Acquisition of a capillary DNA sequencer for The New York Botanical Garden

New York Botanical Garden, Bronx NY

Investigators

Abstract

A grant has been awarded to the New York Botanical Garden under the direction of Dr. Kenneth Cameron for partial support of the purchase of a capillary DNA sequencer to be housed within the Garden's new Pfizer Plant Research Laboratory. The machine will be used for data collection by the scientists, students, and visitors from the USA and abroad who are expected to pass through the facility. The New York Botanical Garden is a world leader in the field of plant and fungal molecular biology research, and its Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics Studies has trained more than 100 visiting scientists, postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students from no fewer than 30 countries since it was created in 1994. Most of its research is concerned with gene sequencing for phylogeny reconstruction, DNA barcoding for plant identification, and molecular fingerprinting for addressing questions of genetic diversity and plant conservation. Most of the investigators involved with research projects also supervise visiting scientists, postdocs, and/or students who are participants in their respective research projects. In addition to housing the capillary DNA sequencer, the Pfizer Plant Research Laboratory will also house the Garden's Graduate Studies Program, which now includes approximately 36 Ph.D. candidates from the USA and abroad. The greatest number comes from Latin America, where many former graduates now hold leadership positions in area universities and government organizations. Thus, in addition to research, the Plant Research Laboratory and especially the molecular programs at The New York Botanical Garden are also critical for their role in developing human resources in the biological sciences worldwide. All of the Garden's students recognize the need for experience with molecular techniques in order for them to be competitive for future educational opportunities and/or careers in teaching and research, and for this reason, nearly every doctoral student enrolled at the Garden passes through the molecular laboratory at one point or another during their studies to receive appropriate training. Finally, as stated earlier, The New York Botanical Garden has become recognized as one of few institutions in the world where both senior scientists as well as students from abroad can come to be trained in the most modern techniques of molecular biodiversity studies. Access to the most state-of-the art DNA sequencing equipment will be invaluable to all of these scientists.