Biologists today are elucidating the genetic architecture of complex traits including growth rate, drought resistance, feed efficiency, longevity, and fecundity, in species important to basic biology, agriculture, and ecology. Recent advances such as the sequencing of the genomes of multiple species, the availability of millions of identified SNPs, the completion of the human HapMap project, and the development of expression microarrays for many species have facilitated such studies and inspired new methods of analysis for complex traits. Substantial genetic research is being done in these areas, but it is often done without sufficient statistical support or appropriate experience. Novel methods for linkage, linkage disequilibrium, microarray studies, and other approaches are being developed and evaluated by investigators at UAB's Section on Statistical Genetics (SSG) and investigators at other institutions. However, without adequate training it is difficult for applied investigators to keep up with, implement, and interpret the results obtained from these specialized methods. Moreover, there are ample data to show that (1) there is a need and documented demand for courses in statistical genetics; (2) there is a dearth of scientists with training in statistical genetics; (3) statistical genetic methods are continually evolving; and (4) statistical genetic methods are neither routine nor easily implemented. This project offers an annual short course on statistical genetics to approximately 40-50 scientists attending in person. Secondarily it offers web-based videos of the courses, making them freely available to the world-wide scientific community.
Focusing on the analysis of complex traits characterized by quantitative variation, this 4.5-day course with a nationally recognized faculty will be held twice over the two-year duration of the award. The course will initially be held at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The second time the course will be offered it will be held in the same city and at nearly the same time (immediately before or after) as a national meeting attended by scientists needing the statistical approaches studied in the course. Targeting established investigators, post-doctoral fellows, and advanced graduate students, this course will offer a vigorous interactive program designed to enhance researchers' ability to implement and interpret the results of sophisticated statistical genetic analysis. Including hands-on computer demonstrations and practice, this course should be useful both to investigators involved in conducting statistical genetic analyses as well as to non-statistician scientists, often senior level physiologists and geneticists who request and interpret statistical analyses performed by others. Moreover, extended interactions between participants and faculty should spawn new collaborations, and inspire faculty to develop more widely applicable statistical methods to address the key challenges facing attendees. This course will benefit a wide range of investigators, students, and postdoctoral trainees, including those from traditionally disadvantaged minority groups, who study the genetics of plants, model organisms, livestock, wildlife, and humans, helping investigators to better understand, use, and, in some cases even undertake research on, statistical genetic methods. Statistical genetic methodology is critical to advancing basic biology which is, in turn, critical to fields like evolutionary biology, ecology, pest management, marine biology, forestry, and agriculture. This course will benefit society by helping create a critical mass of professionals who can make advances in these areas so important to our prosperity.
