Assistant Professor Mercer University Macon, Georgia
Body of Abstract: Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) is widely recognized as a high-impact practice in science education. CUREs have a wide range of structures, from modules within a single class to multi-year inter-institution collaborations that can involve students for multiple semesters. Here I describe a proposed CURE to improve Arabidopsis annotations using descriptive, comparative, and reverse genetic methods. There are numerous Arabidopsis genes whose functional annotations are incomplete or nonexistent; many are described by computational predictions only. To complement existing annotations, students will evaluate phylogenetic relationships and predict structure-function associations. Students will design and clone CRISPR guide RNAs to create single or multiplex mutants, transform plants, and propose assays to identify mutant phenotypes. After the course, interested students could identify successfully edited plants and characterize mutant phenotypes.