Scott Edmunds talking Bauhina Genome at DIYBIOHK's "Lets talk about science", MakerBay, 21st September 2016

1. An emblematic open science project for HK
@SCEdmunds
@BauhiniaGenome
#HKGenome

2. A brief history of genomics…
Source: http://www.genome.gov/Images/press_photos/highres/38-300.jpg
Human Genome Project: 1990-2003.
1 Genome = $3 Billion

3. Post-Human Genome Project
1st Gen
2nd (next) Gen
Source: http://www.genome.gov/sequencingcosts/ (with apologies)

4. The skills needed for the 21st century
"by 2025, it is possible that as many as 25% of the population in developed nations
and half of that in less-developed nations will have their genomes sequenced”
Big Data: Astronomical or Genomical?
http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1002195

5. GENOMICS IN HONG KONG

6. BGI HK Chamber O’Illumina’s
The LHC of Biology?
20PB of storage

7. Made in Hong Kong

8. Hong Kong’s R&D spend is low
Data: WorldBank

9. Hong Kong’s R&D spend is low
Data: WorldBank

10. Hong Kong could invest in R&D
• HK runs a surplus (unlike everyone else)
• US spend on Human Genome (1988-2003)
returned $1.98 in economic output for every
$1.00 spent
• US spend on genomics (1993-2010) returns
$2.01 for every $1.00 spent
• General public R&D spend in UK returns about
£1.20 for every £1.00 spent
http://bit.ly/1jTzB3R

11. Hong Kong’s focus…
“The plot earmarked for expansion of Hong Kong Science Park might now be used to
build apartment blocks instead. Is the government backing down on its commitment to
project Hong Kong as a major technology hub?” http://bit.ly/1TxCRj3

12. Hong Kong’s focus…
“The plot earmarked for expansion of Hong Kong Science Park might now be used to
build apartment blocks instead. Is the government backing down on its commitment to
project Hong Kong as a major technology hub?” http://bit.ly/1TxCRj3

13. Hong Kong’s fears…
https://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/conservation/con_gmo/con_gmo.html

14. Hong Kong’s fears…transparency
http://index.okfn.org/

15. Hong Kong’s fears…transparency
https://data.gov.hk

16. WORKING AROUND THE SYSTEM

17. Breaking the funding bottleneck

18. Biggest crowdfunding successes

19. The “Peoples Parrot”
Puerto Rican Parrot Genome Project (Amazona vittata )
Rarest parrot, national bird of Puerto Rico
Community funded from artworks, fashion shows, beer brands, crowdfunding…
Genome annotated by students in community college as part of bioinformatics education
Paper and Data published in GigaScience and GigaDB
Taras K Oleksyk, et al., (2012) A Locally Funded Puerto Rican Parrot (Amazona vittata) Genome Sequencing Project Increases Avian Data and Advances Young
Researcher Education. GigaScience 2012, 1:14
Steven J. O’Brien. (2012): Genome empowerment for the Puerto Rican parrot – Amazona vittata. GigaScience 2012, 1:13
Oleksyk et al., (2012): Genomic data of the Puerto Rican Parrot (Amazona vittata) from a locally funded project. GigaScience.
http://dx.doi.org/10.5524/100039

20. The “Peoples Parrot”
https://youtu.be/Hr43ZXP9NGw

21. CHANGING THE SYSTEM

22. Brought to you by: HK CUHK
…and the people of Hong Kong

23. An emblematic genome project

24. A historical mystery that needs solving
?
Botanical and Afforestation
Department, 1903: "The mysterious
origin of the tree and its magnificent
flowers at once arrest the interest. …
So far, all efforts to identify them
with any foreign species have failed"

25. Plant genomics #101
Why hybrids changed the world?

26. An icon that needs protecting

27. Useful Bauhinia?
Latin name
Common
name
(Nepal) Edible use Other use
Bauhinia
purpurea Tanki
Flowers and young shoots
eaten as vegetable. Leaves used as fodder.
Bauhinia valii Bhorla
Pods eaten as vegetable.
Fruits edible.
Stem bark used to make ropes.
Leaves used to make umbrella
Traditional plates for ritual
functions.
Bark juice used as fermenting
material and to cure blood
dysentery.
Bauhinia
variegata Koiralo
Young shoots and leaves
eaten as vegetable. Flowers
eaten as vegetable or used
to make pickle. N/A

28. Useful Bauhinia?

29. Useful Bauhinia?

30. A puzzle that needs assembling

31. With Parts Made in (BGI) Hong Kong

32. Building skills and awareness in HK

33. Building skills and awareness in HK
….in the news
http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-
magazine/article/1875917/unique-project-sequence-
genome-hong-kong-bauhinia-tree

34. Building skills and awareness in HK
….in the art galleries

35. Building skills and awareness in HK
….in the art galleries

36. Building skills and awareness in HK
….on the radio
http://programme.rthk.hk/channel/radio/programme.php?name=radio3/1_2_3_show&d=2015-11-19&p=5979&e=&m=episode

37. CNN “On China” covering the Bauhinia Genome project, 27th April 2016
https://youtu.be/TyJBALA0da0
Building skills and awareness in HK
….on TV

38. A project that needs supporting
@bauhiniagenome #bauhinawatch
https://www.facebook.com/BauhiniaGenome
http://bauhiniagenome.hk/
http://igg.me/at/bauhinia
https://www.patreon.com/BauhiniaGenome
Follow us:

39. What next for the peoples GMO?

40. Education: #bauhiniawatch

41. Education: school outreach

42. Education: (OER) teaching materials
https://www.oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/9147/overview

43. Education: reproducible research

44. Education: lets make genomes!
(or at least 4 x transcriptomes)

45. Education: lets share (OPEN) data

46. Next: lets analyse (OPEN) data

47. Finally: what can you do to help?
• Spread the word.
• Phenotype: #bauhiniawatch.
• Donate towards whole genomes.
• Help with fundraising.
• Learn & help with genome
assembly.
Thank you for listening!