NSF Award
1939343
Non-Technical Paragraph:<br/>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.<br/><br/>Technical Paragraph:<br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.
