ABSTRACT
Authentic undergraduate research opportunities enhance the application of coursework and critical thinking skills. Microbiome analysis is one area of interest to the scientific community and where students can concurrently study the implications while participating in its characterization. The core competencies in biology education emphasize applications of science, interdisciplinary modeling, and scientific communication. The nonscience majors were part of the introductory biology cohort, mostly second-year students, all of whom had completed one semester of general chemistry. Sample packs consisted of a Ziploc bag with three Eppendorf tubes containing pre-aliquoted sterile growth media and sterile swabs. For dry surface samples, students dipped swabs in the growth media to moisten prior to swabbing their surface. The independent research students identified isolates prepared from the introductory biology students’ environmental samples. The traditional undergraduate student population spends much of their time within enclosed spaces.
