51³Ô¹ÏÍø

The new STEM Training Hub at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø'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 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's Jupiter Campus and, Johanna Kowalko, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biology in 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College is training 51³Ô¹ÏÍø from 51³Ô¹ÏÍø'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 51³Ô¹ÏÍø are currently exploring bioinformatics databases to select  genes to test related to eyes, pigmentation and taste bud development. Throughout the semester, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø 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 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, and , Ph.D., an associate professor of biological sciences in 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's  to expand undergraduate training and outreach. 

Development of additional CURE courses will continue to provide 51³Ô¹ÏÍø with unmatched opportunities at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Jupiter.