Around this time, Dey-Rao suggested that the department become involved in educational programs offered through the Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute (JGI). In looking into these programs, Kostyniak concluded that they would be a good fit for university-level courses, as well as for high school courses aimed at stimulating students’ interest in science careers.

In January 2010, with support from the Department of Biotechnical and Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Koury and Dey-Rao traveled to JGI headquarters in Walnut Creek, Calif., where they received training in the computer-based Integrated Microbial Genome Annotation Collaboration Tool.

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