Dr. Christina Kellogg will participate in a congressional briefing on microbiome research and infrastructure to facilitate data sharing.

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The panel, hosted by the American Society for Microbiology, will provide updates on microbiome research, discuss the importance of data sharing, and demonstrate why continued investment in research infrastructure is critical for advancing microbiome research with broad societal impacts.

Microbiome research is fundamental to health, climate, ecosystems, and more. Some of the most important developments in modern science have resulted from harnessing the power of microbes, from vaccine development for smallpox to the development of biofuels. Dr. Christina Kellogg studies marine microbes, particularly the microbial ecology of tropical and deep-sea corals. Dr. Kellogg uses microbiological and metagenomic techniques to decipher the roles the microbial community play in processes such as coral disease and carbon cycling, as well as documenting benchmark microbial diversity to create baselines for conservation and management decisions.

Hosted by the American Society for Microbiology and the National Microbiome Data Collaborative, this briefing allows Members of Congress and their staff to gain exciting, first-hand knowledge on a variety of topics centered on microbiome research across the spectrum of scientific disciplines—from the human microbiome and gut health, to agriculture and soil health, to the oceans, space, and beyond. The webinar will be organized as an interactive panel discussion to describe microbiome research, the importance of data sharing and stewardship of the Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable (FAIR) principles, and an outlook towards multi-disciplinary collaboration and scientific discovery.