The Center for Genomic Science Innovation (CGSI) hosted the Summer internship for INdigenous People in Genomics (SING) genomics workshop that is co-directed by Rene Begay MS, MPH and Matthew Anderson, PhD. This week-long workshop provides training in the application of genetics/genomics and the accompanying ethical and social implications of genetics research among Indigenous communities. SING creates a community for participants to have deeper conversation and discussions about what genetics research means for them and their communities. This year’s workshop centered gene editing technologies with a particular focus on CRISPR. The program included 13 undergraduate, graduate, post doc, and community participants and 8 instructors who traveled from across the United States to lend their expertise in genomics and discuss its potential benefits and consequences to Indigenous communities.
The SING participants were able to take advantage of many of the resources available at UW-Madison. Participants performed CRISPR/Cas9 on yeast in the teaching laboratory, analyzed whole genome sequencing data with CGSI-governed servers, and heard directly from subject matter experts on campus. Guest speakers shared how their groups applied gene editing to address health or industrial needs and shared their academic journeys. To compare its application in agriculture, SING traveled to Yowela farms owned by Dan Cornelius (Oneida) to learn about how he uses traditional and contemporary approaches to manage crops. In addition, the group traveled to the Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center to learn how genetic modification is applied in crop sciences across the state.
Thanks to the support of CGSI, the SING workshop recently received an NIH Innovative Programs to Enhance Research Training (IPERT) grant through the National Institute of General Medical Science (R25GM166840). This allows the continued operation of SING, which first convened in 2011, and is expanding into year-round programming with alumni to provide leadership and outreach opportunities. SING will return to UW-Madison and CGSI in 2030 when the program will focus on personalized medicine.