So, what is this project about...?

First of all, this is a project for high school biotechnology students. In designing the project I wanted to pick an underused biotechnology model in schools (plants), a cool and well known symbiosis (Rhizobia root nodulation), and a relatively easy manipulated set of variables (hormones). Through this project, students will have the chance to learn plant tissue propagation and cloning, DNA/RNA extraction, qPCR, and Nanopore 16S sequencing. The overall problem is ambiguous at the moment on purpose, as are the research questions. As a project-based learning experience, I would like students to use their prior knowledge of biology and biotechnology to come up with the problem statement and research questions. I do have some ideas in mind, but it is important for them to develop their own interests.

Projects like this are important because they get at learning from a connective and conceptual way. As students work, they learn. As they encounter roadblocks and pause points, they learn. As they start connecting biotech skills, methodologies and biology, they learn. Instead of a linear unit by unit way of learning, they synthesize learning from multiple areas in order to work on the problem, driving questions and hypotheses.

This is the most ambitious project we will have attempted, and with your help we can give it a go. I can promise that lots of learning will take place no matter the outcome.

Thank you for supporting us. As you know, this is an all or nothing crowdsourcing platform. Even $1 will help us get there. We will document the process in an open lab notebook. This project will take some advanced planning on my part, so we are crowdsourcing now for the project beginning in Fall 2025.