Tonight I watched the London Calling 2022 session by Zane Libke from the Sumak Kawsay in situ Genomics lab and National Institute of Biodiversity in Ecuador. I am interested in using the Flongle flow cells for smaller course projects and was excited to learn about current uses. Libke has been visiting the Amazons and learning about frog diversity, for example. They spoke about how diverse that area of the jungles of Ecuador is. The area is located between two conservation parks. Libke lived in the Amazons and helped develop a teaching and research site. They use a miniPCR system for barcoding and solar panels to power the teaching and research site. Libke and team have sampled and identified potentially new species. The field genetics courses they developed last between three and seven days and have helped build capacity. The site has trained close to fifty researchers and identified potentially new species. Their efforts help develop new barcoding datasets and inform conservation efforts. Libke explained that the site hosts three to seven day intensive workshops that include sampling, library preparation, and bioinformatics. This sounds like an awesome program and would be interested in knowing more about their course.
