Edit Your Collection

October 16, 2023

16 Oct Edit Your Collection

Posted at 14:46h in by

← Go back

HTML BlockResponses to the following questions (1-28) will be components of the USCCN online searchable database available to all users.
1. Name of Collection Point of ContactEdward Dudley
2. Current PositionProfessor
3. Collection phone number1-814-867-0439
5. Collection emailEmail hidden; Javascript is required.
6. Collection website (if applicable)psu.edu
7. Collection name and abbreviationPenn State E. coli Reference Center (ECRC)
10. Organizational structure of the Collection:
  • Academia
11. What type of organisms are included in the Collection?
  • Bacteria
13. How many of each type of genus are included in the Collection?
Species Quantity
Escherichia coli 95,000
15. Please choose one of the following categories that best describes your collection.Publicly available (qualified curator, collection management policies, microbial specimens, a database of collection information, an online strain catalog, and distributes strains to the scientific community)
16. What host associations, if any, does your microbial collection have?
  • Grain crops
  • Fruits
  • Vegetables
  • Other Plants
  • Mammals
  • Reptiles
  • Amphibians
  • Insects
  • Other Animals
  • Humans
  • Soil
  • Water
  • Built Environment
17. What institution/entity currently houses your collection? (For example, Kansas State University, ARS, private entity)The Pennsylvania State University
18. Is the institution able to guarantee its support to the Collection for the next three to five years?Yes
19. Does your collection have the ability to accept orphan collections at this time? If yes, please describe your capacity to do so.Yes
Capacity

We have space for approximately 15,000 more isolates before needing another -80C freezer

20. Does your collection contain strains that are currently used or could be used for reference strains such as to identify human, animal or plant pathogens? If yes, please explainYes
Capacity

We have genomic information for over 6,200 isolates so can identify pathotypes and genes needed

21. Do you utilize best practices guidelines for operation of your culture collection?
  • Other
Other

Unsure

22. What is/are the mechanism(s) of availability and distribution?
  • Fee per strain for distribution
  • Peer to peer for collaborations
23. What are the main subjects or fields of use relevant to your collection?
  • Agriculture
  • Food science
  • General microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Molecular biology
  • Other (please explain)
Main SubjectsEvolution, phage resistance
24. If applicable, what services does your Collection provide? Check all that apply
  • Contract screening
  • Consulting
25. Does your Collection provide training opportunities on the following? Check all that apply
  • Genome sequence analysis
26. If applicable, does your Collection provide consultation on the following? Check all that apply
  • Propagation
  • Other (please explain)
Consultation

General questions about pathogenic and non-pathogenic E. coli

27. What institutions fund research that users perform using specimens from your collection? Check all that apply
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • National Science Foundation (NSF)
  • United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
28. Is the Collection willing, within reasonable limits and to the extent that the collection is public, to engage in the exchange of cultures with other collections within the framework of the USCCN?Yes
29. Is the Collection willing to engage, within the limits of its capacity to do so, in collaborative programs with other culture collections for the general betterment of the USCCN?Yes
30. Do you wish to be contacted by researchers and collaborators about your Collection?Yes
31. Would you be interested in collaborating on a project with samples combined from different repositories?Yes
HTML BlockResponses to the following questions (29-36) will NOT be components of the USCCN online database. Information provided will be for internal use only to enhance USCCN service to participants.
32. Is the future of your collection dependent on a single individual in the institution?Yes
33. Is there a contingency plan to be able to guarantee the existence of the collection for at least five years, such as at another institution? Please provide as much detail as possible.Yes
Contingency Plan

We have funding for at least five years, but no succession plan. We receive no support from the university and one of the long term goals is making sure funds and personnel are in place for a transition.

34. Is your collection currently or in potential danger of becoming an orphan collection? If yes, what means do you have to save the collection? Please provide as much detail as possible.No
35. Would you like assistance with the orphan collection?Yes
36. What are the greatest needs of your collection at this time? (For example: stable funding, personnel needs, quality control procedures, capacity & equipment, visibility, etc.)

Stable funding (Penn State has funded the Center since the 60's, however decided in 2017 to cease. As such, strain sales are critical for sustaining the Center.

37. Would you like your collection to be listed in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) https://www.gbif.org/Yes (you will be emailed information by USCCN separately detailing how to register your collection in GBIF)
38. Does the Collection support the USCCN mission, which is "to facilitate the safe and responsible utilization of microbial resources for research, education, industry, medicine, and agriculture for the betterment of humankind by providing opportunities for US culture collection workers to engage with each other and with the broader culture collection community."I agree to support the mission of the USCCN
39. How can USCCN best serve you?

You already are, happy to be on the Standards committee