UCLA/La Kretz Workshop in Conservation Genomics, 20-24 March, 2016 Conservation biology, genetics, and evolutionary biology have had a long and intimate relationship, and conservation constitutes one of the key applications of evolutionary analysis to real-world biological problems. The impacts of population and landscape genetics and gene expression studies have been particularly striking, and are helping to solve some of the most pressing problems in biological conservation.
As the field of conservation genetics continues to grow and mature, the availability of genome-scale data stand to make profound new contributions to our ability to identify and protect at-risk populations and recover those that are most endangered. However, genomic analyses also carry a heavy burden—data sets are enormous, often requiring diverse computational approaches for assembly, quality control and analysis. The La Kretz annual workshop provides a comfortable, rigorous, but informal training environment for a small group of motivated graduate students to explore how conservation problems can best be addressed with genomic-level data. Our goal is to provide hands-on experience in the efficient collection, troubleshooting, and analysis of large data sets for conservation-relevant problems. One of the highlights of our workshop is active participation from members of several governmental agencies who are at the forefront of endangered species protection and management, providing a forum for exploring the most relevant aspects of conservation genomics to managers. The UCLA/La Kretz workshop is held at the La Kretz Field Station (http://www.environment.ucla.edu/lakretz/fieldstation/) and Stunt Ranch Reserve (http://stuntranch.ucnrs.org) in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains. Only 30 miles from UCLA and the LAX airport, but nestled in the relatively undeveloped 160,000 acre Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the Field Station/Stunt Reserve provides an ideal location to explore new developments in genomic science and pressing needs in conservation and management together in a single setting. Our current instructor list, drawn from UCLA faculty and several other partner institutions, includes: Ben Fitzpatrick (U. Tennessee Knoxville) Kirk Lohmueller Evan McCartney-Melstad Gideon Bradburd (UC Berkeley) Brad Shaffer Victoria Sork Bob Wayne Ying Zhen Plus a soon-to-be-disclosed RNA-seq team… Agency partners represented include: USGS BLM USFWS CDFW Topics covered include: Overview of traditional conservation genetics Next generation platforms: the best tool for the job Data management pipelines: Quality Control Data storage Data organization Data types and analyses: SNPs Sequences Exploring very large data sets Functional genomic data RNA-seq Genomic data and GIS Visualizing geographic structure and demographic history Admixture, clines, and hybridization Detecting adaptive variation RNA-seq and the analysis of genes that matter Prerequisites Available housing limits course enrollment to ~20 students. Preference is given to doctoral candidates who are in the early to middle stages of their thesis research, and who have some familiarity with using a command line interface or programming languages (i.e. Perl, python etc.). Postdocs, faculty, and government researchers may also apply, but preference will be given to graduate students. We encourage applications from women, minorities, and individuals from under-represented demographics in the sciences. Admission and Fees Applicants will be admitted based on academic qualifications and appropriateness of research interests. The course fee is $425. This includes food and lodging at the La Kretz Field Station, as well as any incidental fees, for the duration of the course (arriving Sunday March 20, departing Friday March 25). In addition, course participants who would like to extend their stay at the field station for the remainder of the weekend may do so for no extra charge. For those opting to stay the weekend, departure time will be by 5:00 pm on Sunday March 27. This year, the workshop is co-sponsored by a UC Catalyst program grant that will provide some support for faculty and student support and staffing needs. University of California students may apply for partial support (up to $225) from the newly awarded Conservation Genomics Consortium ( https://sites.lifesci.ucla.edu/eeb-conservationgenomics/ ) funded under the UC Catalyst program. UCLA students are encouraged to take the La Kretz Workshop for graduate credit. Other UC students may also be able to take the course for credit. Application Forms and Information Visit the UCLA/La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science website for additional information and to download the application (http://www.environment.ucla.edu/lakretz/events/476) Application Deadline: Applications are due by February 15, 2016. Please send a completed application form and a short letter of recommendation from your major advisor. Students will be notified via e- mail by February 19, 2016 of acceptance. Applications should be emailed as PDFs to: Mario Colon, ([email protected]). Please note if you are a University of California student or postdoc, and if so, whether you are requesting financial assistance.
