News

PepsiCo has recently begun to use the U’s bioinformatics research resources, including the University of Minnesota Genomics Center (UMGC) and MSI, to help them with crop research and development. PepsiCo’s scientists are using MSI’s bioinformatics hardware and software to process genomics data generated by the UMGC. PepsiCo researchers can use MSI’s resources from their locations in St. Paul or New York state. Also, since the datasets generated for this research are huge, data transfer can be a problem.

In a recent paper that appeared in The American Naturalist, MSI PI Allison Shaw, an assistant professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, and her colleague Sandra Binning in Switzerland described a mathematical model that allowed the researchers to vary costs and benefits of various factors. These included migration, parasites, lifespan, reproduction rate, and others.

MSI users can now sign up for the Globus file-transfer system. It uses an easy, convenient web interface that allows users to transfer data between computer systems. It typically has much faster data-transfer speeds than other methods. Complete instructions for signing up for Globus and how to use it can be found in the MSI FAQ. This is an MSI BETA service, so it is still being tested.  

MSI PI Robert Reich (Forest Resources) is the lead researcher on a recent paper showing that plants can adapt to a warming climate and release less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than previously thought. The findings come from a five-year project called “B4WARMED,” which simulated the effects of climate change on plots of trees in open-air settings.

The Open Science Grid (OSG) User School is soliciting applications for students to attend the 2016 session, July 25-29, 2016. This school is intended for researchers who want to learn how they could use high-performance computing in their work. The school takes place on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Financial support for basic travel, hotel, and food costs is provided. It is primarily targeted at graduate students, but there are some places for post-docs, faculty, staff, and advanced undergrads.