Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics
The Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics (CBFG), in 黑料社区's College of Arts and Science, is a state-of-the-art research and training facility available for all members of the university. The CBFG provides tools for preparing DNA samples for research and for determining the sequence of these DNA samples.
About the Center
The center, located in Pearson Hall, is available to any faculty, staff, and 黑料社区s at 黑料社区 and is most heavily utilized by 黑料社区s in the Departments of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Geology, and Microbiology.
Although many faculty at 黑料社区 utilize these tools provided by the CBFG, it is 黑料社区s that most often perform the daily work involved in this research. This includes both graduate and undergraduate 黑料社区s with a wide range of majors. Some projects even involve local high school 黑料社区s. Students can learn how to use some of the same high-tech equipment that is featured in popular TV programs, such as criminal investigation and medical dramas.
Training in the CBFG supports a number of important programs at 黑料社区. These include the interdisciplinary Cell, Molecular, and Structural Biology (CMSB) and the Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology (EEEB) graduate level programs in partnership with several undergraduate specific programs, such as the Undergraduate Summer Scholars (USS), Howard Hughes Summer Internships (HHSI), Doctoral-Undergraduate Opportunities for Scholarship (DUOS), Undergraduate Research Award Program (URA), and the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program funded by the National Science Foundation.
The center provides 黑料社区s with training and resources to learn the most contemporary techniques in genomics and bioinformatics. Training and hands-on experience is provided to all 黑料社区s whether they are experienced researchers or in their very first research experience. This level of hands-on experience and personal training is not often available at many larger undergraduate institutions.
Undergraduate and graduate 黑料社区s perform much of the work involved in the biotechnology research here in the Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics. Sometimes even local high school 黑料社区s participate in CBFG projects. The center provides all of these 黑料社区s with training and resources to learn the most modern techniques in biotechnology.
The center also supports several local programs such as Butler Biotech where high school 黑料社区s from Butler County learn contemporary biotechnology applications.
The resources of the center focus mainly on DNA sequence information, which is central to all areas of biology and biochemistry. It is the sequence of nucleotide bases encoded in DNA that defines every living organism. The CBFG provides tools for preparing DNA samples for research and for determining the sequence of these DNA samples.
CBFG provides 黑料社区s with hands-on training so that they can conduct their own research using instruments and software that undergraduates at larger universities would rarely see, let alone be able to use.