CSE students with an interest in biology and bioinformatics should consider enrolling in BIOS 295: Topics in Biology.
BIOS 295 Topics in Biology Fall 2017 (2 cr lab)
Discovery Research: Phage Hunting
Tuesdays and Thursdays 2–3:50 p.m.
Location: 334 Manter Hall
Instructor: Dr. Cathy Chia, School of Biological Sciences
Contact: cchia1@unl.edu
What is BIOS 295?
A research-based lab course 2-semester sequence. The course counts for two credit hours.
Do I need to be a BIOS major?
No. The course requires little to no background in college-level biology.
Objectives of BIOS 295:
• Acquire ownership of a scientific problem
• Discover new scientific information
• Obtain laboratory experience in basic microbiology (aseptic technique, growing bacteria, plaque assays), and molecular biology
• Understand electron microscopy, DNA analysis
• Learn how to computationally annotate genomes and
predict gene functions
• Potentially do follow-up (wet lab) studies on predictions
What do we really do in BIOS 295?
1st semester:
• Isolate phages* from soil samples from here in Lincoln
• Purify phage for electron microscopy
• Isolate phage DNA; perform restriction enzyme digests
• Submit phage genome(s) for sequencing *phage = virus that infects bacteria (aka bacteriophage)
2nd semester:
• Analyze phage genomes through bioinformatics
• Get introduced to research articles
• Follow up with wet lab studies, if time permits
• Prepare a poster
Requirements of BIOS 295:
• Curiosity and willingness to explore a different type of a lab course. This will NOT be your typical ‘cookbook’ lab course.
• Be a freshman or sophomore.
• Participate in assessment.
What is the benefit of taking BIOS 295?
• Be part of a national effort to understand phage evolution and diversity.
• Your phage sequence will be deposited in a database (identified with class names).
• If published with other sequences, you will be a co-author of a journal article!
• One to two students attend a year-end symposium to present a poster (expenses are paid!).
• A professor (C. Chia) teaches BIOS 295 and will be in the lab working with you.
• A graduate TA will also be in the lab.
Where can I get more info?
Dr. Cathy Chia, School of Biological Sciences
Email: cchia1@unl.edu
Contact Dr. Chia by email to set up an appointment.
Where can I get more info?
Biology Advising Center
Wendy O’Connor and Deanne Flessner
111 Manter Hall
402.472.1464
Email: biosciadvising1@unl.edu
More details at: https://seaphages.org/