FSML: Real-time genomics: enabling the next generation of field ecology and evolution

W.K.密歇根州立大学（MSU）的凯洛格生物站（KBS -http://www.kbs.msu.edu）获得了一笔赠款，用于加强利用分子和基因组学工具解决生态学、进化、保护生物学和农业等广泛问题的教育和研究项目。KBS是密歇根州立大学最大的校外单位，在全球范围内被称为生态学和进化生物学研究，教育和推广的首要现场。KBS提供各种自然和管理的栖息地，其中许多适合实验，还举办了一些长期研究，为生态和进化过程的研究提供了独特的机会。先进的分子和基因组工具越来越多地用于改善对这些过程的理解，有时甚至是变革性的理解。目前KBS教师在这一领域的研究不断增长，新的MSU教师和其他机构的研究人员的兴趣已经加重了我们现有的设施，并严重限制了我们的能力，包括研究生和本科生的分子技术和生物信息学分析培训。这些资金将用于扩大和支持KBS新的分子生态学&基因组学（MEG）实验室，该实验室将整合驻地和访问研究人员的研究和教学，为研究生提供下一代测序（NGS）和生物信息学培训，KBS的MEG实验室将支持广泛的NGS技术，从高通量DNA/DNA测序，通过基因组文库制备和样品发送进行RNA提取。将安装在MEG实验室的设备将扩大KBS可以进行的研究类型，包括转录组学和功能基因组学（即，CRISPR/Cas9基因敲除）以及RNA和DNA基因组文库制备。这些改进将包括用于高通量DNA/RNA提取的Kingfisher Flex，用于荧光和吸光度测定以测量核酸质量和数量的多模式平板阅读器，以及用于非模式生物体功能基因组和分子开发工作的移动的显微注射站。重要的是，这些改进将为新的研究提供机会，将“组学”研究与基于实地的自然历史相结合。MEG实验室的扩建也将支持KBS的本科教育计划，使我们能够在夏季课程中向学生介绍这些技术和技术，并培训这些学生在现代分子基因组工具和生物信息学方面的研究经验。这些工具正在以越来越多令人兴奋和创造性的方式在生态学，进化生物学，农业和保护生物学中使用，这些都是KBS的中心研究课题。获得分子和生物信息学方法的专业知识将更好地为学生在这些领域的职业生涯或研究生教育做好准备。KBS MEG实验室还将允许我们开发教学模块并培训K-12教师，以便他们能够更好地理解这些方法，并在可能的情况下将其纳入课堂。

The W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS - http://www.kbs.msu.edu) of Michigan State University (MSU) has been awarded a grant to enhance educational and research projects that utilize molecular and genomics tools to address a broad range of questions in ecology, evolution, conservation biology and agriculture. KBS is the largest off-campus unit of MSU and is known worldwide as a premier field site for research, education, and outreach in ecology and evolutionary biology. KBS provides access to diverse natural and managed habitats, many suitable for experimentation, and also hosts a number of long-term studies that provide unique opportunities for research on ecological and evolutionary processes. Advanced molecular and genomic tools are increasingly used for gaining improved and sometimes transformative understanding of these processes. The growing research in this area by current KBS faculty, and interest of new MSU faculty and researchers from other institutions has taxed our current facilities and severely limited our ability to include training in molecular techniques and bioinformatic analyses for graduate and undergraduate students. These funds will be used to expand and support a new Molecular Ecology & Genomics (MEG) laboratory at KBS that will integrate research and teaching for resident and visiting researchers, provide next-generation-sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics training for graduate students, and allow us to expand summer course offerings and research experiences for undergraduates to include these methods.The MEG lab at KBS will support a wide set of NGS technologies from high throughput DNA/RNA extraction through genomic library preparation and sample send-off. The equipment to be installed in the MEG lab will expand the types of research that can be carried out at KBS to include studies in transcriptomics and functional genomics (i.e., CRISPR/Cas9 gene knockouts) in addition to RNA and DNA genomic library preparation. The improvements will include a Kingfisher Flex for high-throughput DNA/RNA extraction, a multi-mode plate reader for fluorescent and absorbance assays for measurement of nucleic acid quality and quantity, and a mobile microinjection station for functional genomic and molecular development work in non-model organisms. Importantly, these improvements will provide opportunities for novel research that couple "-omics" studies with field based natural history. Expansion of the MEG lab also will support the undergraduate educational programs at KBS by allowing us to introduce students in summer courses to these techniques and technologies and train those here for research experiences in modern molecular genomic tools and bioinformatics. These tools are being used in a growing number of exciting and creative ways throughout ecology, evolutionary biology, agriculture, and conservation biology, the central research topics at KBS. Gaining expertise in molecular and bioinformatic methods will better prepare students for careers or graduate education in these fields. The KBS MEG Lab will also allow us to develop teaching modules and train K-12 teachers so that they can better understand, and where possible, include these approaches in their classrooms.