Crosspost: New papers from our undergraduate “microbiology of the built environment” genome sequencing project

Crossposting from microBEnet.

We have two new papers out from our lab as part of our microBEnet supported undergraduate genome sequencing project:

•  Lo JR, Lang JM, Darling AE, Eisen JA, Coil DA. 2013. Draft Genome Sequence of an Actinobacterium, Brachybacterium muris Strain UCD-AY4. Genome Announc. 1(2):e00086-13. doi:10.1128/genomeA.00086-13. 
• Bendiks ZA, Lang JM, Darling AE, Eisen JA, Coil DA. 2013. Draft Genome Sequence of Microbacterium sp. Strain UCD-TDU (Phylum Actinobacteria) Genome Announc. 1(2):e00120-13. doi:10.1128/genomeA.00120-13. 

Congratulations to all involved especially Jonathan Lo and Zack Bendiks, the undergrads who are first authors, and to David Coil who coordinated all the work.

More information about the project can be found on blog posts from my lab blog (http://phylogenomics.wordpress.com/category/undergraduate-genome-project/) and on a page here on microBEnet (http://www.microbe.net/undergraduate-research-built-environment-genomes/) and the YouTube video below:

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In summary, the point of the project was to (1) start generating some reference genomes for microbes from the built environment and (2) to engage undergraduates at UC Davis in genome sequencing and microbiology of the built environment projects.

The papers are published in a new open access journal from the American Society for Microbiology called "Genome Announcements".

Thanks also to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation which funds microBEnet and to the UC Davis Genome Center DNA Technologies Core facility which ran the sequencing.  More papers are coming.  Stay tuned.