IGERT: Reverse Ecology: Computational Integration of Genomes, Organisms, and Environments

这个综合研究生教育和研究培训（IGERT）奖支持一个新的研究生课程在逆向生态学，培养博士。学生在计算生物学，基因组学和环境科学的接口。它利用布朗大学和海洋生物实验室之间的新的教育和研究合作。逆向生态学是将基因组学方法应用于生命系统，以揭示自然界功能变异的遗传基础。高通量DNA测序和基因表达技术的革命重新定义了“模型”生物体的概念。从动物，植物和微生物群落的基因组的询问可以确定在多个尺度的过程的遗传标记：生态，生理，发育和转录。这些强大的数据集的充分解释需要生态系统生态学家，微生物遗传学家，生物化学家和计算生物学家之间的智力对话。该计划将培养一批博士，他们可以创造性地应用这些技术，将基因组和计算能力转化为对自然界生物功能的新见解。该计划的亮点包括：1）为期一年的沉浸式课程，重点是长期生态研究地点，学生设计实验，使用高通量基因组和计算策略来测试假设，并准备多作者的手稿出版; 2）联合指导的研究轮换，学生和教师跨越学科界限;（3）职业培训，包括撰写科学基金、演讲、伦理、多样性和国际科学观点。该研究生课程的研究主题包括：1）微生物和比较基因组学; 2）对环境压力的遗传反应; 3）从环境样本中组装基因组，并将与IBM和J.克雷格文特尔研究所合作，为研究生教育创造一种新的模式。学生将在大学，机构和企业环境的背景下接受培训，成为识别和整合以前遥远学科的科学问题的领导者。IGERT是一个NSF范围内的计划，旨在应对教育美国博士的挑战。具有跨学科背景的科学家和工程师，在所选学科的深厚知识，以及未来职业需求所需的技术，专业和个人技能。该计划旨在通过建立创新的研究生教育和培训新模式，在超越传统学科界限的合作研究的肥沃环境中促进研究生教育的文化变革。

This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) award supports a novel graduate program in Reverse Ecology, training Ph.D. students at the interface of computational biology, genomics and environmental science. It leverages new education and research collaborations between Brown University and the Marine Biological Laboratories. Reverse Ecology is the application of genomic approaches to living systems to uncover the genetic bases of functional variation in nature. The revolution in high-throughput DNA sequencing and gene expression technologies redefines the notion of a "model" organism. Interrogation of genomes from animals, plants and microbial communities can identify genetic markers of processes at multiple scales: ecological, physiological, developmental, and transcriptional. The full interpretation of these powerful datasets demands intellectual dialogue between ecosystems ecologists, microbial geneticists, biogeochemists, and computational biologists. The program will train a cohort of Ph.D.s who can apply these technologies creatively to convert genomic and computational power into novel insights of organismal function in nature. Program highlights include 1) a year-long immersion course focused at Long Term Ecological Research sites where students design an experiment, use high-throughput genomic and computational strategies to test hypotheses and prepare multi-authored manuscripts for publication; 2) jointly mentored research rotations where students and faculty cross disciplinary boundaries; and 3) career training integrating grant writing, public speaking, ethics, diversity and international perspectives on science. This graduate program's research themes include 1) microbial and comparative genomics; 2) genetic responses to environmental stressors; 3) assembling genomes from environmental samples, and will engage IBM and the J. Craig Venter Institute in creating a new model for graduate education. Students will be trained in the context of university, institutional, and corporate environments to become leaders in the identification and integration of scientific questions across formerly distant disciplines.IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries.