New Innovative Genetic Technologies Course

Students on a computer with teacher in classroom

by Lynda F. Rysavy | Wednesday, Jan 29, 2020

The new STEM Training Hub at Florida Atlantic University's John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter launched its first Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE).

This advanced course led by Bethany Stanhope, Ph.D., the executive director for academic operations of FAU's Jupiter Campus and, Johanna Kowalko, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biology in FAU's Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College is training students from FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College in the newest Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) gene-editing technologies to generate original scientific data for publication.

These students are currently exploring bioinformatics databases to select genes to test related to eyes, pigmentation and taste bud development. Throughout the semester, students will continue to learn and apply CRISPR tools to generate mutant fish for analysis, and present posters at a local conference in April.

Undergraduates also benefit from guest expert instructors, Suzanne McGaugh, Ph.D.,(University of Minnesota) and Nicolas Rohner, PhD., (Stowers Institute). The course is part of several joint National Science Foundation (NSF) cavefish grants awarded to Dr. Kowalko, Erik Duboué, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biology in FAU's Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, and Alex Keene, Ph.D., an associate professor of biological sciences in FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science to expand undergraduate training and outreach.

Development of additional CURE courses will continue to provide students with unmatched opportunities at FAU Jupiter.