RAD Microbes Boot Camp 2025

Register for the RAD Microbes Boot Camp to learn from expert bioinformaticians at Rice University and the Texas Medical Center on Reading, Assembling, Analyzing & Deciphering microbial genomes.

Dates: April 28-29, 2025

Location: O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science (5th Floor) at Rice University | 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005

Instructors & Overview:https://github.com/treangenlab/radmicrobes

• Dr. Rodrigo de Paula Baptista, Houston Methodist Research Institute
• Dr. Blake Hanson, UTHealth
• Dr. Will Shropshire, MD Anderson
• Dr. Todd J Treangen, AI2Health Cluster, Ken Kennedy Insitute & Department of Computer Science, Rice University

Schedule:

8am to 9am: Breakfast & kickoff
9am to 10:30am: Session 1
10:30 to 10:45am: Break 1
10:45 to 12:15pm: Session 2
12:15 to 1:00pm: Lunch & Learn (TBD)
1pm to 2:15pm: Session 3
2:15 to 2:30pm: Break 2
2:30 to 3:45pm: Session 4
3:45 to 4pm: Wrap up
4pm to 6pm: Social at Valhalla

Summary:

Computational analyses of microbial genomes through genomic sequencing hold tremendous promise yet can become riddled with various sources of potential bias. The microbial genome analysis workshop is designed for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and investigators from diverse backgrounds and interests for clarity on how to effectively utilize ubiquitous computational pipelines for answering specific research questions. This hands-on workshop will cover end-to-end microbial genome analysis, discussing the pros and cons of decisions made during the process (library preparation, sequencing, bioinformatic tool selection, parameter settings, and interpretation of results).

Topics: Short and long-read sequencing, amplicon and isolate genome sequence, genome assembly and validation, functional annotation, phylogenomic analysis, and strain typing. This workshop will be taught by scientists with expertise in bioinformatics and analysis of clinical samples, allowing participants to get individualized training on how to accurately sample, sequence, and characterize microbial genomes.

Acknowledgments: The Ken Kennedy Institute, OIT Rice (for providing computational resources), NIH NIAID P01AI15299

Cost: The $100 registration fee covers breakfast, lunch, and reception. If you need financial assistance, please reach out to treangen@rice.edu.

Refund Policy:

• 2+ weeks prior: Full refund (Not including $25 administrative processing fee)
• 1-2 weeks prior: 50% refund
• Less than 7 days prior: No refund**