MRI: Acquisition of an automated sequencer for research, training and education at Tulane University and partner institutions

这一重大研究仪器奖为购买高通量毛细管测序仪和相关仪器提供资金，以加强杜兰大学和大新奥尔良大都市区合作机构的研究和教育计划。该工具将建立在大学和部门的战略投资和重大调整的基础上，以支持环境研究和教育倡议。通过为获取和分析特定于基因座的多个个体DNA序列数据和多基因座基因数据提供具有成本效益的高通量能力，该仪器将极大地扩展大学教职员工和学生可用的共享基因组学基础设施。因此，该仪器将满足不断扩大的研究和培训计划的需求，强调使用分子技术来解决生态学、进化生物学和相关环境科学学科中的问题。获得高通量DNA测序仪和辅助仪器将服务于杜兰大学及其合作伙伴HBCU机构(泽维尔大学、迪拉德大学、新奥尔良南方大学)和服务于大量少数群体的机构(新奥尔良大学)的竞争资助的研究项目。将获得的仪器包括一台带有计算机控制系统的ABI3730xl DNA分析仪和一台Franek FT1-B3730X-DA不间断电源。该仪器将支持迅速扩大的用户群体，包括核心用户，他们从事淡水鱼和新热带鸟类的分子系统发生学、动植物相互作用的进化生态学、物种形成遗传学、污染物的微生物修复以及环境评估遗传方法的开发等主题的研究。随时准备获得高通量能力将加快杜兰大学及其合作机构研究和培训的速度和规模，这将立即增加能够从事前沿研究的教师和研究人员的数量。通过帮助衔接学科研究项目，特别是生物医学和环境科学方面的项目，它将支持大学范围内和跨大学在新奥尔良建立国家研究中心的倡议。扩大能力还将扩大STEM领域的课堂和指导研究培训的机会，包括NSF资助的旨在促进代表不足的群体参与环境生物学的项目。

This Major Research Instrumentation award funds the acquisition of a high-throughput capillary sequencer and related instrumentation to enhance research and educational programs at Tulane University and partner institutions in the greater New Orleans metropolitan area. The instrumentation will build on university and departmental strategic investments and major realignments in support of environmental research and educational initiatives. By providing cost effective high-throughput capacity for acquisition and analysis of locus-specific, multi-individual DNA sequence data and multilocus genotype data, the instrumentation will greatly expand shared-use genomics infrastructure available to university faculty, staff and students. The instrumentation will therefore meet steadily growing demands from expanding research and training programs emphasizing use of molecular techniques to address questions in ecology, evolutionary biology, and related environmental science disciplines.Acquisition of a high-throughput DNA sequencer and supporting instrumentation will serve competitively funded research programs at Tulane University and partner HBCU institutions (Xavier University, Dillard University, Southern University at New Orleans) and institutions serving large minority populations (University of New Orleans). The instrumentation to be acquired includes an ABI3730xl DNA Analyzer with a computer control system and a Franek FT1-B3730X-DA uninterruptible power supply. This instrumentation will support a rapidly expanding user community, including core users undertaking studies on topics such as molecular phylogenetics of freshwater fish and Neotropical birds, the evolutionary ecology of plant-animal interactions, speciation genetics, microbial remediation of contaminants, and the development of genetic methods for environmental assessment.Ready access to high-throughput capacity will accelerate the pace and scale of research and training at Tulane and partner institutions, which will immediately increase the number of faculty and investigators able to pursue leading-edge research. By helping bridge disciplinary research programs, particularly those in the biomedical and environmental sciences, it will support university-wide and cross-university initiatives to establish national research centers in New Orleans. Expanded capacity also will broaden opportunities for classroom and mentored research training in STEM fields, including NSF-funded programs intended to advance participation of underrepresented groups in environmental biology.