Acquisition of DNA Analysis Instrumentation for Research and Education

Williams College, Williamstown MA

Investigators

Abstract

This award will provide instrumentation for an in-house facility at Williams College for the collection of DNA sequence and genotype data. This resource will contain all the necessary tools to generate and analyze these data, including a capillary-based DNA analyzer, equipment for template amplification and purification, and workstations equipped with software for data analysis. At present, researchers rely on off-site services for the acquisition of DNA data, an arrangement that limits the efficiency of data gathering and impedes the involvement of student researchers in many aspects of collecting DNA-based data. The DNA analysis facility will be an integral part of both scientific research and the educational curriculum at Williams College. It will significantly affect the current research of four principal investigators on the following projects: (1) characterization of the role of small heat shock proteins in zebrafish retinotectal development, (2) population genetic analyses of genes involved in malaria resistance in human populations, (3) individual identification of tadpoles in a field-based study of natural selection, and (4) analysis of Hox gene regulators in annelid pattern formation. At least three courses within the science curriculum, with a combined enrollment of over 200 students, will incorporate hands-on activities that utilize the DNA analysis facility. These include the capstone course of an interdisciplinary program in Bioinformatics, Genomics and Proteomics, a course in the introductory Biology series, and an upper-division evolutionary biology course within the Biology major. The effects of the DNA analysis facility will be widespread at Williams College. Faculty research will benefit from access to equipment that facilitates the generation of DNA data. Student researchers will gain hands-on experience with state-of-the-art methods of DNA sequencing and genotyping, and students from across the sciences will participate in the generation of DNA datasets as part of their coursework. Through these influences this facility will further two of the main goals of the science program at Williams College: (1) to best prepare students for their pursuits after Williams and (2) to maintain a faculty engaged in research at the cutting edge of their fields.