Team:UNAM-Genomics Mexico/About/CCG

UNAM

The [http://www.unam.mx/ National Autonomous University of Mexico] (UNAM) was founded on September 21st, 1551 under the name Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico. It is the biggest and most important university in Mexico and Ibero-America. The fundamental aim of the UNAM is to serve both the country and humanity, train professionals, organize and carry out research, mainly on national problems and conditions, and offer cultural benefits in the broadest sense possible.

UNAM, main campus

Ciudad Universitaria (University City), Mexico, is UNAM's main campus, located in Coyoacán borough in the southern part of Mexico City. Designed by architects Mario Pani and Enrique del Moral, it encloses the Olympic Stadium, about 40 faculties and institutes, the Cultural Center, an ecological reserve, the Central Library, and a few museums. It was built during the 1950s on an ancient solidified lava bed in Coyacán called "El Pedregal" to replace the scattered buildings in downtown Mexico City where classes were given. It was completed in 1954. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007.

Although the University has other buildings in Mexico City (mostly for undergraduate studies and cultural purposes), in other Mexican states and in other countries (such as Canada and the United States), Ciudad Universitaria, known simply as "C.U.", is the prime symbol of the University.

UNAM, campus Morelos

Campus Morelos is one of several UNAM campuses outside Mexico City. It is located in the city of Cuernavaca in the State of Morelos, grossly 40 km south of Mexico City. The UNAM, has three main institutions here: the [http://www.ibt.unam.mx/ Institute of BioTechnology], the [http://www.ccg.unam.mx/ Center for Genomic Sciences], and the [http://www.fis.unam.mx/ Institute of Physical Sciences].

The Center for Genomic Sciences

The CCG (Centro de Ciencias Genómicas in Spanish) was originally a Center dedicated to the study of Nitrogen fixation. It was not until 2004 that the name was changed to Center for Genomic Sciences. As such, in most labs you will always see two sets of incubators at two temperatures, 37ºC for E.coli and 30ºC for Rhizobium species.

The CCG is composed of a relatively small group of researchers, organized in seven Programs or Laboratories, which encompass microbial and plant genomics, ecological research, and more recently, some aspects of human genomics. Microbial genomics includes projects on dynamical genomics in bacteria, evolutionary and functional genomics (proteomics and transcriptomics), genomics and bioinformatics of gene regulation and comparative bioinformatics. Eukaryotic genomics includes plant functional genomics, and more recently, genomic and proteomics research of the human genome. In addition, our research is performed in the molecular biology of interactions between bacteria and plants, microbial ecology and evolution and applied agriculture.

The CCG is strongly committed to education in genomics. It's programs are conformed by researchers, posdocs, technicians, as well as graduate and undergraduate students. Moreover, it is the host for the LCG (Licenciatura en Ciencias Genómicas in Spanish), the program that we UNAM-Genomics_Mexico team are studying.

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