Front Loading: Specimen Handling, Data Capture, & Tissue Sampling

This webinar summarizes six years of experience in building collection management workflows at the Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding (Guelph, Ontario). It covers the essentials of front-end processing — what happens to a specimen after it is collected and before it is submitted to the molecular analytical pipeline of a high throughput DNA barcoding facility. The presentation will focus on simple ways of making collections ‘barcode-friendly’ and ‘high throughput- compatible’: how to set up collection processing, what to watch out for, and what to avoid. What is a specimen array? What is a sampling kit? What forms of preservation are best for DNA recovery? How to avoid sample cross-contamination? How to convert data records for submission to BOLD? The webinar will include a demonstration of basic sampling techniques and simple solutions for data entry and conversion of potential use in small field-based collecting operations.