Authentic soil bacterial genomics research in high school biotechnology classrooms
Marshall Logvin, Christine Remenih
South Mountain Community College, Phoenix, Arizona
Introduction
Arizona is in the last year of its “Bioscience Roadmap,” a ten-year plan
to elevate the state’s bioindustry. Despite the recent recession,
bioscience employment in Arizona has continued to grow by increasing
wages and adding 32% more jobs since 2002. Creative and affordable
strategies are necessary to prepare a diverse future bioscience
workforce, especially as K-12 budgets experience continued cuts. A
collaboration between Arizona university professors, high school
teachers and South Mountain Community College, which is a
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), has created and disseminated a Soil
Bacterium Identification lab (SBI) experiential learning opportunity
across the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas, impacting
approximately 450 high school students, including over 100 minority
students, every year. The USDA funded two grants supporting these
efforts: the Undergraduate Bioscience Engagement Track (UBET) and
Expanding UBET (eUBET). This protocol, which is typically reserved
for traditional college students, has been customized for the needs of
high school bell schedules and teachers without industry experience.
Additionally, it is currently in press to be featured in a BIO107 lab
manual, which will be distrubuted throughout Arizona.
Materials and methods
Students collect a soil sample from their location of choice. Bacterial
colonies from soil sample are cultured on Luria-Bertani (LB) agar
plates. A pure culture is made from one colony and used to isolate
genomic DNA. The 16s RNA gene in the DNA is PCR amplified and
analyzed via agarose gel electrophoresis. DNA from gel is purified,
sequenced and analyzed via BLAST.
Figure 1. SBI lab protocol flow.
soil sample
+ dH20
Isolate DNA
serial dilutions
LB agar plate
37C X 24h
PCR with universal primers
B27F:
AGA GTT TGA TCC TGG CTC AG
U1492R: GGT TAC CTT GTT ACG ACT T
Results
Figure 3. 2011 Student enrollment by ethnicity.
Over the course of UBET and eUBET, dual-enrollment
biotechnology classes featuring the SBI lab expanded from
three individual schools, in Mesa, AZ and Phoenix, AZ, to
fourteen schools in six different districts in the Phoenix metro
area.
• Biotechnology course sections featuring the SBI lab
have increased in the past 3 years (Table 2.)
• Enrollment for college credit has increased, but not in
proportion to sections (Table 2.)
• High school dual-enrollment Hispanic enrollment
(33%) is similar to minority student enrollment at
SMCC (36%) (Figure 3.)
• External funding sources at a primarily-Hispanic
(98%) school supported high enrollment in 2010;
enrollment dropped considerably when the funding
was discontinued.
• Funding is critical for low-income students to earn
college credit. These students are often ethnic/racial
minorities and first-generation college students.
Run product on
agarose gel
Purify Fragment
Sequence
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Caucasian/Anglo/White
Multi Ethnic
Not Specified
Native American
African American
Spanish/Hispanic
Bioscience continues to grow in Arizona, in both employment
opportunities and in popularity within high school courses. It is
critical to engage pre-collegiate populations, especially
minorities, in experiential learning opportunities like the SBI
lab. Success in the dual-enrollment courses that offer such
learning experiences will increase laboratory skills and
confidence, which will empower more students to enter and
complete baccalaureate studies in the biosciences. During this
time of recession, decreases in available funding and family
income to pay for college tuition, both for dual enrollment
students and traditional college students, has been the greatest
barrier observed in increasing the number of credits earned.
Literature cited
33% Minority
•Hispanic (28%)
•Black (3%)
•Native American (2%)
2010 Progress on Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap. 2010. The
Flynn Foundation.
http://www.flinn.org/bio-roadmap/progress
James, Greg. 2010. PCR for Clinical Microbiology. Springer
Netherlands.
Acknowledgments
Table 2. Student enrollment growth in BIO107, BIO245 and BIO24.7
YEAR
SECTIONS
% CHANGE BY YEAR
ENROLLMENT
% CHANGE BY YEAR
2008
6
-
231
-
2009
19
317%
246
106%
2010
25
132%
502
204%
2011
31
124%
264
53%
Estimated 2012
35
113%
Overall Increase: 583%
Excise ~1.5kb fragment
Asian/Pacific Islander
Conclusions
Overall Increase: 114%
We thank Antonio Garcia for laboratory assistance. Funding for
this project was provided by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture/National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program
For further information
Please contact christine.remenih@southmountaincc.edu. More
information on this and related projects can be obtained at
www.bitly.com/nacta2011