The University of Wyoming’s Wyoming IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) will enhance biomedical research infrastructure, research competitiveness, training, and workforce development with the assistance of a federal grant to develop a cloud-based genomics data learning module.

Wyoming INBRE received a National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Sandbox supplemental grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) worth $43,945 over one year for the project titled “RADseq for Population Genetics, Linkage Mapping and GWAS.” The grant started May 1 and ends April 30, 2025.

The NIGMS Sandbox is a collection of cloud-based biomedical data science learning modules to teach students, researchers, clinicians, and others how to harness the power of cloud technology for life sciences applications and research.

Under the grant, the Wyoming INBRE Data Science Core is developing a cloud-based learning module for the NIGMS Sandbox that will be of benefit to those interested in gaining more insights into genomics data sets.

The module will add a NIGMS Sandbox learning pathway that provides IDeA network members training in the wide-ranging and impactful use of Restriction site-Associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) data for studies focused on population genetics, linkage mapping, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), conservation genetics, evolutionary biology, and crop/livestock improvement. The module will provide the IDeA community an introductory learning module aimed at increasing cloud literacy and demonstrating the power of RADseq datasets to answer important biological questions.

Scott Seville, a professor and senior associate dean in the UW College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources, is principal investigator on the grant. Seville, also the director of Wyoming INBRE, is coordinating with Nic Blouin, a senior research scientist in the Department of Molecular Biology and director of Wyoming INBRE’s Data Science Core, and Sean Harrington, a senior research scientist in the Department of Molecular Biology.

“As cloud computing is still a novelty at many institutions, there is a need for accessible and contextual learning and research tools to obtain experience with cloud computing,” Blouin says. “Here, we propose a cloud-based learning module for the Sandbox that will be of benefit to those interested in gaining more insights into genomics data sets. “

The advancement of biomedical research is highly dependent on access to and analysis of large and complex datasets, according to the grant abstract. To provide equal access to all researchers, the research community should provide access to cloud computing that enables efficient data analysis and management, without an upfront investment where applicable. Additionally, many institutions, such as state public health labs, require that their workforces be cloud literate to report findings and manage their workloads.

The grant is one of 14 projects that received $991,005 in total funding from NIH that were announced in July, according to Brittany Merth, a public affairs specialist and social media lead for the Communications and Public Liaison Branch of NIH’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

The NIGMS Sandbox, launched in 2023, was built through a collaboration among NIGMS, the NIH Office of Data Science Strategy, the NIH Center for Information Technology, NIGMS-funded investigators, and a team of cloud engineers, bioinformaticians, and project managers. The platform is hosted on GitHub and has 12 learning modules that are publicly available for self-learning as well as for use in a classroom setting. Each module represents a unique use case or scientific workflow and is delivered through interactive step-by-step tutorials, quizzes, and visualizations.