Bioinformatics in a High School Research Curriculum; Phage Hunting and Soil Metagenomics at The Pingry School

Abstract

The Pingry School offers a lab‐based research course that provides high school students with the opportunity to explore the concepts, methods, and applications of molecular biology. The Pingry School is a coeducational, independent, college‐preparatory country day school in Martinsville, New Jersey.To incorporate an authentic research experience into the class, we have partnered with labs at local universities to screen soil samples collected around The Pingry School. Since the 2005‐2006 academic year, numerous bacteriophage have been successfully isolated and used to construct libraries. These libraries are used to screen for functional genes such as lytic enzymes. The libraries also allow for genome analysis and comparison to other known phage genomes. "Phage hunting" and the analysis of phage genomes involve methods and concepts that are exciting and accessible to high school students. Students take part in a scientifically valid and interesting project while having the opportunity to interact with scientists working on bacteriophage technology and applications.