Tuesday, December 1, 2026
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET
The i5k initiative (https://i5k.github.io/) is a community of practice advancing arthropod genomics through leadership, best practices, and shared resources. Since 2011, i5k has engaged researchers through symposia, webinars, training opportunities, and a dedicated Slack community. We promote the generation of reference-quality arthropod genomes, provide genome access and curation services through the i5k Workspace@NAL, and contribute to community standards that support research in agriculture, pest management, conservation, and biodiversity genomics.
This presentation will highlight i5k's impact through several ongoing initiatives. I will discuss current standards for arthropod genome projects and remaining challenges, including the need for greater coordination of sequencing efforts. I will also introduce the i5k Workspace@NAL (https://i5k.nal.usda.gov/), including its data access, curation, and community support services. Finally, I will outline opportunities for researchers to engage with and contribute to the i5k community.
Moderators: Ana Cabrera, Tina Lozano
Panelist: Monica Poelchau
 | Dr. Monica Poelchau is a geneticist at the USDA-ARS National Agricultural Library. She leads the i5k Workspace@NAL, a platform for the discovery and curation of arthropod genome data (https://i5k.nal.usda.gov). The goal of her work is to make data, in particular arthropod genome annotations, discoverable and useful. She is a lead of the i5k initiative, which promotes best practices for insect genomes (http://i5k.github.io); and a co-PI of the AgBioData consortium (https://www.agbiodata.org), which aims to improve standards and best practices around genomic, genetic, and breeding data. |
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