GENOMICS AND BIOINFORMATICS FOR INSULAR AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SCIENCE SKILLS TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF THE FUTURE

The overall goal of this proposal is to increase the bioinformatics literacy of students in agriculture and food sciences from underrepresented communities in Puerto Rico and beyond. To achieve our goal, we propose the following target objectives:Provide hands-on training on the most current bioinformatic pipelines for genomic analyses. We propose a series of short courses on (i) Experimental design, (ii) Introduction to Unix and R, (iii) RNA-seq and differential gene expression analyses, (iv) Genome sequencing and Variant calling with the aim to train the next generation of bioinformatics researchers in agriculture.Offer one-on-one training to students. Students with ongoing research projects will benefit by receiving individually tailored support--from experimental design to completion of a research project and publication--from participating instructors and the in-house bioinformatician who will guide student growth, help troubleshoot, and provide other advice.Foster collaborative interactions and a supportive system between instructors, faculty, and students.To promote collaboration and communication among students and faculty in different laboratories, activities that facilitate interactions among course participants will be implemented.Facilitate genomic research.By training the participating students, who will become the next generation of scientists, agronomists, and life scientists in Puerto Rico, this program will also facilitate the development of research programs of multiple research faculty with ongoing genomics and genomic-related projects as well as the research and development practices of multiple agronomical enterprises in Puerto Rico.