Training workshop on genomic methods and analysis for early-career invertebrate systematists

无脊椎动物占动物多样性的95%，但该群体的基因组资源很少，留下了大量关于基因多样性和功能的信息有待发现。有限的研究工作之间缺乏协调，限制了项目之间的可比性，在某些情况下导致重复工作。全球无脊椎动物基因组学联盟(GIGA)是一个由不同科学家组成的网络，致力于利用先进技术协调和推进无脊椎动物研究，以阐明这种基因组多样性并指导科学发现。这一研讨会由第三届GGA会议主办，将为研究生和职业生涯早期研究人员提供一个急需的培训机会，使他们了解系统生物学中比较基因组学和生物信息学的最新前沿方法。研讨会还将让与会者积极参与制定无脊椎动物基因组学的最佳实践。讲习班参与者将从不同水平的专门知识中招募，具体努力针对代表性不足的少数群体。这次讲习班的信息将通过公开提供的学习练习和教程与学生和广大社区分享，促进少数群体获得信息。这次研讨会的材料还将通过几个媒体渠道展示，以强调无脊椎动物与社会的联系和重要性，以及基因组学在研究海洋资源和栖息地方面的力量。少数几个已完全测序的无脊椎动物基因组揭示了与脊椎动物的主要结构差异、不寻常的转座元件频率和基因组创新等特征。目前，开展非模式无脊椎动物基因组学研究的科学家之间的研究协作仍然很稀少或分散。此外，作为一个整体，无脊椎动物系统学群落没有得到足够的培训，无法在基因组水平上进行广泛的工作，从而阻碍了阐明地球上大部分生命的进化史的进展。这个研讨会将致力于将无脊椎动物系统学家定位在系统基因组学方法学的前沿，并开始追赶他们的脊椎动物系统学同行的进程。该研讨会的主要目标是：1)为社区提供生物信息学培训和支持；2)促进数据、资源和未来合作的共享；3)传播实验室规程和技术的最佳实践知识；4)告知和支持无脊椎动物基因组领域的学生研究人员。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。

Invertebrates represent 95% of animal diversity, yet few genomic resources exist for the group, leaving a great deal of information on gene diversity and function to be discovered. Coordination among limited research efforts is lacking, limiting comparability among projects and in some cases resulting in duplicated efforts. The Global Invertebrate Genomics Alliance (GIGA) is a network of diverse scientists working to coordinate and advance invertebrate research using advanced techniques to shed light on this genomic diversity and guide scientific discoveries. This workshop, hosted at the 3rd bi-annual GlGA Conference, will provide a much-needed training opportunity for graduate students and early-career researchears in the latest cutting-edge approaches for comparative genomics and bioinformatics in systematic biology. The workshop will also get participants actively involved with developing best practices in invertebrate genomics. Workshop participants will be recruited from diverse levels of expertise with a specific effort to target underrepresented minorities. Information from this workshop will be shared with students and the community at large through publicly available learning exercises and tutorials, facilitating information access to minority groups. Material from this workshop will also be showcased through several media outlets to emphasize the link and importance of invertebrate animals to society as well as the power of genomics in studying marine resources and habitats.The few invertebrate genomes that have been fully sequenced reveal major structural differences with vertebrates, unusual frequencies of transposable elements and genomic innovations among other features. Presently, research coordination among scientists carrying out non-model invertebrate genomics research remains sparse or scattered. Additionally, as a whole, the invertebrate systematics community is inadequately trained to work broadly at the genomic level, thus hampering progress elucidating the evolutionary history for most of the life on earth. This workshop will work to position invertebrate systematists at the leading edge of phylogenomics methodology and begin the process of catching up to their vertebrate systematics counterparts. Primary objectives of this workshop are to 1) provide bioinformatics training and support to the community; 2) promote the sharing of data, resources, and future collaborations; 3) disseminate knowledge on the best practices for laboratory protocols and techniques; and 4) inform and support student researchers in the field of invertebrate genomics.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.