Lee J S, Lowell J L, Whitewater K, Roane T M, Miller C S, Chan A P, Sylvester A W, Jackson D, Hunter L E
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado, USA.
Department of Public Health, Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado, USA.
Mol Ecol Resour. 2025 Feb;25(2):e13867. doi: 10.1111/1755-0998.13867. Epub 2023 Sep 13.
We have developed a flexible undergraduate curriculum that leverages the place-based research of environmental microbiomes to increase the number of Indigenous researchers in microbiology, data science and scientific computing. Monitoring Environmental Microbiomes (MEM) provides a curriculum and research framework designed to integrate an Indigenous approach when conducting authentic scientific research and to build interest and confidence at the undergraduate level. MEM has been successfully implemented as a short summer workshop to introduce computing practices in microbiome analysis. Based on self-assessed student knowledge of topics and skills, increased scientific confidence and interest in genomics careers were observed. We propose MEM be incorporated in a scalable course-based research experience for undergraduate institutions, including tribal colleges and universities, community colleges and other minority serving institutions. This coupled curricular and research framework explicitly considers cultural perspectives, access and equity to train a diverse future workforce that is more informed to engage in microbiome research and to translate microbiome science to benefit community and environmental health.
我们开发了一门灵活的本科课程，该课程利用基于地点的环境微生物群研究，以增加微生物学、数据科学和科学计算领域的原住民研究人员数量。监测环境微生物群（MEM）提供了一个课程和研究框架，旨在在进行真实科学研究时整合原住民方法，并在本科阶段培养兴趣和信心。MEM已成功作为一个短期暑期讲习班实施，以介绍微生物群分析中的计算实践。根据学生对主题和技能的自我评估知识，观察到他们对基因组学职业的科学信心和兴趣有所增加。我们建议将MEM纳入本科院校（包括部落学院和大学、社区学院和其他少数族裔服务机构）基于课程的可扩展研究体验中。这个结合了课程和研究的框架明确考虑了文化视角、获取机会和公平性，以培养多样化的未来劳动力，使其更有见识地参与微生物群研究，并将微生物群科学转化为有益于社区和环境健康的成果。
