NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) for FY 2013 in Australia

这一行动资助康涅狄格大学的Thomas Heider于2013年夏天在澳大利亚墨尔本大学开展了一个生物科学研究项目。该项目的标题是“Wallabase：启动袋鼠基因组数据库。”主持会议的科学家是玛丽莲·雷弗里教授。基因组学中的一个关键挑战是区分对发育和疾病至关重要的DNA区域和那些不起作用的区域。基因组学界正在迅速认识到有袋类比较遗传学在这项任务中的力量。在广泛的发育和生理数据的帮助下，袋鼠被证明是研究哺乳动物中保守的发育过程的工具。为了让研究人员更容易获得这些信息，该项目创建了基因组数据库Wallabase。Wallabase降低了阻止更广泛的科学界利用有袋类动物破译人类基因组的障碍。特别是，试图识别新型抗菌剂的研究人员、乳制品行业的研究人员和利用袋鼠的独特开发成果的临床医生将从有关Wallabas的信息的可访问性中受益匪浅。EAPSI奖学金的广泛影响包括为研究员提供美国以外的第一手研究经验；对各自地点的科学、科学政策和科学基础设施的介绍；以及对社会、文化和语言的定位。这些活动符合NSF的目标，即在其科学家、工程师和教育工作者的职业生涯早期为国际合作进行教育，从而确保拥有一支具有全球意识的美国科学队伍。此外，还将增加关于沙袋鼠的章节，教育公众关于沙袋鼠在研究中的使用以及比较研究的重要性。

This action funds Thomas Heider of the University of Connecticut to conduct a research project in Biological Sciences during the summer of 2013 at the University of Melbourne in Melbourne Australia. The project title is "Wallabase: Jump starting the tammar wallaby genome database." The host scientist is Professor Marilyn Renfree.A key challenge in genomics is distinguishing the regions of DNA that are essential for development and disease from those that are nonfunctional. The genomics community is rapidly coming to appreciate the power of marsupial comparative genetics for this task. Aided by extensive developmental and physiological data, the tammar wallaby has proven instrumental for the study of developmental processes that are conserved among mammals. To make this information more accessible to researchers, this project creates the genome database, Wallabase. Wallabase lowers the barriers that prevent the broader scientific community from utilizing marsupials in deciphering the human genome. In particular, researchers trying to identify novel antimicrobials, those in the dairy industry and clinicians utilizing the unique development of the wallaby will greatly benefit from the accessibility of the information on Wallabase.Broader impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the Fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S.; an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce. Furthermore, there will be additional sections on Wallabase that will educate the general public about the use of wallabies in research and about the importance of comparative studies.