{"685591":{"#nid":"685591","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Undergraduate Bioinformatics Class Produces Published Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThis fall, 20 Georgia Tech students published a peer-reviewed scientific paper\u0026nbsp;\u2014 the culmination of work done during\u0026nbsp;a semester-long laboratory course. During the semester,\u0026nbsp;students analyzed genomes sequenced from marine samples collected in Key West, Florida \u2014 doing\u0026nbsp;hands-on original bioinformatics research on par with graduate students and\u0026nbsp;working with bioinformatics tools to explore drug discovery potential.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe course, BIOS 4590, is a research project lab for senior biology majors that provides an opportunity for professors to share their expertise with students in a hands-on environment. In his class, Associate Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/vinayak-agarwal\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVinayak (Vinny) Agarwal\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, who holds joint appointments in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E and\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;School of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E,\u003C\/strong\u003E aimed to introduce undergraduates to advanced bioinformatics tools through applied research using new-to-science raw data.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe resulting paper, \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/full\/10.1021\/acschembio.5c00507\u0022\u003EPhylogenomic Identification of a Highly Conserved Copper-Binding RiPP Biosynthetic Gene Cluster in Marine\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EMicrobulbifer\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003EBacteria\u003C\/a\u003E,\u201d which was recently published in\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EACS Chemical Biology\u003C\/em\u003E, involves the historically understudied genus of\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EMicrobulbifer\u003C\/em\u003E, a type of bacteria often associated with sponges and corals. These microbial communities are rich sources of natural products, small biological molecules often associated with medicine and drug discovery.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u0022This class, and the resulting research, is a testament to the transformative power of hands-on learning,\u201d says\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003ESusan Lozier\u003C\/strong\u003E, dean of the College of Sciences, Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair, and professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. \u201cThe success of this course \u2014 and the students\u2019 remarkable achievement \u2014 reflects Georgia Tech\u0027s commitment to fostering curiosity, collaboration, and scientific rigor and to empowering the next generation of scientists and leaders.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EFunded by Agarwal\u2019s 2023\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/news\/making-medicines-vinayak-agarwal-awarded-nsf-career-grant-peptide-research\u0022\u003ENational Science Foundation CAREER grant\u003C\/a\u003E and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/vinayak-agarwal-named-camille-dreyfus-teacher-scholar\u0022\u003ECamille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Teacher-Scholar award\u003C\/a\u003E, the class also received support from leadership in the College of Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, and School Chemistry and Biochemistry. The study\u2019s lead author, graduate student\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EYifan (Grace) Tang,\u003C\/strong\u003E served as the class teaching assistant, and was funded in part by a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/gaann-fellowship-program-biochemistry-and-biophysics\u0022\u003EBiochemistry and Biophysics\u0026nbsp;Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need fellowship\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThe students in this class are working on important, novel work \u2014 this cohort worked with real genomic data that had never been sequenced before,\u201d she says. \u201cTypically, researchers might work with one or two genome sequences, but we provided students with 42 \u2014 this might be the first time anyone has looked at\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EMicrobulbifer\u003C\/em\u003E at such a wide scope.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrom classroom to publication\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ETo prepare for the class, Tang worked alongside Laboratory Manager\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/alison-onstine\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAlison Onstine\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E,\u003C\/strong\u003E who manages the School of Biological Sciences teaching laboratory spaces, to sequence the Key West bacterial genomes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cOur work in the Agarwal Lab is in natural product discovery. We focus on finding new pharmaceutical drugs through marine bacteria \u2014 but with a bioinformatics spin,\u201d Tang explains. \u201cWe wanted to bring this type of experience to undergraduates, so we gave fully sequenced genomes to students and asked them to look for potential properties.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThroughout the class, students learned different techniques for analyzing bacterial genome sequences and extracting data with various tools \u2014 gaining both lab and computational skills through hands-on experiences, live demos, and troubleshooting sessions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThe highlight was showing students just how much we can learn about a bacterial genus, especially one that hasn\u2019t been studied at this scale before,\u201d Tang shares. \u201cThis is a growing field, so there are so many opportunities for students to make meaningful contributions while learning new skills.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEmpowering future students\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EFor many students, it was their first time using these types of tools, but Agarwal says that it\u2019s something they\u0027ll likely encounter in both industry and research. He sees this type of research experience as especially helpful for seniors, who are often deciding between entering the workforce or continuing their education.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cBioinformatics is increasingly important for analyzing big data. Students need the ability to manipulate and understand data using computational tools, and this class plays an important role in familiarizing them with this process,\u201d he shares. \u201cOur goal is to demystify research and give students the confidence and tools for both graduate school and for the workforce after graduation.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe class will be offered for a third time in Fall 2026. While the exact course of research hasn\u2019t yet been decided, \u201cwe always aim for something new that can produce publication-quality research \u2014 students don\u2019t repeat past year\u2019s work,\u201d Agarwal says. This recent cohort of students built on the success of 18 undergraduates who took the class in 2023, who\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/news\/curriculum-innovation-drives-undergraduate-research-tech\u0022\u003Ealso published a paper\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cThis course truly underscores Georgia Tech\u2019s commitment to pioneering meaningful undergraduate experiences \u2014 no other peer institution I know of is exposing undergraduates to bioinformatics at this level.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFunding:\u0026nbsp;NSF CAREER and the Dreyfus Foundation\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThis course truly underscores Georgia Tech\u2019s commitment to pioneering meaningful undergraduate experiences,\u201d says teacher Vinayak (Vinny) Agarwal. \u201cNo other peer institution I know of is exposing undergraduates to bioinformatics at this level.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"\u201cThis course truly underscores Georgia Tech\u2019s commitment to pioneering meaningful undergraduate experiences,\u201d says teacher Vinayak (Vinny) Agarwal. \u201cNo other peer institution I know of is exposing undergraduates to bioinformatics at this level.\u201d"}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2025-10-08 14:32:26","changed_gmt":"2025-10-13 19:13:13","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-10-13T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-10-13T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678300":{"id":"678300","type":"image","title":"Grace Tang (Left) and Alison Onstine (Right) holding bacteria plates that spell \u0022BIOL 4590\u0022 (Credit: Tang and Onstine)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGrace Tang (Left) and Alison Onstine (Right) holding bacteria plates that spell \u0022BIOL 4590\u0022 (Credit: Tang and Onstine)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1759934162","gmt_created":"2025-10-08 14:36:02","changed":"1759934162","gmt_changed":"2025-10-08 14:36:02","alt":"Grace Tang (Left) and Alison Onstine (Right) holding bacteria plates that spell \u0022BIOL 4590\u0022 (Credit: Tang and Onstine)","file":{"fid":"262310","name":"Grace-left-_Alison-right-_No_Glasses.JPEG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/08\/Grace-left-_Alison-right-_No_Glasses.JPEG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/08\/Grace-left-_Alison-right-_No_Glasses.JPEG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3698314,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/10\/08\/Grace-left-_Alison-right-_No_Glasses.JPEG?itok=MCTBHuIX"}},"678301":{"id":"678301","type":"image","title":"A collection of the undergraduate students who co-authored the paper. (Credit: Tang and Onstine)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA collection of the undergraduate students who co-authored the paper. (Credit: Tang and Onstine)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1759934162","gmt_created":"2025-10-08 14:36:02","changed":"1759934162","gmt_changed":"2025-10-08 14:36:02","alt":"A collection of the undergraduate students who co-authored the paper. (Credit: Tang and Onstine)","file":{"fid":"262311","name":"Headshots_Layout_2.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/08\/Headshots_Layout_2.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/08\/Headshots_Layout_2.png","mime":"image\/png","size":5159554,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/10\/08\/Headshots_Layout_2.png?itok=6fgzlfju"}}},"media_ids":["678300","678301"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"categories":[{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"42911","name":"Education"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"193157","name":"Student Honors and Achievements"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"192250","name":"cos-microbial"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"193653","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWritten by \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto: sperrin6@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESelena Langner\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}