By Invitation Only: The Next Step in Funding the Joshua Tree Genome Project

by JTGadmin

Hard at work on the full proposal. (CIS)

Back in January we wrote to you about preparing a proposal for the National Science Foundation. Now, we have some encouraging news to share.

Don’t break out the champagne yet though.

Last month we received the good news that our proposal had been ‘invited for a full proposal’.

As research funding has become more and more competitive, the National Science Foundation has turned to using ‘preliminary proposal’ system. Each January scientists from around the country put together short summaries of their latest and greatest research ideas. From the hundreds of preliminary proposals they receive, about eight dozen (approximately 25%) will be invited to submit a full proposal.

And (drum roll, please!) our proposal was one of the lucky ones invited to prepare a longer form description of our research proposal. So, while the rest of you are out enjoying the summer sun (or hiding from triple digit heat if you live in the Mojave), here at the Joshua tree genome project we’ve been hard at work trying to make the best possible case for our work. In a little less than a week we will send off our full proposal. And then we will wait …

We probably won’t hear a final funding decision until December at the earliest, and statistically, our chances are slim. But, at the moment, our thoughts are occupied with all the things that we will do if we were funded.

Here is a partial list of what we have in mind:

  • Completing, assembling, and annotating the full Joshua tree genome
  • Surveying genetic diversity across the entire range of the Joshua tree
  • Common garden experiments to identify genes involved in climate adaptation
  • An expanded citizen science program with Cal Native Plants
  • Public Lectures at the Desert Institute
  • Research internships for underrepresented minority students
  • Outreach to public school teachers in southern California

It’s a long and ambitious list. We hope that it’s enough to make our work stand out. Wish us luck!