Workshop on Estimating Species Trees: Practical and Theoretical Aspects of a New Paradigm in Molecular Systematics, Winter, '08-'09

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

A workshop on "Estimating Species Trees: Practical and Theoretical Aspects of a New Paradigm in Molecular Systematics" will be held at the University of Michigan over a two-day period. The workshop will combine lectures and hands-on computer training, focusing on new approaches and programs for using genetic data in estimates of phyogenetic trees of species. Recent computational and modeling advances have produced methods for estimating species trees directly, which may supercede traditional phylogenetic approaches. The goal of the workshop is to increase the visibility and use of these new methods for the molecular systematics community of scientists and students. It will include lectures on the theoretical underpinnings of new methods, demonstrations of the utility of those methods, and training in new software implementations.