In the biology classroom, students learned more about biotechnology and bioinformatics and how it relates to the local species around them. The extended learning opportunity helped fuel our interest in genetics and environmental science and how they are related. Thank you to IDEXX Labs, Maine Community Foundation Rines-Thompson Fund, Thermo-Fisher Scientific and iXplore STEM for their generosity and making projects like this possible.

By Erin Coughlin and Alex Morse, Brunswick High School Class of 2019

Over the past year, Gorham, Westbrook, and Deering High School students used this technology to identify plants and animals collected from their regions. Each student extracted DNA from their specimen, used biotechnology to amplify and sequence a target gene, and then submitted the sequence to a genetic database for a comparison. This DNA barcode confirms the identity of the organism as well as evolutionary relationships to other species. The BoldSystems database stores more than 5 million barcodes from around the globe, including GPS coordinates and specimen images. "Luxilus cornutus", aka common shiner. In the end, Maine students accurately identified many organisms from their regions and many contributed voucher (or reference) specimens to the genetic library of species living today (Maine Barcode of Life) Imagine how useful this technique would have been to Charles Darwin as he examined the many varieties of beetles, birds, and barnacles!

Maine Barcode of Life Broadens Participation in STEM

Engaging students in STEM can be challenging, especially with the limited resources of most classrooms.  That's why Karen Shibles, a Deering High School science teacher, took advantage of a unique opportunity offered by iXplore and enlisted her students in the "Maine Barcode of Life" project. This project focuses on biodiversity and genetics and connects students to the living world around them. During the first phase of the project, students learned about marine organisms by visiting the University of New England's Marine Science Center.  Dr. Markus Frederich and Dr. Deborah Landry gave the visitors a tour of the marine biology labs and expansive touch tanks. At first, the students were very apprehensive about getting too close to live marine organisms, but with the help of UNE students, the high schoolers slowly began exploring the saltwater tanks and holding starfish, crabs, and urchins.

Over the past year, Gorham, Westbrook, and Deering High School students used DNA barcoding technology to identify plants and animals collected from their regions. Each student extracted DNA from their specimen, used biotechnology to amplify and sequence a target gene, and then submitted the sequence to a genetic database for a comparison. This DNA barcode confirms the identity of the organism as well as relationships to other species. The BoldSystems database stores more than 5 million barcodes from around the globe, including GPS coordinates and specimen images. In the end, Maine students accurately identified many organisms from their regions and many contributed voucher (or reference) specimens to the genetic library of species living today (Maine Barcode of Life) Imagine how useful this technique would have been to Charles Darwin as he examined the many varieties of beetles, birds, and barnacles!

YES Salmon Hatchery

"What can boring fish eggs teach us?" a 4th grader asked while looking at the motionless eggs at the bottom of the tank. "I thought you were bringing real fish into the classroom".

"Just you wait!" I said hoping he would reconsider after watching the eggs transform over the next three months. My goal, as STEM curriculum developer, was to bring into focus how organisms grow and develop.  Studying Atlantic salmon, from eggs to fish, would provide a model for the study of life cycles, traits, behavior, natural selection, and the influence of the environment. The Yarmouth Elementary Salmon Hatchery offered a unique, hands-on experience for students and educators, who might otherwise never get up-close to such fascinating creatures that once lived abundantly in the nearby Royal River. Students applied math skills when predicting "Hatch-Out" day and estimating the relative amounts of ocean, glacier, ground and fresh water on Earth.

After the students released the young salmon fry many miles upriver from Yarmouth, they asked new questions....Will they find enough food? Will they survive? Will they return to the Royal? Although I knew we couldn't answer most of these questions, their experience clearly stimulated thinking beyond the classroom.

In the end, the 4th graders made keen observations, asked questions, tested predictions, and shared conclusions in conversations and writing about the growth and development of salmon. Their first hand experience observing, caring for, and learning about an endangered species, will likely make a lasting impression and potentially create a new generation of environmental stewards. (Project Sponsors: Atlantic Salmon Federation, Saco Salmon Club, Yarmouth Education Foundation, Yarmouth School District and iXplore STEM)

- by Deborah Landry, Ph.D.

IXplore Receives Maine Community Foundation Grant

IXplore STEM was awarded a generous grant from the Rines-Thomson Fund of the Maine Community Foundation to broaden student participation in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This grant provides high school students (in the Greater Portland area) the opportunity to engage in modern scientific research using DNA barcoding and contribute to the Maine Barcode of Life project (MBOL 2015).  Funds will go towards the purchase of equipment and supplies to create a "DNA Barcoding Footlocker", which can travel from school to school for classroom research. IXplore STEM launched the Maine Barcode of Life project in 2013, which is a joint effort by Maine high schools and colleges to assess the biodiversity, distribution and abundance of Maine's marine and land-based organisms and to build a genetic library of Maine species - past, present, and future.

“Life science students and teachers will benefit from this project - using modern biotechnology and equipment that would otherwise not be available to them,” stated Karen Shibles, a Deering High School science teacher who completed training during an iXplore summer workshop. “I am convinced that such experiences will build the kind of 21st century STEM skills, knowledge and confidence that our students need.”

“Students investigate topics such as the effects of global warming on biodiversity, the presence of invasive species, and food fraud in markets and restaurants,” said Deborah Landry, Executive Director of iXplore STEM. “Students publish their results in BOLDsystems.org and build the genetic library of existing Maine species that can be used by scientists around the globe.”

The University of New England’s Marine Science Center will collaborate on the project and host classroom visits to collect specimens for student research. “This effective teaching tool not only offers an avenue for authentic classroom research, but it also prepares students for college level science,” commented Markus Frederich, a UNE professor of marine biology.

IXplore STEM partners with institutes of higher learning, businesses, and other nonprofits to develop programs that encourage students to pursue STEM degrees and promote STEM awareness in the community. To learn more about student and educator programs, visit www.ixplorestem.org. The Maine Community Foundation is located in both Ellsworth and Portland and works with donors and other partners to improve the quality of life for all Maine people. Visit www.mainecf.org to learn more about the foundation.