Group travel proposal for "Perspectives in Comparative Genomics & Evolution," Bethesda, Maryland, August 15-16, 2019

非技术段落：本提案资助一组NSF邀请的基因组学研究人员参加由NIH-NHGRI/USDA/NSF联合组织的2019年8月15日至16日在万豪北贝塞斯达举行的“比较基因组学与进化的展望”会议。本次会议将讨论进化基因组学和比较基因组学领域日益增长的机遇和挑战。它包括关于人类、传统和非传统实验室生物以及农业和野生物种基因组的介绍和讨论，以及他们的比较研究如何帮助科学家制定能够更好地影响人类健康、农业和保护实践的战略。被邀请的演讲者是公认的权威和新兴科学家，他们正在应用尖端基因组学和生物信息学工具来解决进化基因组学中广泛的基本问题。这次机构间会议旨在确定能够扩大比较基因组学研究影响的有效战略，通过针对影响基础、应用和以健康为重点的系统的研究努力。将邀请发言者和与会者密切关注性别和资历的均衡代表性，以及需要涵盖尽可能广泛的主题范围。这次会议的预期成果包括编写一份或多份白皮书以及一份机构间立场声明。这些文件将与普通科学界、外部利益相关者以及每个参与联邦机构的项目官员共享。技术段落：广泛物种的可用基因组数据和相关资源的爆炸性增长，包括人类、模式生物、与农业相关的物种和野生动物物种，创造了更好地理解比较基因组学和进化的基本原理以及在健康、农业和保护方面的潜在应用的机会。挑战包括需要开发能够处理大量数据的方法，保证高质量的基因组和特征注释，以及开发考虑到系统发育原理的有效计算和生物信息学方法。这次会议将通过聚集在比较基因组学领域具有不同背景、专业知识和观点的专家来解决这些需求。这种形式包括一系列关于关键主题的简短演讲，以及广泛的后续讨论和有针对性的分组会议，最大限度地公开交流新方法和新出现的解决共同问题的办法。预期成果包括确定协同的领域、目前在知识和资源方面的差距，以及确定与NIH/NHGRI有关的领域，以了解人类健康和疾病。与美国农业部和国家科学基金会的伙伴关系将进一步强调具有农业和经济相关性的物种的相关性，以及迫切需要对野生动物物种进行基因组学研究。总体而言，计划中的深入讨论将有助于确定比较基因组学的哪些方面应该走在这个新兴领域的前沿，满足一系列利益相关者的要求。该奖项由整合组织系统部门的启动基因组发现计划(EDGE)和植物基因组研究计划(PGRP)以及生物基础结构部门的生物研究基础设施创新(IIBR)计划共同资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Non-Technical Paragraph:This proposal funds travel for a group of NSF-invited genomics researchers to attend the "Perspectives in Comparative Genomics & Evolution" meeting being jointly organized by NIH-NHGRI/USDA/NSF that will take place Aug. 15-16, 2019 at the Marriott North Bethesda. This meeting will address growing opportunities as well as challenges in the fields of Evolutionary and Comparative Genomics. It includes presentations and discussions about the genomes of humans, traditional and non-traditional lab organisms, and agricultural and wild species, as well as how their comparative study can help scientists to devise strategies that can better impact human health, agriculture and conservation practices. Invited speakers are recognized authorities and emerging scientists who are applying cutting-edge genomics and bioinformatics tools to address a broad range of fundamental questions in evolutionary genomics. This interagency conference is intended to identify effective strategies that can broaden the impact of comparative genomics research by targeting research efforts that impact basic, applied, and health focused systems. Speakers and attendees are being invited paying close attention to balanced representation of gender and seniority level, as well as the need to cover the broadest possible theme range. Among the expected outcomes of this conference will be the production of one or more white papers, as well as an interagency position statement. These documents will be shared with the general scientific community, outside stakeholders, as well as program officers in each of the participating federal agencies.Technical Paragraph:The explosive growth of available genomic data and related resources for a broad range of species, including humans, model organisms, species of agricultural relevance, and wildlife species, has created opportunities to better understand basic principles of comparative genomics and evolution, as well as potential applications to health, agriculture, and conservation. Challenges include the need to develop methods that can handle vast amounts of data, assurances for high quality of genomes and feature annotations, and the development of effective computational and bioinformatics approaches that take into account phylogenetic principles. This meeting will address these needs by bringing together experts with diverse backgrounds, expertise, and perspectives in comparative genomics. The format includes series of short talks on key themes, as well as extensive follow-up discussions and targeted breakout sessions, maximizing the open exchange of novel approaches and emerging solutions to shared problems. Expected outcomes include identifying areas of synergy, current gaps in knowledge and resources, as well as defining areas of relevance to the NIH/NHGRI for understanding human health and disease. Partnerships with the USDA and NSF will place further emphasis on the relevance of species that are of agricultural and economic relevance, as well as the pressing need for genomics research on wildlife species. Overall, the planned in-depth discussions will help to identify aspects of comparative genomics that should be at the "forefront" of this burgeoning field, meeting the demands of a range of stakeholders.This award was co-funded by the Enabling Discovery throughout GEnomic (EDGE) Program and the Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems and the Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research (IIBR) Program in the Division of Biological Infrastructure.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.