What would YOU do with six billion sequencing reads?

The Ramaciotti Centre for Genomics, where we get all the sequencing done for the BABS Genome, is holding a competition to win a full sequencing run on their new NovaSeq 6000. This is one of the technologies we are using for our snake genomes - in fact, our three tiger snakes were part of the very first sequencing run on the new machine. The capacity of this thing is awesome. In addition to the three snake samples, we had three cane toads as part of the ongoing [cane toad genome project] and, for a control, sequenced one of our yeast strains about 10,000 times!

The Competition

NovaSeq Mini Grant – How would you use 3 billion reads?

To celebrate the opening of our new genomics facility we are pleased to announce a mini grant valued up to $28,000. Researchers with innovative, collaborative projects are invited to submit a 250-word application outlining how 3 billion reads can be utilised to advance their research. The winner will receive an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 S2 100bp PE run (up to 3.3B reads/660Gb), with heavily subsidised library construction. Submit your entry by completing an application form and emailing it to Nextgenseq@unsw.edu.au with the subject heading “NovaSeq mini grant”. Terms and conditions apply.

We're sequencing snakes! (But the competition's still on...)

Today was the first BABS3291 Genes, Genomes and Evolution lecture and the official opening of the new Ramaciotti Centre for Genomics labs in the shiny new E26 Bioscience South building at UNSW. This seemed like an appropriate day to reveal the chosen organisms for the BABS2017 Genome.

And the answer is... two snake species!

And not just any snakes… the Tiger Snake (left) and Brown snake (right, narrowly avoided by my postdoc Åsa and her partner!) are two of the most deadly snakes in the world. More information will follow in future posts.

Data from the BABS Genome is going to form the core of the seven-week genomics bioinformatics practical at the heart of the coursework for BABS3291. This obviously meant that we needed to start generating data before the course started. We’re still keen to find out what you would like sequenced, though, and the BABS Genome competition remains open for now. Who knows, you may help pick the next genome we do!

Photo Credits

• Tiger Snake: Teneche - CC BY-SA 3.0. Location: Banyule Flats Reserve, Melbourne, Victoria.

• Brown Snake: Patrick Dessi. Location: Booroomba Rocks, Namadgi National Park, ACT, Australia.

One week to go!

Official launch date for the BABS Genome Project is Monday 24th July to coincide with the start of BABSS3291 Genes, Genomes and Evolution and the official reopening of the Ramaciotti Centre for Genomics in its new home in E26 Bioscience South and UNSW.

It’s not too late to enter the competition!