The Skidaway Institute of Oceanography is awarded a grant to purchase high-throughput genome-sequencing equipment to provide a critical improvement in the infrastructure required to conduct nucleic-acid-based research at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. This next-generation DNA sequencing platform represents a quantum leap in DNA sequencing technology, bringing true high throughput DNA sequencing capacity within the reach of the field and marine lab research community. Massively parallel high throughput DNA sequencing is a core technology enabling global genetic analyses including whole genome sequencing and transcriptomics, which have transformed research in a wide array of fields, including in the Ocean Sciences. Research activities at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography have increasingly utilized DNA and RNA sequence data with DNA sequencing required by at least 20 funded and several pending projects. Approximately 1/3 of the Skidaway Institute faculty (6 of 16) and several local, national and international collaborators routinely utilize sequencing technology as part of their research programs. Sequencing technology is being used to push the frontiers of many fields, but especially in biological and chemical oceanography where microorganisms dominate the biogeochemical cycling of critical nutrients and other elements. This technology is critical for elucidating new perspectives on the structure of food webs and parasitic and disease processes.
This improvement will allow researchers to exponentially increase the amount of sequencing that can be generated for the same research funds. As a result, experiments requiring high throughput sequencing will become feasible in smaller projects, including student research activities. Acquisition of this capacity will enhance several educational opportunities through ongoing programs with other institutions, including the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Savannah State and Clark Atlanta. Skidaway faculty, staff and students also work with local K-12 educational systems to provide both pre- and in-service teachers with research experiences. Collaborations with partners on the Skidaway campus including the University of Georgia's Marine Education Center and Aquarium, Georgia Institute of Technology's Chemical Ecology Laboratory, Georgia Southern University's Applied Coastal Research Laboratory, The Georgia Department of Natural Resources Underwater Archaeology Field Station, The Nature Conservancy and NOAA Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, also provide outlets for outreach and joint research. For more information about the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography please see its website at: www.skio.usg.edu/.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories (FSML) program supports the improvement of facilities and equipment necessary to conduct research and education conducted in the natural habitats of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems in facilities in close proximity to the environment. The University of Georgia’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO) is a multidisciplinary oceanographic research institution. The Institute's primary goals are to further the understanding of marine and environmental sciences, conduct leading edge research on marine and coastal systems, and train tomorrow's scientists. Located on the Georgia coast (Savannah, Georgia), SkIO offers easy access to coastal and ocean waters and provides unique opportunities for visiting scientists and students seeking access to state-of-the-art research facilities, accessible research locations, and opportunities for collaboration with Skidaway Institute's interdisciplinary and internationally-recognized research faculty. In this project (equipment only, no personnel support) SkIO purchased, installed and brought into operation an Applied Biosystems Ion Torrent Personal Genome MachineTM DNA Sequencer. This next-gen sequencing platform represents a quantum leap in DNA sequencing technology. DNA sequencing is a core life-sciences technology that has transformed research in a wide array of fields, including in the ocean sciences. Research activities at SkIO have become increasingly dependent on DNA and RNA based sequence data. Access to the Ion Torrent PGM™ Sequencer is allowing SkIO and collaborating researchers, students and postdocs to exponentially increase the amount of sequencing that can be generated for the same amount of research funds and substantially decreased sample turnaround time. As a result, projects requiring high throughput sequencing have become feasible in smaller projects, including student research activities. Currently the instrument is supporting a diverse collection of projects (9) ranging from investigations of disease agents in marine animals, food web structure of complex continental shelf and estuarine systems, and the description of the dolphin microbiome. Many of these projects are the focus of student directed projects.
