Lee S. Katz

• Objective: to create continuous integration on bioinformatics software.
• Organized about 20 participants around the ASM NGS conference.
• Invited and hosted a keynote speaker.
• Created an environment on Zoom and Discord.
• The hackathon is resulting in a publication for recommendations in bioinformatics software testing. This is in preparation: Putten et al, MBio.

• Created a conference to absorb bioinformatics talks that were canceled due to the pandemic
• Equal partners in facilitating, organizing, etc, with Dr. Nabil-Fareed Alikhan
• Facilitated 12 talks over four weeks
• Facilitated a happy hour with a trivia night

Hosted a virtual lab talk once a month and recorded the talks. Each talk is 15 or 20 minutes plus Q&A, for a total of 1-hour sessions.

• Podcast discusses topics in the intersection of bioinformatics and public health
• Co-host with Drs. Andrew Page and Nabil-Fareed Alikhan
• Record podcast on Zoom
• Edit audio on Audacity and/or Descript
• Release an episode of 20-40 minutes every two weeks
• Always a relevant bioinformatics topic
• Some episodes have guests; some are panel discussions at conferences
• About 30k cumulative listens as of 2021-10-13
  • Most played episode is at 1.1k
  • About 460 “listens” per episode
  • Least listened episode is at 330
  • Reaches at least 50 countries of at least 10 listens each

• This workspace represents a new generation of international microbial bioinformaticians, with direct links to peers in all international major public health services, public health institutions, and affiliated universities.
• I developed a code of conduct for the forum, which describes actions not permitted, and actions that the administrators can take when there is a violation.
• The purpose is strictly not a help desk but is a place to get help directly from the source, e.g., understanding undocumented workflows or putting forth ideas directly with the author of a software package.

Received an FIA (Fund If Available) for a 192-thread computer lovingly named Spaceball1. $80k

• hosted in scicomp
• 1.5 TB RAM, 192 threads, 6T fast scratch space
• I am the point of contact
• Saves the division money by obviating any local scientific workstations
• More powerful than virtually all other computers at CDC

To develop the Mashpit genomic epidemiology platform. Collaborators are Xiangyu Deng and Henk Den Bakker. ($30k)

To develop the Kalamari metagenomics database. Collaborators are Xiangyu Deng and Henk Den Bakker. ($30k)

• Learning skills for leadership including interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills.
  • Several classes June 2018 - Oct 2018
  • The next level: powering your potential
  • Decision mojo
  • Strategic thinking
  • Think like a leader and collaborate between groups
  • The art of communication
  • Build a powerful professional brand
• 360 review - 6 colleagues gave feedback on how I am in the workplace
• Major project, completed Oct 2018. Created a plan along with four others in my cohort to create a career counselor professional at CDC, career days, and improvements on the trainings intranet site.

For one of the best laboratory papers of 2017 in the NCEZID center in CDC (Lyve-SET paper)

For best laboratory manuscript

For the Listeria whole genome sequencing project

For the Listeria whole genome sequencing project

For a project in The Department of Health and Human Services which shows innovation to solve important challenges in the workplace. The Secretary of HHS chose the project herself. This award was given for the Listeria project Whole Genome Sequencing Future of Food Safety.

For one of the best papers of 2013 in the NCEZID center in CDC. The paper was the Haiti cholera paper.

For best paper at CDC under the laboratory science category, namely the Haiti cholera work

A select few from CDC are chosen to have breakfast with the director of CDC to discuss ideas. I was able to introduce the idea of a bioinformatics internship program with the director. Since then, several higher-level committees have been discussing how best to implement an internship program with several universities such as GA Tech. This eventually culminated, driven by higher-ups at CDC and not driven by me, into a bioinformatics fellowship under APHL.

Given to the MenAfriVac Development and Implementation Group. This is a major group for the virtual elimination of meningococcal A disease in Africa.

Given by CDC to a team of collaborators who improve upon a public health initiative. I was a graduate student in the Jordan lab, collaborating with the Meningitis Laboratory at CDC.

A grant to fund my dissertation. Microbial Genome Informatics Platform. a Computational Resource for Computational Genomics. (1R36GD000075-01) ($37,386).