Summer Workshop in Metagenomics: One Week Plus Eight Students Equals Gigabases of Cloned DNA

Abstract

We designed a week-long laboratory workshop in metagenomics for a cohort of undergraduate student researchers. During this course, students learned and utilized molecular biology and microbiology techniques to construct a metagenomic library from Puerto Rican soil. Pre- and postworkshop assessments indicated student learning gains in technical knowledge, skills, and confidence in a research environment. Postworkshop construction of additional libraries demonstrated retention of research techniques by the students.