This grant supports a 2006 workshop on Genomic Aerobiology organized by the Venter Institute in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This meeting, the first of its kind to bring together experts in the scientific community, will consider how genomic aerobiology can expand our understanding of the microbial communities that inhabit both indoor and outdoor air. The current state of knowledge concerning sampling methodology, microbial identification and characterization techniques, and the ecology of indoor and outdoor air environments are to be examined. Also to be considered are two important applied aspects of aerobiology: the biological component of indoor air quality and airborne bioterrorism. The goal of the workshop is to take advantage of the unique perspectives of the individual scientists to develop a roadmap of where genomic aerobiology should go for the next five years and beyond. A community of scientists working in this new area is expected to be created and new research projects are likely to be identified. Also, potential government funders, such as the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Energy, will be introduced to this research area. Project Director: Shannon J. Williamson, Director of Environmental Virology.