California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

The project will develop an integrated, multidisciplinary, undergraduate curriculum in molecular forensics to promote an undergraduate research community and prepare students for careers and graduate study. Initially focused on producing a working database of E. coli sequences, this curriculum will be delivered to over 1,000 students each year in lab-based courses in the Colleges of Science and Mathematics, Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, and Engineering. Combining analytical procedures from microbiology, molecular biology and bioinformatics, the program will engage undergraduates in applied, cutting-edge research with broad potential in the areas of food and water safety. The requested pyrosequencing equipment, capable of rapid, sequence-based analysis of microbes, is key to the project aims: integrating explicit pedagogic, research and product development goals into the curriculum from introductory to advanced courses and senior capstone projects. The equipment fosters an experimental mindset and provides a platform for student involvement in developing a microbial forensics database to sub-type strains from a variety of sources. The proposed instrumentation will transform the way students experience the application of technology in scientific discovery and will contribute to the development of other applied research directions across campus.