I taught the Barcoding Life’s Matrix program in 2012 as part of a summer course for high school juniors. The primary course focus was on cellular and molecular biology. We began on the molecular scale and progressed upward in size and complexity as we began to explore the fundamental chemical and biological processes enabling life’s existence. The Barcoding Life’s Matrix project served as our capstone experience and gave my students their first opportunity to make an authentic contribution to a landmark scientific initiative in the process. Importantly, it also helped them experience the excitement of scientific discovery and achievement! We spent multiple classroom and laboratory periods devoted to the project. In the lab, we first extracted total DNA from fish gill tissue and following purification, my students then copied and amplified a portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) gene using PCR. We then submitted the purified CO1 gene fragment to an automated sequencing facility. Upon receiving the raw data, my students analyzed and edited their chromatographs using sophisticated (but approachable) bioinformatics software. I am proud to say that all of my students generated high quality sequence data that they were able to upload to the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD). With the help of CMB scientists, my students’ data was also published in the International Nucleotide Sequence Data Collaboration within a few short weeks of initiating the project. What an achievement for these bright young high school students!
Despite years of teaching science, it was through one of my former students that I first learned about the concept of DNA barcoding as a molecular diagnostic tool. Always wanting to keep myself informed of new scientific advances, I began investigating the methods involved in DNA barcoding. I came to realize that DNA barcoding research could be an excellent component of a high school science course. Shortly thereafter, I learned about the work being conducted at Coastal Marine Biolabs (CMB) in California. From across the country, I could not easily travel to attend one of their informational seminars. After researching their program, I realized that CMB offered a highly thought-out program that would support science teachers in bringing an authentic research project into their classrooms. I applied to the Barcoding Life’s Matrix program, was accepted, and I am thrilled to have participated in this unique, high-quality program.