BLAST began in 2006 as part of an
NSF grant to Dr. Nancy Moran. Under the broader impacts section of her
grant,
Dr. Moran proposed a molecular biology lab that would bring together
researchers, high school teachers and students. Together, they would
engage in an
intense
2 ½ week research project in a course called Genes,
Biotechnology and the Environment. The grant provided funding to
purchase equipment and
reagents to set up a functional molecular biology lab at Tucson Magnet
High
School under the direction of science teacher Margaret Wilch.
Impact on participants
Through the years, the
program has provided 68 students from 18 public, private, and charter high schools across Arizona, with the
opportunity to
conduct real scientific research using state-of the art molecular
biology
methods and equipment. Many students who have participated have gone on
to
pursue bachelor’s degrees in the natural sciences. Click here to learn
more
about BLAST’s impact on students.
Previous
research in the
BLAST lab
In the last four years,
students have undertaken a diverse set of research questions involving
microbiology and symbiosis. These include examining the role of
facultative
symbionts in aphids, exploring honeybees for microbial symbionts,
surveying
wild hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps) for symbionts, and examining
antibiotic
resistance in pristine and disturbed aquatic environments. For
a
more
detailed
look
at
previous
courses,
please
click here.
Outreach
opportunities
BLAST has provided graduate students the
opportunity to engage in outreach projects in the community. PhD
students from
the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of
Arizona
have co-taught the course each year in conjunction with Dr. Moran and
Margaret
Wilch. This arrangement has allowed for graduate students to experience
working
with high school students, develop teaching and communication skills,
and
interact with engaged students.
BLAST has
also relied on the
participation of other UA researchers including the staff of the
University of
Arizona Genetics Core, Dr. Bob Smith of the department of entomology,
Al
Agellon of the Arizona Research Labs (ARL) and others.
Another goal of BLAST is to creat a
conduit between University of Arizona researchers and high school
students. The lab can support classes or individual students working on
independent research in collaboration with faculty at the University of
Arizona.