Summer 2010 Week 1: Computational Methods and Terabase Metagenomics

July 17, 2010 to July 24, 2010

Snowbird, Highway 210 Little Cottonwood Canyon, Snowbird, Utah

Metagenomics is a powerful tool for accessing genetic information from the uncultured majority. Protein discovery, ecological theory, biotechnology, and ecosystem modeling have all been and will continue to be influenced by metagenomic methods. Through technology advancements it is now feasible to sequence more than a trillion base pairs from a community sample. Now, for the first time, metagenomics may be able to produce a 1x theoretical sequence coverage of a community genetic profile. If we were to examine a complex environment with comparably low genetic diversity, e.g., 1 mL of seawater, we could expect to find between 3-4 trillion bp of DNA. A standard pyrosequencing run today would produce ~900 Mbp which would be a 0.2% coverage, while a 3rd generation Illumina run can produce ~200 Gbp of DNA which would constitute 5% coverage.

The concept of the terabase metagenome highlights the need for computational development, especially in the areas of metagenomic assembly, structural variation and SNP variation, protein domain assignment, and pathway analysis. The terabase metagenome will allow us to capture the genomic information from the vast majority of species in an ecosystem and determine major variations in genes and genomes. This represents the concept of Absolute Microbial Diversity analysis, by determining the true diversity of an ecosystem.

This workshop will bring together the global bioinformatics and microbial ecology communities to devise a strategy to implement the terabase metagenome project, with particular focus on the development of algorithms and supercomputing routines; the provisioning of an expert panel to assist in the ecological interpretation; and the identification of interested parties of biotechnological exploitation of this proposed data set.

Organizing Committee

  • Rick Stevens (Computation Institute, Argonne National Laboratory/University of Chicago)
  • Folker Meyer (Argonne National Laboratory/University of Chicago)
  • Jack Gilbert (Plymouth Marine Laboratory, U.K.)

Scientific Overview


Location Details

On-site ICiS staff member: Cheryl Zidel, zidel@anl.gov

Please try to arrive on Saturday, July 17. The workshop program starts on Sunday, July 18, with a kick-off breakfast. Please look for the agenda on this page for exact times and locations. The workshop closes on Saturday, July 24, by noon.
 
Lodging

Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort is a fully staffed, full service resort. The ICiS Summer Institute block rate of $79 per night (plus tax and fees) is guaranteed from Saturday, July 17 to July 24. If you wish to extend your stay beyond July 24 and are not a registered participant of the July 24-31 ICiS workshop your nightly rate is subject to change.

You can reduce costs by sharing a room with another workshop participant. If you are interested in this option, contact us at <support@icis.anl.gov> and we will assist in pairing up individuals depending on space availability. You can choose to make your room-sharing arrangements independent of us as well.

Snowbird has complimentary high-speed wireless Internet in the rooms and in many common areas. Included in each Cliff Lodge room: hairdryer, coffee maker, small refrigerator, iron and ironing board. Several laundry facilities can be found on site.

Day care at Snowbird

Camp Snowbird is a state licensed day care facility and cares for infants, toddlers, and youth up to 12 years of age. Private babysitting services are also available. www.snowbird.com/lodging/forkids/campsnowbird.html

Shuttle Service (Canyon Transportation)

A 40-minute direct shuttle between the airport and Snowbird is $68 + tip roundtrip and must be arranged via the Snowbird Central Reservations line at 1-800-232-9542 no later than 48 hours prior to your arrival. You will be asked to provide your flight information. 48 hours notice is required for all cancellations. 

  • Express hours from the airport are from 8 a.m. to midnight departing every hour.
  • Return trips leave Snowbird 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the hour, based on reservations.
  • Return trips should be reconfirmed with Canyon the day prior to departure.
  • Return airport trips are scheduled for three hours on the hour before scheduled airline departure to allow for airport check-in and security screening.

Rental Car

The following car rental companies have counters in Salt Lake City International Airport: Advantage, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, National, and Thrifty. Make your reservations via the company website or via a travel engine like Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, or Orbitz.com.

* Snowbird charges a nightly parking fee.

[Back to Program List]

Schedule

session1usedagenda2.7.19.10.pdf

Attendee List

session_1_attendees.pdf

AttendeePPTs

icisattendees7.24.10.pdf