The SEA-PHAGES Program
SEA-PHAGES (Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science) is a two-semester, discovery-based undergraduate research course that begins with simple digging in the soil to find new viruses, but progresses through a variety of microbiology techniques and eventually to complex genome annotation and bioinformatic analyses.
The program aims to increase undergraduate interest and retention in the biological sciences through immediate immersion in authentic, valuable, yet accessible research. By finding and naming their own bacteriophages, students develop a sense of project ownership and have a ready-made personal research project at a fraction of the cost of traditional apprentice-based research programs. Some of the positive effects of the SEA-PHAGES program have been reported here.
SEA-PHAGES is jointly administered by Graham Hatfull's group at the University of Pittsburgh and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science Education division.
SEA-PHAGES IN THE NEWS
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SEA-PHAGES Program Teaches Students Science Fundamentals as They Discover Novel Phages
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Website | July 27, 2022
Partnership between CU School of Medicine and Aurora Community College guides student interns step-by-step through scientific process.read more
Related institution: University of Colorado at Boulder
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Ideation | Sept. 6, 2013
It was the summer that the freshmen ruled the sequencer. Technically, the six William & Mary students who logged heavy lab time with a state-of-the-art Ion Torrent gene sequencer had finished their freshman year and therefore did their summer work as rising sophomores....read more
Related institution: College of William & Mary
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Undergraduate phage hunters showcase research in University Libraries exhibit
Virginia Tech Library News | April 3, 2018
From local soil to a global database, new viruses have been uncovered, analyzed, and recorded by undergraduate researchers in Virginia Tech’s College of Science.read more
Related institution: Virginia Tech
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First-years discover viruses, analyze DNA
The Brown Daily Herald | Feb. 10, 2012
Sixteen first-years watched with excitement as their screens loaded the sequence of 59,625 nucleic acids that comprise the DNA of “Job42,” the virus a student in their class had discovered, isolated and named during the fall semester. “Each of them codes for something,” said Jordan Rego...read more
Related institution: Brown University
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WKU 2012 Goldwater Scholarship Recipient Charles Coomer
innovateKY/YouTube | April 24, 2012
Charles Coomer, a junior in the Honors College at WKU and the son of Evell and Don Coomer, has been involved in microbiological research for two years. In the lab of Dr. Rodney King, associate professor of biology, Coomer is characterizing viruses that infect bacterial cells...read more
Related institution: Western Kentucky University
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Bacteria-busting viruses discovered by student researchers
Newport News | July 4, 2022
"This is Oregon Coast Community College’s first year in the SEA PHAGES program, and I think it was pretty darn successful,” said Matthew Fisher, who teaches biology at OCCC and mentors students during the research project. “The goal is to find new phages, but it’s also about developing the next generation of scientists and getting them excited about doing science at OCCC."read more
Related institution: Oregon Coast Community College
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Ibadan Bacteriophage Research Team: A SEA-PHAGES team with a difference
Capsid Tail | Nov. 20, 2020
A team of 8 biomedical science researchers at the University of Ibadan, led by Prof. O. G. Ademowo, envisioned new opportunities to foster early career research participation for young undergraduate students. To achieve this goal, the University of Ibadan was enlisted as a cohort institution in the SEA-PHAGES project, an early-career research initiative of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Graham Hatfull Research group at the University of Pittsburgh.read more
Related institution: University of Ibadan
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Research paper with 2,863 authors expands knowledge of bacteriophages
Science Daily | May 11, 2015
We know that bacteriophages are viruses that infect and replicate within bacteria. We know that they are the most abundant organisms on Earth. But we don't know much about their genetic architecture....read more
Related institution: University of Pittsburgh
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Austin Peay’s ‘phage hunters’ join front lines of medical research
The Leaf Chronicle | Nov. 19, 2019
The 10 Austin Peay State University students in Dr. Sergei Markov’s junior- and senior-level biology classes this semester are taking advantage of a unique research opportunity that could help lead to medical breakthroughs.read more
Related institution: Austin Peay State University
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Del Mar student takes home award for research on bacteriophages
Corpus Christi Caller Times | March 29, 2016
Before John Ramirez, 29, decided to go back to school, he worked at Northwest Hospital in Calallen. There, he saw how tuberculosis affected people. "It's almost intensified when you see it," Ramirez said....read more
Related institution: Del Mar College
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PHAMILIA | Nov. 1, 2021
The Ibadan Bacteriophage Research Team, an undergraduate SEA-PHAGES team at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria announces the launch of its first journal issue PHAMILIA. This is the very first undergraduate research journal focused on bacteriophage biology. It showcases all student and faculty team members of the team, as well as publications on diverse subjects of bacteriophage biology from the team and other guest writers.read more
Related institution: University of Ibadan
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Biology major chosen for research at MIT
FGCU 360 | June 2, 2016
Santiago Yori already has research experience under his belt that most biology majors would envy. But he’s taking it to a new level this summer working alongside scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A veteran of FGCU’s elite Honors “Virus Hunters”...read more
Related institution: Florida Gulf Coast University
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La Sierra freshmen discover new viruses through national research program
La Sierra News | June 15, 2017
La Sierra University freshman Casey Jang was pleasantly surprised—she knew it was possible, but really didn’t expect to find, and then name, a virus that is new to science.read more
Related institution: La Sierra University
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Round Rock Cedar Ridge grad earns scientific honor
Austin American-Statesman | Feb. 28, 2017
Isabel Delwel, a junior at the University of North Texas, was chosen to participate in the 2017 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Exceptional Research Opportunities Program. One of Delwel’s professor’s, Dr. Lee Hughes, encouraged Delwel to apply for a spot in the program.read more
Related institution: University of North Texas
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University of Mary student discovers new bacteria-killing virus
The Bismarck Tribune | April 22, 2017
"Old Ben" was the last hope for Luke Keller's biology class at the University of Mary.read more
Related institution: United Tribes Technical College
Expired MTAs
Written by on Oct. 24, 2023 .
October SEA-PHAGES Email
Written by on Oct. 9, 2023 .
Dear SEA community,
This is our October communication:
SECTION DATA
If you haven’t already, please post section data to your institution page at seaphages.org. (This is a separate request from the section data asked for the PITS study.)
https://seaphages.org/section/add/current/
ARCHIVE TUBES
Deadline to make a request for prompt shipping is October 16, 2023. We will begin shipping archive tubes as soon as requests come in. If you are off schedule, you can still request tubes with an additional comment for shipping instructions.
ARCHIVE PROTOCOL
Before you prep lysates for archiving, please read the new improved protocol that contains a new video link here.
https://phagesdb.org/protocols/96/
Make sure you create any needed phage pages on PhagesDB as soon as possible, as these must be approved before they are included in your Archive Sheet for sample prep.
MONTHLY VIRTUAL FACULTY MEETING
This month’s meeting is scheduled for October 27, and will feature breakout rooms for updates and discussing your questions on Phage Discovery protocols, GENES protocols, and QUBES Resources.
More info available on the program website timeline: https://seaphages.org/faculty/information/#timeline
SIGN-UP FOR PHAGE GENOMICS WORKSHOP
The Phage Genomics workshop for the newest cohort of SEA faculty is scheduled for Dec 4 – 8, 2023. If you instruct (or will instruct) Phage Genomics but have never attended this workshop, you can request to attend using the following link, and we will do our very best to accommodate you. This registration closes October 13.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SEAPhageGenomics2023
We hope phage work at your school is going well! We are excited to see what discoveries are made this year!
Our very best, the SEA Team
This email is an official communication from the HHMI SEA-PHAGES program.
Sequencing Status, 2023-24
Written by on Oct. 6, 2023 .
Below is a live spreadsheet showing the status of SEA-PHAGES sequencing samples for the 2023-24 academic year. Generally, samples are only listed after they're scheduled for a MiSeq run, so don't worry if the samples you sent haven't appeared yet.
CLICK HERE to open this in a new browser window.