The Human Microbiome Project: An Opportunity to Engage Undergraduates in Research

The Human Microbiome Project (HMP) aims to characterize the diversity of microbial species found at several different sites on the human body. The HMP has sequenced hundreds of microbial reference genomes from multiple body sites and provides a wealth of primary genomic sequence data for analysis. Existing open source bioinformatics applications and resources allow for functional analysis of genomic data. Even budding scientists can quickly learn the tools necessary for functional gene annotation and comparative genomics analysis. These analyses in turn can provide the bases for hypothesis generation and testing at the laboratory bench. We are making use of these data and tools for student research in our NSF-sponsored project, Genome Solver. Our project has two parts: (1) development of workshops for faculty training in use of these tools, incorporated into a framework of sound pedagogy and (2) generation of a web site that will serve as an online community of practice for students, faculty, and bioinformatics experts to share work and ideas.