Topics in Anthropology (490-0-3)
Topic
Microbiome Analysis
Instructors
Katherine Amato
847/467-5890
1810 Hinman Avenue, Room A62
Katie Amato is a biological anthropologist studying the gut microbiota in the broad context of host ecology and evolution. She is particularly interested in understanding how changes in the gut microbiota impact human nutrition and health in populations around the world, especially those with limited access to nutritional resources.
Meeting Info
ANTHRO Sem Rm 104 - 1810 Hinmn: Wed 2:00PM - 4:50PM
Overview of class
Imagine the scientific impact of discovering a new organ. Advances in DNA technology and big data analysis have allowed us to do just that by uncovering the complex microbial communities that live in and on our bodies. Microbiome research is transforming the natural and social sciences by revealing new mechanisms through which human physiology and health are influenced. In this course, you will learn to use two major computational tools for exploring the microbiome and its interactions with the human body. After a brief introduction to sample processing for DNA sequencing, we will use QIIME2 to describe microbiome composition and HUMANn4 to describe microbiome functional potential. Foundational microbiome research focused mainly on the gut will be discussed throughout the course, and the final product of the course will be a meta-analysis of publicly available microbiome data.
Class Materials (Required)
No required texts.
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Reserved for Graduate Students.