NSF Award
1821657
A universal product code is a unique pattern of vertical lines that can identify specific consumer product. In a comparable way, a DNA barcode is a unique pattern of DNA sequence that can potentially identify specific species of living things. Understanding and using DNA barcoding requires ideas from molecular biology, genetics, evolution, systematics, ecology, and biodiversity, all of which are key concepts in traditional introductory biology courses. Building on the growing evidence that early exposure to research increases retention of students in STEM disciplines, this project will enable DNA barcoding course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) for large numbers of students. This project will provide a series of summer workshops to train 80 undergraduate faculty from around the country, so that they can teach students how to use DNA barcoding to identify a diverse population of organisms. With a relatively small investment of time, these students will have the real possibility of discovering a new barcode and publishing it on GenBank, as practicing scientists do. By participating in projects that track species through time and space, students can contribute new knowledge about how plants and animals are responding to their environment. DNA barcode research requires the "soft skills" of collaborating, persisting, and presenting ideas, which any student would need to succeed in his or her future career. The students will also develop expertise in analysis, manipulation, and integration of data from different sources, as well as visualization of data. These skills are especially relevant for the future workforce. <br/><br/>Advanced metabarcoding CUREs will be developed in microbiome and environmental DNA analysis to introduce faculty and students to next generation sequencing and data science. The goals of this project are to introduce undergraduate educators to basic DNA barcoding technology and help them develop the additional expertise needed to understand and use DNA metabarcoding. DNA metabarcoding embodies the conceptual transition of modern biology from single gene to massively parallel genome analysis. The project objectives are to: 1) Develop technology to reduce costs and barriers to classroom implementation of DNA barcoding and metabarcoding. 2) Train faculty in DNA barcoding and metabarcoding technology, data science, and effective methods for scaling CUREs to reach large numbers of students. 3) Provide mentoring and extended collaborative support to faculty as they implement CUREs and extend their expertise to data science. 4) Evaluate the program and provide unified measures of the impact of barcoding research experiences on student self-efficacy and persistence in STEM. An ambitious evaluation program will attempt to determine which of the key elements of CUREs (engaging in scientific practices, collaborating, examining relevant problems, exploring questions with unknown answers, and re-iterating experiments) most closely correlates with positive student outcomes. The project will integrate three levels of investigation: fieldwork, in vitro biochemistry, and in silico bioinformatics. The bioinformatics analysis of barcodes provides students with an increasingly sophisticated repertoire of data science skills and statistical reasoning.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
