Initial Publication Date: October 24, 2006

SMaRT Course2006

Created by George Rice, Montana State University

Participant and instructors in the SMaRt course in the summer of 2006.

SMaRT 2006 participants and instructors at the Center of Marine Biotechnology July 2006. Front row, left to right. Eman Soliman, Saffie Bangura, Lisa Hutchinson, Sherrita Commey, Gamola Fortenberry, Mona El Sayed, Tiara Moore , Sherril Leon Soon. Back row, left to right. Dr. Henry Williams, Dr. Clay Fuqua, Jason Gvazdauskas, Dr. Russell Hill, Naomi Montalvo, Dr. Julie Enticknap, Elisha Cicirelli, Naglaa Mohamed, Jinjun Kan, Sifat Chowdhury. (image provided by Russell Hill, 2006)

This intensive, project-oriented course is taught at the Center of Marine Biotechnology (COMB), University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, Baltimore, with participation by scientists from Indiana University.

The course is for Undergraduate Students with a strong interest and some familiarity with microbiology. This NSF-funded course is targeted to students from groups traditionally underrepresented in science.

Ten day intensive training in microbiology and molecular microbial ecology will be given. Teaching and hands-on research will focus on microbes in sponges although the principles and skills covered are generally applicable in microbiology. Students isolate microbes from sponges, identify isolates by 16S ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) sequencing, extract total DNA from sponges and perform PCR on this DNA to amplify microbial genes. Microscopy, fluorescence in situ hybridization and detection of signaling compounds from microbes are covered.

Gamola Fortenberry from Florida A & M University.

SMaRT2006 instructors, graduate student Naomi Montalvo and Visiting Professor Soad Abou-El-Ela from Suez Canal University, Egypt.

Instructor Elisha Cicirelli (graduate student, Indiana University) and Tiara Moore from Baltimore City Community College.

Jinjun Kan (seated) demonstrating scanning of DGGE gels. Left to right: Saffie Bangura, Eman Soliman, Mona El Sayed, Russell Hill and Soad Abou-El-Ela.

Water sampling on the Chesapeake Bay. Left to right: Gamola Fortenberry, Sherril Leon Soon and Saffie Bangura.

Instructor Matthew Anderson (left) and Mona El Sayed.

Research cruise from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Left to right: Gamola Fortenberry, Tiara Moore, Mona El Sayed, Lisa Hutchinson and Saffie Bangura.