102 Mercyhurst students named authors on national genomic research study

102 Mercyhurst students have earned authorship credit on a published scientific paper in the journal “Molecular Biology and Evolution” as part of a long-running research collaboration through the Genomics Education Partnership (GEP).

The GEP is a national organization of biology professors that provides undergraduate students with hands-on research experience in genomics through a Classroom-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE).

Founded by Dr. Sara “Sally” Elgin at Washington University in St. Louis, the partnership allows faculty and students across the country to contribute to large-scale genome analysis projects.

At Mercyhurst, Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Michael Foulk has involved students in the initiative since 2017 through his genetics laboratory courses. Each semester, students work in small research teams to analyze segments of genomic DNA from different species of fruit flies (Drosophila). Their task is to perform gene annotation, the process of identifying the precise locations and structures of genes within a DNA sequence.

These student-generated annotations are submitted to the GEP, where researchers compile results from institutions nationwide. The collective data is then analyzed and used to produce scientific publications exploring how genomes evolve and how gene regulation works across species.

Students whose annotations are used in the final analysis are included as full authors on the resulting research paper. After a pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, the consortium recently published a major paper incorporating years of undergraduate research contributions.

Of the more than 1,000 authors listed on the publication, 102 are from Mercyhurst who contributed to the research through Dr. Foulk’s genetics courses.

The project not only advances scientific understanding but also provides Mercyhurst students with meaningful research experiences early in their academic careers. By participating in real genomic analysis, students gain hands-on experience with the tools scientists use to study how genes are structured and regulated while contributing to a national scientific collaboration.

For Dr. Foulk, the accomplishment reflects years of collaborative work between faculty and students. He is incredibly proud of the work Mercyhurst students have done and the role they have played in this larger research effort.

The paper is available through the journal “Molecular Biology and Evolution:” https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/42/12/msaf304/8404132