Summer Institute in Statistical Genetics

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides tuition and travel scholarships for students to attend the annual Summer Institute in Statistical Genetics at the University of Washington. The Institute consists of a series of short courses designed to introduce researchers in genetics and related fields to current methods of statistical analysis and to introduce researchers in statistics to the opportunities presented by modern genetic data. The courses cover basic concepts in genetics and statistics and then address areas of application in evolutionary biology, agriculture and medicine. Advanced topics in statistical methods and statistical computing are also covered. Genetic data are being used to explain evolutionary histories, to locate the genes that affect economic traits in plants and animals or disease status in humans. These data are also used for individual identification or to predict adverse reactions to pharmaceuticals. The amount and complexity of genetic data have exploded in recent years, first with completion of the human genome project and now with the possibility of affordable determination of the complete DNA sequence of humans and other species. This explosion has led to challenges in managing and interpreting genetic data, and the Summer Institute in Statistical Genetics brings experts from around the world to teach the new statistical approaches that will allow full benefit to be gained from the data.