This award will fund a workshop for U.S. and Chinese graduate students on next-generation DNA sequencing approaches to environment-pathogen linkages. The workshop will be held in conjunction with the fourth biennial conference of the International Association for Ecology and Health in Kunming, China, on 15-18 October 2012. The study of linkages between the environment and health of all species is an active and growing area of research that spans many disciplines. A primary goal of the conference is to provide educational and networking opportunities to students and to promote international collaborations within the field of ecohealth by bringing together world experts. The workshop will bring together current and potential future US and Chinese leaders in these fields around the common goal of furthering knowledge of mechanisms of survival and transport of pathogens in the environment.
The study of linkages between the environment and health of all species is an active and growing area of research that spans many disciplines. The International Association for Ecology and Health (IAEH) was originated with the purpose of "sustaining health of people, wildlife and ecosystems by promoting discovery, understanding and transdisciplinarity." The fourth biennial conference of the IAEH was held in Kunming China in October 2012. The conference provided a critical forum for EcoHealth scientists of all backgrounds to learn about each other’s work. A primary goal of the conference was to provide educational and networking opportunities to students and to promote international collaborations within the field. Funding from NSF allowed us to further this goal in two ways: 1) by hosting a pre-conference workshop on next-generation DNA sequencing approaches to environment-pathogen linkages, and 2) by funding 15 US graduate students with research interests in this area to attend the workshop and conference. The workshop introduced students to the latest approaches to generating and analyzing next-generation DNA sequenced data from the environment and animal hosts. The workshop was open to all conference attendees but targeted at graduate students. Students from the USA, China, India, Bangladesh, the UK and Uganda were the primary participants. Twenty-five conference attendees participated in the workshop, including the 15 U.S. students funded by this grant. Dr. Zhengli Shi of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was brought to the conference as part of this award and co-lead the workshop. She presented techniques specific to viral pathogens and discussed her work on viral discovery in bats. Fifteen US graduate students applied for support to attend the conference and workshop. We received 17 applicants and selected the top 15 based on research interest and overlap, as well as need. The 15 students who received funding represented 14 institutions of higher learning. All were PhD level students working on issues relevant to EcoHealth and who used (or intended to use) metagenomic techniques. Each student received ~$3300 in travel and lodging support.
