RCN: Broadening and Energizing the Maize Genetics Research Community

玉米是一种主要的研究植物模式系统，也是一种全球重要的作物，为人类提供食物，饲料，纤维和原材料。国际玉米研究界包括公共和私人研究人员，代表了一个全球研究引擎，使玉米能够通过基础和应用发现满足世界范围的需求。展望未来，社区面临的挑战和机遇包括大数据生产和利用，支持持续研究成功的技术开发，增加社区的广度和跨学科互动，以设想和协同新发现，并确保将发现转化为种植者和消费者。这些挑战和机遇将通过招募和装备一个多元化的科学界，并通过识别和宣传资源，使这个充满活力的社区开发所需的技术，并继续其卓越的基础和应用研究的历史来满足。该研究协调网络（RCN）将支持计划，以加快研究到下一个十年，将创造协同互动的机会，并将允许故意社区建设的努力，以增长美国玉米研究界的科学和分类多样性。该项目由综合有机系统部的植物基因组研究计划和分子和细胞生物科学部的遗传机制计划共同资助。该研究协调网络的目标是通过系统的规划和优先活动，并通过鼓励社区增长和协同互动，加速玉米研究进入下一个十年。社区投入确定了RCN值得特别关注的四个领域：开发新的功能基因组技术，大数据获取和利用，发现产品，以及重要的是，招募和培训下一代研究人员。这些专题将由有针对性的重点小组会议讨论，会议将产生对所有利益攸关方都有价值的白色文件。信息将在年度玉米遗传学会议上收集，并通过会前调查，然后将在会议上广泛传达给社区成员，并作为在线资源。最后，RCN还将寻求新的方法来扩大社区，积极招募来自所有类型的代表性不足的群体的科学家，并扩大玉米研究社区的学科广度。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Maize is a premier research plant model system as well as a globally important crop providing food, feed, fiber, and raw materials that sustain humankind. The international maize research community includes public and private researchers that represents a global research engine that has allowed maize to meet world-wide demands through fundamental and applied discoveries. Looking to the future, challenges and opportunities that face the community include big-data production and utilization, development of technologies that will support continued research success, increasing the breadth and interdisciplinary interactions of the community to envision and synergize new discovery, and ensuring translation of discoveries to growers and consumers. These challenges and opportunities will be met by recruiting and equipping a diverse scientific community, and through identification and advocacy for resources that allow this vibrant community to develop needed technologies and to continue its history of excellence in fundamental and applied research. This Research Coordination Network (RCN) will support planning to accelerate research into the next decade, will create opportunities for synergistic interactions, and will allow deliberate community-building efforts to grow the scientific and categorical diversity of the U.S. maize research community. This project was co-funded by the Plant Genome Research Program in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems and the Genetic Mechanisms Program in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences. The goal of this Research Coordination Network is to accelerate maize research into the next decade by systematic planning and prioritization activities, and by encouraging community growth and synergistic interaction. Community input has identified four areas meriting specific attention by the RCN: development of novel functional genomic technologies, big data acquisition and utilization, discovery to product, and importantly, recruiting and training the next generation of researchers. These topics will be addressed by targeted focus group meetings that will produce white papers of value to all stakeholders. Information will be gathered at the annual Maize Genetics Conference and through pre-conference surveys which will then be broadly communicated to the community members at the conference and as online resources. Finally, the RCN will also seek new ways to broaden the community by active recruitment of scientists from underrepresented groups of all types and by expanding the disciplinary breadth of the maize research community.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.