The Forest Genomics Labs

have locations in the Cancer and Genetics Research Complex and in Newins-Ziegler Hall at the University of Florida.

Just a short distance from our lab facilities in the Genetics Institute is our plant research complex. Experiments under controlled conditions are conducted in our double bay, fan and pad cooled greenhouse (each bay measures 30'x70').

Using ebb and flow (flood) benches allows us to grow uniform plant populations and saves resources. Fertilizer solutions, stored under in the bench in 100 gallon tanks (left), are pumped onto the bench at set periods. The solution is allowed to drain back into the tanks to be used again after the plants have taken up what they need. This system produces uniform plant populations (below) and helps to minimize experimental variation.

Other facilities like the potting shed (left) and smaller greenhouses (below), provides us with additional growing space and work areas.

The Forest Genomics Labs have access to state of the art facilities and equipment. Mouse over a topic to learn more:

Housed within the Cancer and Genectics Research Complex, is the Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research (ICBR). Being housed in the same building as the ICBR labs gives us access not only to their services such as 454 sequencing and mass spectrometry, but also allows us to utilize thier equipment, such as thier bioanalyzer. For more information, visit the ICBR's website.

Construction on our lab facilities in the Cancer and Genetics Research Complex was completed in July of 2006. As you enter the lab (left) you can see our storage area in the front and our bioinformatics corador further ahead. The large windows give us plenty of natural light and spectacular views.

Once inside the lab, you could freely walk through the labs of collegues working on our floor (right). This lends itself to the sharing of resources and encourages collaboration. Other departments housed on our floor include microbiology, agronomy, and soil and water sciences.

Views from 2 of the lab windows. Lake Alice (right) and the O-dome and Swamp (below)

In addition to our growth facilities at our compound, we have access to 17 growth chambers in our building (above and right) and to air conditioned greenhouses on the roof (below).

The Forest Genomics Labs are housed in the new Cancer and Genetics Research Complex. The 2400 sq ft. laboratory is located on the 3rd floor and includes workbenches, eight workstations for computing and bioinformatics, and four 100 sq. ft. equipment rooms. The labs are equipped with a large variety of hardware needed to conduct physiological, molecular genetic and biochemical research. The most relevant equipment includes an Olympus IX70 differential interference contrast microscope with high resolution digital camera, a Stratagene MX3000 real time PCR machine, four 96-well PCR machines, refrigerated Superspeed centrifuge, a GenoGrinder2000 from Spex Certiprep, Inc., a laminar flow hood, a Biorad Molecular Imager FX phosphoimager and laser attachment, a Kodak EDAS 290 system for gel imaging, Nanodrop spectrophotometer, Beckman Coulter P/ACE MDQ capillary electrophoresis and System Gold HPLC with scanning diode array detectors with autosamplers.  In addition, we maintain a 600 sq ft lab and three 110 sq ft offices in Newins-Ziegler Hall.

We control a 4200 sq ft greenhouse equipped with 36 ebb-n-flow benches and supplemental lighting.  We have access to 10 walk-in growth chambers (each ~ 60 sq ft) and an additional 1800 sq ft of greenhouse space on the roof of the Cancer and Genetics Research Complex.

We have access to facilities and equipment, such as the 2,000 acre Austin Cary Memorial Forest and drying rooms, through the School of Forest Resources and Conservation.  Through the Cancer and Genetics Institute, we have access to equipment such as Beckman Scintillation counters, Leica vibratome, and a Biorad gene gun.  The ICBR core labs are also housed in the Cancer and Genetics Institute. ICBR provides services such as 454 sequencing and mass spectrometry.