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- UD students meet alumni, experience 'closing bell' at NYSE
- Newark Police seek assistance in identifying suspects in robbery
- Rivlin says bipartisan budget action, stronger budget rules key to reversing debt
- Stink bugs shouldn't pose problem until late summer
- Gao to honor Placido Domingo in Washington performance
- Adopt-A-Highway project keeps Lewes road clean
- WVUD's Radiothon fundraiser runs April 1-10
- W.D. Snodgrass Symposium to honor Pulitzer winner
- New guide helps cancer patients manage symptoms
- UD in the News, March 25, 2011
- For the Record, March 25, 2011
- Public opinion expert discusses world views of U.S. in Global Agenda series
- Congressional delegation, dean laud Center for Community Research and Service program
- Center for Political Communication sets symposium on politics, entertainment
- Students work to raise funds, awareness of domestic violence
- Equestrian team wins regional championship in Western riding
- Markell, Harker stress importance of agriculture to Delaware's economy
- Carol A. Ammon MBA Case Competition winners announced
- Prof presents blood-clotting studies at Gordon Research Conference
- Sexual Assault Awareness Month events, programs announced
- Stay connected with Sea Grant, CEOE e-newsletter
- A message to UD regarding the tragedy in Japan
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- March 31-May 14: REP stages Neil Simon's 'The Good Doctor'
- April 2: Newark plans annual 'wine and dine'
- April 5: Expert perspective on U.S. health care
- April 5: Comedian Ace Guillen to visit Scrounge
- April 6, May 4: School of Nursing sponsors research lecture series
- April 6-May 4: Confucius Institute presents Chinese Film Series on Wednesdays
- April 6: IPCC's Pachauri to discuss sustainable development in DENIN Dialogue Series
- April 7: 'WVUDstock' radiothon concert announced
- April 8: English Language Institute presents 'Arts in Translation'
- April 9: Green and Healthy Living Expo planned at The Bob
- April 9: Center for Political Communication to host Onion editor
- April 10: Alumni Easter Egg-stravaganza planned
- April 11: CDS session to focus on visual assistive technologies
- April 12: T.J. Stiles to speak at UDLA annual dinner
- April 15, 16: Annual UD push lawnmower tune-up scheduled
- April 15, 16: Master Players series presents iMusic 4, China Magpie
- April 15, 16: Delaware Symphony, UD chorus to perform Mahler work
- April 18: Former NFL Coach Bill Cowher featured in UD Speaks
- April 21-24: Sesame Street Live brings Elmo and friends to The Bob
- April 30: Save the date for Ag Day 2011 at UD
- April 30: Symposium to consider 'Frontiers at the Chemistry-Biology Interface'
- April 30-May 1: Relay for Life set at Delaware Field House
- May 4: Delaware Membrane Protein Symposium announced
- May 5: Northwestern University's Leon Keer to deliver Kerr lecture
- May 7: Women's volleyball team to host second annual Spring Fling
- Through May 3: SPPA announces speakers for 10th annual lecture series
- Through May 4: Global Agenda sees U.S. through others' eyes; World Bank president to speak
- Through May 4: 'Research on Race, Ethnicity, Culture' topic of series
- Through May 9: Black American Studies announces lecture series
- Through May 11: 'Challenges in Jewish Culture' lecture series announced
- Through May 11: Area Studies research featured in speaker series
- Through June 5: 'Andy Warhol: Behind the Camera' on view in Old College Gallery
- Through July 15: 'Bodyscapes' on view at Mechanical Hall Gallery
- More What's Happening >>
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- Phipps named HR Liaison of the Quarter
- Senior wins iPad for participating in assessment study
- April 19: Procurement Services schedules information sessions
- UD Bookstore announces spring break hours
- HealthyU Wellness Program encourages employees to 'Step into Spring'
- April 8-29: Faculty roundtable series considers student engagement
- GRE is changing; learn more at April 15 info session
- April 30: UD Evening with Blue Rocks set for employees
- Morris Library to be open 24/7 during final exams
- More Campus FYI >>
10:01 a.m., May 21, 2009----An international group of 75 scientists gathered May 14-16 at the University of Delaware for a meeting focused on the ecology of viruses in aquatic and terrestrial environments, from the deepest part of the ocean to the soils of Delaware.
The scientists came from across the U.S., Canada, Japan, Ukraine, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and Chile, according to K. Eric Wommack, UD associate professor of plant and soil sciences, biological sciences and marine and earth studies who is affiliated with the Delaware Biotechnology Institute and who organized the meeting.
Wommack said the meeting marked the 20th anniversary of the discovery of extraordinary viral abundance in the ocean in 1989. “We now know that all of the viruses on earth, lined end to end would stretch to the nearest 60 galaxies -- 10,000 light years,” he said.
Several talks during the meeting focused on the astonishing diversity of viral genes. “Using the tools of high-throughput sequencing to explore the genomes (DNA and RNA) of environmental viruses we have discovered that most viral genes are unknown and truly novel,” Wommack said. “Because viruses are so abundant in soils and aquatic environments it is possible that we have little to no understanding of the most abundant genes on Earth.”
The event's keynote speaker, Graham Hatfull, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellow, spoke of his exploration of the diversity of viruses infecting a bacteria related to the one that causes TB.
Hatfull has brought genomic science to high school and undergraduate students and through an HHMI-funded program, well over 50 new viral genomes have been sequenced and annotated by these aspiring scientists.
The group held an open discussion on the best technologies to explore the genetic diversity of viruses in the environment.
The meeting was supported by the Scientific Committee for Ocean Research (SCOR), the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Marine Microbial Initiative, the UD Center for Critical Zone Research and the Delaware EPSCoR program. Through these funds the SCOR viral ecology working group was able to support the attendance of dozens of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.