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Poster Session 4, 2:15 PM - 3:00 PM: Campus Center Auditorium [A12]

Presenter: Anna Sophia Budman

Faculty Sponsor: Heather Reed

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Education & Educational Research

ABSTRACT

Bioinformatics is an increasingly important skill in scientific research and entry into the workforce. This surge is majorly driven by the development of high-throughput genetic sequencing technology and “‘omics” research. It is an important facet of a comprehensive undergraduate education, and there is a growing interest in integrating bioinformatics instruction into university curriculum. KBase is a web-based bioinformatic platform designed for bench researchers and providing open-access datasets and analysis workflows. We developed a bioinformatics unit for an introductory microbiology course for microbiology majors using the KBase platform, aimed at students with little to no prior formal instruction in the field. Our main goals with this unit include increasing student confidence and fluency in the language and main ideas associated with bioinformatics, empowering students to pursue upper-level coursework and research in the field. Through a lecture, an in-class KBase genomic analysis workshop, and an individual metagenomic analysis assignment, students will strengthen their fluency with the language surrounding bioinformatics, and their ability to consider bioinformatic approaches when formulating and answering research questions. Student confidence will be assessed through pre- and post- lesson surveys, as well as in-class discussion and a post-lesson assignment, addressing confidence and ability in the use of key terms and bioinformatic tools to develop and answer research questions.