opportunities



Phagehunting Workshop

The goal of this workshop is two-fold. For first time particpants, the goal is to present teachers with the preparation needed to introduce phagehunting into their classroom. For our continuing teachers, we hope to energize a genomic approach in the classroom.

 

The Phagehunting workshop included:

  • Phage prospecting ­ discover and name your own bacteriophage
  • Phage purification & concentration
  • Electron microscopy
  • Protein and DNA electrophoresis
  • Library construction and genomic sequencing
  • Strong Focus: Genome annotation and bioinformatic analysis of teacher-found phage
  • Lectures on phage biology
  • How to make your classroom a satellite lab

The Classroom Experience

 

 

 How many plaque morphologies do you see?

 

 

Introduction: What is Phagehunting?

Phages are the most numerous organisms in the biosphere. They play important roles in bacterial gene transfer and evolution. Their study has illuminated basic genetic rules that pertain to all organisms, including humans. Only a miniscule proportion of the world’s phages have been identified, and only a fraction of these have been studied.

The Pittsburgh Bacteriophage Institute (PBI) is a leading research institute dedicated to the study of phage biology. At the PBI, we aim to advance our understanding of these organisms, unlock their immense potential to teach us about ecology and evolution, protein folding and assembly, and to promote the development of clinical tools for mycobacterial diseases.

The Phagehunting program introduces a novel research experience suitable for the high school classroom. Students engage in a 2-3 day program to isolate novel phage with an opportunity to impact our current scientific understanding. This workshop is intended to provide you with the knowledge and tools to adopt and implement this project in your classroom. You can also include a classroom bioinformatics segment involving the analysis of a complete viral genome.

Fellowship opportunities are available for students to pursue their research activities in Pittsburgh. Students learn additional techniques in molecular biology and novel insights in bacteriophage biology. All students are mentored by experienced undergraduate phagehunters.

2008 Application now available!