Category Archives: research

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20
Apr
Date April 20, 2016
Categories meeting, research

EVO-WIBO 2016

Devin and Jackson Drew headed down to Port Townsend, Washington for EVO-WIBO 2016, a gathering of evolutionary biologists of the Pacific Northwest. This regional evolution meeting provides an intimate meeting where researchers at all levels are welcome. One of the best things about the meetings is the lack of concurrent sessions. We all share the same experiences. The majority of talks are by graduate students and post docs. This time around the plenary  talk was by Prof. Sarah Otto.
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0 Comments Author dmdrown
08
Apr
Date April 8, 2016
Categories award, research, undergraduate

Does permafrost thaw alter methane cycling via a shift in the microbial community composition?

Undergraduate researcher Alex Wynne was recently awarded an URSA Summer Research Project. This includes funds for his project and a stipend for the summer. He'll use next-generation sequencing to characterize the relative abundances of methanogens and methane oxidizers found within a permafrost thaw gradient. By analyzing the relative amount of methane related microbes associated with each disturbance treatment, he will deduce how the thawing of permafrost may contribute to the net amount of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere.
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0 Comments Author dmdrown
30
Mar
Date March 30, 2016
Categories research, teaching

MinION Hackathon 2016

Interested in Genomics and Technology? Sign up for the first MinION Hackathon at UAF. We’ll explore bleeding edge genomics technology in a two part mini-workshop.

The MinION (Oxford Nanopore) at just 87 grams and half the size of an iPhone is so portable that it will visit the International Space Station as a proof of concept in remote collection of DNA sequence data. This nanopore based machine demonstrates the future of genomic data acquisition by direct sequencing of single molecules without extra PCR amplification steps. In the near future, the machine will allow for the direct acquisition of data from biological samples (including saliva and blood) without lengthy time consuming steps. There are current applications identifying viral pathogens in near real-time and it was used during the recent Ebola outbreak.

This URSA sponsored, free workshop will take place in two parts: 1) Hands on genomics lab experience where we prepare genetic samples and initiate DNA sequencing. 2) Bioinformatics lab experience where we analyze our new genomic data.  Each part will last around three hours and there will be opportunities for further research if you are interested. This workshop is meant to introduce you to the new technology available at UAF. The workshop will conclude with a poster presentation of our collective results at the 2016 URSA research day (April 26).
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0 Comments Author dmdrown
14
Dec
Date December 14, 2015
Categories award, research

Testing the Effects of the Alaskan Microbiome

Undergraduate researcher Jackson Drew was recently awarded an URSA Spring Project Award. He'll now be completely funded to complete a pilot project related to microbiome engineering. Having grown up in Interior Alaska, Jackson is keenly aware of how climate warming is inducing rapid large-scale shifts in plant communities in the boreal biome. His research will measure the effects of soil microbes on plant growth as a means of elucidating plant-microbe interactions.
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0 Comments Author dmdrown
08
Oct
Date October 8, 2015
Categories research, update

New tech, MinION

MinION_UAFThanks to the efforts of Ian Herriot who initiated the application to the Oxford Nanopore MinION Access programme (MAP), we have acquired access to a new nanopore sequencer (pictured above). The MinION at just 87 grams and half the size of an iPhone is so portable that it will visit the International Space Station as a proof of concept in remote collection of DNA sequence data. Working in collaboration with the IAB DNA Core Lab,  the Drown lab will begin experimenting with this technology in the near future and expand access to potential undergraduate researchers in Spring 2016. This device can provide opportunities for student researchers to generate their own low cost DNA sequence data (as little as $500 / experiment).
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