Update: This past year the COBRE experienced the stepping down of our founding PIs, Drs. McFall-Ngai and Ruby as they retired from UH Manoa. After securing the support and agreement of University officials, the COBRE’s EAC, and the NIH, we were delighted to have Dr. A Amend become interim Director of the program. Project Summary- CORE A - ADMINISTRATIVE The Administrative Core of the Integrative Center for Environmental Microbiomes and Human Health COBRE (ICEMHH) will be directed by Dr Margaret McFall-Ngai [Professor of Pacific Biosciences Research Center (PBRC)], with the day-to-day administrative activities of the core coordinated by Prof Marilyn Dunlap (PBRC). The principal function of the Administrative Core is to facilitate the effective and efficient establishment of this COBRE at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa (UHM). This Core will oversee development of the Center through the training, mentoring and graduating of the junior investigator project leaders (JIs). It will organize the meetings of the Junior Investigator Development Committee (JIDC), composed of project mentors and core leaders, and the Internal Advisory Committee (UHM senior faculty consultants to the Center), and will facilitate the communication of all Center personnel. It will also organize the yearly meetings with the External Advisory Committee (EAC). The Administrative Core will prepare progress reports and provide these to the EAC and NIH, and serve as a dynamic link between this COBRE and UHM, other UHM COBRE's, and the UHM INBRE program. It will also be responsible for the full logistical and administrative support of both the individual JI projects and their supporting core facilities. Such efforts will include maintaining all aspects of the budget, staff records, equipment inventories, and advice on manuscript preparation and support for proposal submission. The Core will administer travel funds for JI training, and will support a yearly meeting to bring in leaders in the field of microbiome research to discuss their work and the intellectual context in which the Center is developing. Finally, this Core will be responsible for executing all evaluation, assessment and any corrective actions for the COBRE. The Core will be based in space in the administrative building of PBRC on the same floor as the offices of the PBRC Director, M McFall-Ngai, and PBRC Associate Director, M Dunlap.