The University of Mary Washington has been selected by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to participate in a nationwide genomics course that will give first-year college students the opportunity to use sophisticated research techniques.
UMW is among 12 colleges and universities in the United States, three in Virginia, chosen by HHMI’s Science Education Alliance (SEA). The SEA, headquartered at Janelia Farm Research Campus in Northern Virginia, seeks to expand the teaching of science and inspire new generations of scientists. Other Virginia institutions selected are The College of William and Mary and James Madison University.
The course, known as the Phage Genomics Research Initiative, is being developed by the SEA and will begin in fall 2008. The SEA will cultivate a network of scientists and educators who will work collaboratively to develop and distribute new information and methods to the education community.
Kathryn Loesser-Casey and Lynn O. Lewis, both professors of biology at UMW, were principal investigators of the grant.
“This is a great opportunity for the faculty and students who will participate in the program,” said Rosemary Barra, interim vice president for academic affairs at UMW and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences faculty. “The grant will fund a year-long introductory laboratory course focused on a research project on phage genomics and will expose students to current molecular research techniques. Hopefully this will pique their interest and they will pursue additional research opportunities during their undergraduate program.”
The initiative will include 20 students at each institution who will participate in the two-semester course, in which they will be taught to use high-level research techniques. According to HHMI, students will isolate bacterial viruses (phages) from their local soil, prepare the viral DNA for sequencing, and annotate and compare the sequenced genome. The goal is to immerse
students in the process of doing science and equip them with the critical thinking and communication skills necessary for successful research careers.
“The phage genomics course is the beginning of the transformation that the Science Education Alliance hopes to bring to science education,” said Tuajuanda C. Jordan, a biochemist and director of the SEA. “The institutions that we have chosen really see the long-term impact that the program can have on their students and their institutions. The participating faculty have support at all levels for implementing and expanding on the program.”
Earlier this fall, HHMI invited all four-year institutions to apply to participate in the Phage Genomics Research Initiative. HHMI received 44 applications and selected 12 institutions.
Each institution will receive up to three years of support from HHMI to assist with faculty training, reagents, computing support, and DNA sequencing services for the course. Faculty from participating institutions will attend three training workshops at Janelia Farm before teaching the phage genomics course.
Other participating colleges are: Carnegie Mellon University, Hope College, Oregon State University, Spelman College, University of Louisiana at Monroe, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Washington University in St. Louis, University of California, San Diego and University of California, Santa Cruz.