Description
BIO 296 Phage Discovery Lab (4 units) - SEA-PHAGES (Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science) is a two-semester, discovery-based research project that provides students with foundations in molecular biology and bioinformatics and professional development, including a research symposium and authorship. Students new to college-level science conduct authentic research that explores bacteriophages: bacteria-specific viruses that have wide-reaching implications for ecology, biotechnology, and human health. In the first term, students isolate, purify, and amplify bacteriophages from environmental soil samples and name their discovered phage. Enrollment in this course requires subsequent enrollment in BIO 297 Bioinformatics, in which students work collaboratively to annotate their discovered phage genome. Prerequisites: BIO 101/102 with a C- or better OR instructor permission)