IWEG 2021 Workshop Report
Executive Summary
The 6th annual International Workshop on Environmental Genomics (IWEG) was held virtually and hosted in St. John’s, NL, Canada on June 17th and 18th, 2021. This was the second virtual IWEG due to ongoing travel restrictions and health concerns related to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s workshop focused on the theme “eDNA at the Frontline of Global Environmental Challenges” with the goal of addressing how environmental genomics can provide solutions to understanding our rapidly changing environment. The workshop brought together participants from across the globe representing stakeholders across many sectors, including the oil and gas industry, environmental consulting, regulatory agencies, and academia, to discuss advances in the field of environmental genomics and the use of eDNA to address major global challenges. Most participants (88%) had experience working with environmental genomics tools or were leading their own environmental genomics research programs.
This year’s workshop included a keynote presentation from Dr. Katherine Dafforn (Macquarie University), four presentation sessions, and a discussion panel each day. On day 1, panelists were Sherry Walker (Fisheries and Oceans Canada), Jordan Angle (ExxonMobil, USA), Sunniva Aagaard (Norwegian Environment Agency, Norway), and Francisco Chavez (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, USA). On day 2, IWEG panelists were Donald Baird (Environment and Climate Change Canada), Lucie N’Guessan (ExxonMobil, USA), Susanna Theroux (Southern California
Coastal Water Research Project, USA), Thomas Merzi (TotalEnergies, France), and Mehrdad Hajibabaei (University of Guelph & CEGA, Canada).
Download the full report (15MB)
Executive Summary
The 6th annual International Workshop on Environmental Genomics (IWEG) was held virtually and hosted in St. John’s, NL, Canada on June 17th and 18th, 2021. This was the second virtual IWEG due to ongoing travel restrictions and health concerns related to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s workshop focused on the theme “eDNA at the Frontline of Global Environmental Challenges” with the goal of addressing how environmental genomics can provide solutions to understanding our rapidly changing environment. The workshop brought together participants from across the globe representing stakeholders across many sectors, including the oil and gas industry, environmental consulting, regulatory agencies, and academia, to discuss advances in the field of environmental genomics and the use of eDNA to address major global challenges. Most participants (88%) had experience working with environmental genomics tools or were leading their own environmental genomics research programs.
This year’s workshop included a keynote presentation from Dr. Katherine Dafforn (Macquarie University), four presentation sessions, and a discussion panel each day. On day 1, panelists were Sherry Walker (Fisheries and Oceans Canada), Jordan Angle (ExxonMobil, USA), Sunniva Aagaard (Norwegian Environment Agency, Norway), and Francisco Chavez (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, USA). On day 2, IWEG panelists were Donald Baird (Environment and Climate Change Canada), Lucie N’Guessan (ExxonMobil, USA), Susanna Theroux (Southern California
Coastal Water Research Project, USA), Thomas Merzi (TotalEnergies, France), and Mehrdad Hajibabaei (University of Guelph & CEGA, Canada).
Download the full report (15MB)