NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences presents: Quantitative Genomics of Space Biology Workshop
Quantitative Genomics of Space Biology Workshop
Wednesday, May 26th 2021
11 am – 3:30 pm (EST)
What is Quantitative Genetics:
Quantitative Genomics of Space Biology Workshop
Wednesday, May 26th 2021
11 am – 3:30 pm (EST)
What is Quantitative Genetics:
Transforming spaceflight knowledge.
Exploration of deep space by humans requires a better understanding of how multiple environmental factors encountered during spaceflight (e.g., radiation, microgravity, altered atmospheric composition) impact biological systems including astronauts, plants, and relevant microbiomes.
Quantitative Genetics represents a collection of approaches to assess the genetic basis of phenotypic variation of individuals within a population, often with the focus of how a population is adapted to a specialized environment. While these approaches have been indispensable to terrestrial research in genetic variation, they have not been applied to questions related to adaptation to the novel environment of spaceflight.
Who’s appearing at the workshop:
Thought leaders in spaceflight research and Quantitative Genetics.
In this workshop, we will bring together scientists that have expertise in spaceflight genomics with those that have experience in terrestrial Quantitative Genetics to explore the feasibility of Quantitative Genetic approaches to address critical questions in space biology. We ask, “Can we make better use of the spaceflight environment in order to understand the underlying nature of the complex traits that help terrestrial organisms adjust to this novel environment?”
The goal of this workshop is to explore how tools of Quantitative Genetics can be applied to elucidating traits important to the physiological adaptation of terrestrial biology to exploration-relevant environments. We aim to develop a roadmap for leveraging these approaches through a combination of large-scale ground studies and targeted flight study follow-up. A comprehensive plan for the successful application of such an approach will contribute to the next decade of space biology research.
Speakers include:
– Dr Sharmila Bhattacharya, Program Scientist for Space Biology in the Biological and Physical Science Division at NASA Headquarters (NASA Ames Research Center)
– Dr Trudy FC Mackay, Director for the Center for Human Genetics; Professor of Genetics and Biochemistry (Clemson University)
– Dr Ralph J Greenspan, Co-Director of Cal-BRAIN; Associate Director for the Kavli Institute for the Brain and Mind (UC San Diego)
– Dr Michael M Weil, Professor at the Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences (Colorado State University)
– Dr Martha Hotz Vitaterna, Research Professor at the Department of Neurobiology (Northwestern University)
– Dr Abraham Palmer, Professor & Vice Chair for Basic Research, Department of Psychiatry (UC San Diego)
– Dr Leah Solberg Woods, Professor at the Department of Internal Medicine, Molecular Medicine (Wake Forest University)
– Dr Robert Ferl, Distinguished Professor and Assistant Vice President for Research; Program in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology; Horticultural Sciences and the Genetics Institute (University of Florida)
– Dr Wolfgang Busch, Professor of Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology; Hess Chair in Plant Science (Salk Institute of Biological Sciences)
– Dr Marcio Resende, Lead of UF Corn Genomics and Breeding Lab; Assistant Professor at the Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida (University of Florida)
