FSML: Acquisition of a next generation high throughput DNA sequencer (Ion Torrent) for the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography

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The Skidaway Institute of Oceanography is awarded a grant to purchase high-throughput genome-sequencing equipment to provide a critical improvement in the infrastructure required to conduct nucleic-acid-based research at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. This next-generation DNA sequencing platform represents a quantum leap in DNA sequencing technology, bringing true high throughput DNA sequencing capacity within the reach of the field and marine lab research community. Massively parallel high throughput DNA sequencing is a core technology enabling global genetic analyses including whole genome sequencing and transcriptomics, which have transformed research in a wide array of fields, including in the Ocean Sciences. Research activities at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography have increasingly utilized DNA and RNA sequence data with DNA sequencing required by at least 20 funded and several pending projects. Approximately 1/3 of the Skidaway Institute faculty (6 of 16) and several local, national and international collaborators routinely utilize sequencing technology as part of their research programs. Sequencing technology is being used to push the frontiers of many fields, but especially in biological and chemical oceanography where microorganisms dominate the biogeochemical cycling of critical nutrients and other elements. This technology is critical for elucidating new perspectives on the structure of food webs and parasitic and disease processes.This improvement will allow researchers to exponentially increase the amount of sequencing that can be generated for the same research funds. As a result, experiments requiring high throughput sequencing will become feasible in smaller projects, including student research activities. Acquisition of this capacity will enhance several educational opportunities through ongoing programs with other institutions, including the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Savannah State and Clark Atlanta. Skidaway faculty, staff and students also work with local K-12 educational systems to provide both pre- and in-service teachers with research experiences. Collaborations with partners on the Skidaway campus including the University of Georgia's Marine Education Center and Aquarium, Georgia Institute of Technology's Chemical Ecology Laboratory, Georgia Southern University's Applied Coastal Research Laboratory, The Georgia Department of Natural Resources Underwater Archaeology Field Station, The Nature Conservancy and NOAA Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, also provide outlets for outreach and joint research. For more information about the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography please see its website at: http://www.skio.usg.edu/.