Welcome to ASMCUE in Seattle, Washington! Registered attendees are able to download the mobile app onto their phone, create a log-in, and make a personalized schedule and chat with attendees. Questions? Email [email protected]
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EvolvingSTEM is a successful high school outreach program that provides authentic research experiences in microbiology, genetics, and evolution. Leveraging the rapid generation times of microbes, students witness “evolution in action,” as bacteria adapt to different selective regimes. We adapted this approach for university students, who have more advanced knowledge, skills, and lab time—but also a critical need for professional development that prepares them for a competitive job market. Here we present a 10-week Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE), adapted from the EvolvingSTEM program. Students investigate the question, “How do bacteria protect themselves from predators?” by evolving populations of the harmless bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens in the presence or absence of an amoeba predator. They conduct fitness assays, identify the genetic changes that generate predation resistance, and analyze group data. The course emphasizes professional development, teaching skills such as maintaining electronic lab notebooks, reviewing the literature, designing experiments, and public speaking.