A Curricular Bioinformatics Approach to Teaching Undergraduates to Analyze Metagenomic Datasets Using R.

ABSTRACT: Biologists with bioinformatic skills will be better prepared for the job market, but relatively few biology programs require bioinformatics courses. Inclusion in the curriculum may be hindered by several barriers, including lack of faculty expertise, student resistance to computational work, and few examples in the pedagogical literature. An 8-week wet-lab and in silico research experience for undergraduates was implemented. Students performed DNA purification and metagenomics analysis to compare the diversity and abundance of microbes in two samples. Students sampled snow from sites in northern Minnesota and purified genomic DNA from the microbes, followed by metagenomic analysis. Students used an existing metagenomic dataset to practice analysis skills, including comparing the use

SUBMITTER: Kruchten AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7511545 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature