The HHMI SEA-PHAGES project offers a year-long research-based laboratory course for undergraduates with little or no background in college-level biology.
The course is intended for first-year students and spans two terms:
- First term: Students isolate phages from soil samples they collect. They conduct electron microscopy, isolate phage DNA, and submit phage genomes for sequencing.
- Second term: Students analyze the genomes through bioinformatics.
Course Objectives
- Instill in each student a sense of ownership of a scientific problem
- Discover new scientific information
- Encourage close student-faculty interactions and effective mentoring
- Enable faculty development via training and inter-institutional collaboration
Critical Thinking
- Data analysis and interpretation
- Experimental design
- Reading and analysis of primary literature
- Understanding applications of mathematical modeling in problem solving
Laboratory Experiences
- Aseptic technique
- Microbiology
- Molecular biology
- Electron microscopy
- DNA sequencing
- Comparative genomic analysis
- Functional genomic analysis
- Genome annotation
Professional Development
- Effective presentation of research
- Networking with other SEA participants
- Dissemination of research findings including co-authorship on peer-reviewed publications and submissions to genomic databases
