Gene duplication is the driving force behind evolution, and it is a central topic in evolutionary bioinformatics. The project on modeling and analysis of gene duplication will consider (i) biological modeling of gene duplication, including processes for the birth and death of genes, and processes affecting the retention of duplicate genes, and (ii) statistical modeling of the data on retained gene duplicates. In addition, it will also address the incorporation of both models so that inference can be made about aspects of the biological mechanisms. The larger context for this project is to provide better modeling of gene trees as part of the gene and species trees reconciliation problem. Statistical modeling issues of measurement error, incorporation of data from different sources, and the analysis of data on trees will also be addressed as they arise practically.
The PI will train and mentor graduate students and a post-doc in statistical modeling and practice as it arises in the analysis of gene duplication data. Technical skills and methodology needed for this analysis can be transferred to other applications in the larger area of bioinformatics and other data-rich fields. The project will also have broader impacts in the communication of statistical information, especially in a biological context, to a larger audience. The audience will include K-12 teachers who obtain professional development from the Science and Math Teaching Center at the University of Wyoming, participants in the Wyoming State Science Fair, students at the University of Wyoming and members of the larger community surrounding the university who can participate in public discussions of statistical issues in current biological/medical topics in the news. Other student populations such as junior high and high school participants in the Women in Science conferences at the University of Wyoming and undergraduate participants in the ongoing summer Bioinformatics program at the University of Wyoming will also be included in interactions as part of this project.
