Development of a Remote, Course-Based Undergraduate Experience to Facilitate In Silico Study of Microbial Metabolic Pathways

Abstract

Course-based undergraduate research experiences often occur in a physical lab space, but they can also be offered remotely while maintaining course expectations and providing opportunity for authentic student engagement in research. Using a novel framework, remote-learning Microbial Ecology lab students used microbes isolated via antimicrobial-challenged Winogradsky columns to investigate phylogeny and metabolism through a hypothesis-driven meta-analysis (MA). Students used 16S rRNA and key metabolic enzyme to compare phylogeny; enzymes were modeled and evaluated for putative conserved domains, culminating in primer design and analysis.