Catawba College News Service

KANNAPOLIS — Catawba College and Eremid Genomic Services are now accepting applications for a unique summer program: Illumina Next Generation Sequencing Workshop and Certificate Program from Aug. 5-16.

Catawba College students, researchers and students at the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC), and other interested scientists are invited to apply for a seat in this inaugural summer workshop and certificate program. The 10-day intensive workshop will focus on foundational theory and hands-on training in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies. The first phase of the workshop will focus on understanding and experiencing how to extract, purify and prepare DNA for sequencing on the Illumina system. The second phase will focus on bioinformatics and entrepreneurship in biotechnology, how to analyze and use NGS data. 

The program will be held at Catawba College’s Bill and Shari Graham Genomics Laboratory at Eremid’s North Carolina Research Campus facility in Kannapolis. The leader of the workshop is Dr. Francisco Camacho, professor affiliate with the department of biology at Catawba College and Bill and Shari Graham Genomics Laboratory Manager at Eremid Genomics Services. Bioinformatics modules will be taught by Dr. Peter Schafran, NSF fellow in the Plant Genome Research Program Boyce Thompson Institute Ithaca, New York, and Entrepreneurship in Biotechnology modules will be presented by Pabel Delgado, entrepreneur in residence, Ketner School of Business, Catawba College.

“Genomics is here,” Camacho said. “Gone are the days of single-gene analysis. Biology is in the genomic era and the complexities of the molecular biology techniques continue to evolve. Next-Generation Sequencing has become a standard tool in the biological sciences, and yet it is not easily assessable to students. At Eremid, we have the elite staff and facilities to provide the highest of quality entry into this new era. Participants will go from sample preparation to publication as they hone their scientific technique and knowledge. With the completion of this workshop, their newfound skills will advance them on their career path.”

Information about the summer workshop, including fees, frequently asked questions, and the application link are available at https://www.catawba.edu/ngsworkshop/