July2, 2007
On The Hunt For Bugs
Stalking the high grass at the edges of Genesee Valley
Park on June 25, a dozen high school teachers swipe nets at insects as
part of a four-day program set up by Jack Werren, professor of biology, and
doctoral student Michael Clark. The program, called the Symbiosis Workshop,
is designed to give local and regional biology teachers hands-on experience
doing real biological research so they can bring their experiences back to
their students in the fall.
With their six-legged acquisitions in tow, the
teachers return to the lab to identify their catches by sight before
getting down to the molecular level by sequencing the bugs’ DNA
and the DNA of any parasites living within them. Once the teachers have the
key parts of the genomes laid out, they compare their results to those of
known species to identify the exact animal, as well as its parasites. Armed
with that information, they can figure out how their bugs are related to
others and fit into the entire evolutionary scheme.
“This program gives these teachers a chance to
do real science that spans every aspect of biology,” says Werren.
“They get to see how it all fits together, from biodiversity, to
genetic data, to evolution.”
Pictured left to right: Michael Occhino and Eric
Dahlstrom.
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