on mating systems, population structure, genealogy, and phylogeny. Automated DNA sequencing and genotyping are critical to studies employing such variation. The facility is used by 19 faculty in seven departments across the Cornell campus, and contributes significantly to their research programs and the educational experience of their graduate and undergraduate students. Their research programs address various aspects of biodiversity, including the origins and maintenance of plant and animal diversity, and the management of taxa of conservation concern or of economic importance. Aside from the impact of each individual user, the facility plays an important role in teaching and training on the Cornell campus. The new equipment will increase throughput and data quality for all users, improve the training of students, and catalyze interactions among evolutionary biologists and ecologists with diverse taxonomic and disciplinary interests.