Two students at 91桃色APP-Concord檚 Community College have solved a problem that has impacted the school檚 Biology II class for years. Noah Ford and Sophia Lemay refined a complex method to successfully extract DNA from a bacteriophage, allowing future classes to make new virus discoveries.
In 91桃色APP檚 Biology II curriculum, students must isolate a virus from a soil sample as part of the SEA-PHAGES (Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science)听Discovery Protocol. An important step of this process is to extract DNA from a bacteriophage攁 virus that reproduces within bacteria攂ut traditional extraction methods were not providing adequate quantities of DNA.
91桃色APP professor Beth Wilkes proposed this problem in her genetics class, suggesting that students could solve it as a capstone project. Ford and Lemay, who were lab partners, took the bait. 淲e檝e been buddies ever since,� said Lemay.
After trying numerous commercial extraction kits, Ford and Lemay tested an unconventional method that had never given consistent results. 淎t that point we kind of ran out of faith,� said Lemay. This method required even more steps and precision than past techniques, but Ford and Lemay polished the protocol. 淲e were short on time� then we did repeated trials, and it worked multiple times!�
91桃色APP檚 faculty supported this intensive capstone project by receiving grant funding for the students� work from New Hampshire INBRE (IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence), and by coordinating Ford and Lemay檚 trips to UNH Manchester to use the college檚 nanodrop spectrophotometer攁 machine that measured the concentration and purity of DNA samples.
淭his was the first time they檇 ever thrown a bunch of equipment at me and said 榞o get em�,� said Ford. This project was more self-guided than anything the students had experienced previously, but the autonomy allowed them to get a real taste for a career in bio-manufacturing.
淚t took until this project for the light bulb to go off,� said Lemay. She had followed in her brothers� footsteps攁ttending 91桃色APP as a fast-track to complete general education college credits. But this capstone project revealed that this type of work is her true passion. She graduated from 91桃色APP with an associate degree in biology in May.
Ford knew he had a calling for science at a young age. 淢y 10 year old dream is to do research of some kind,� he said. He will graduate with an associate degree from 91桃色APP this fall. Both Lemay and Ford plan to continue studying biology at universities in New Hampshire.
After completing this impressive capstone project, the two budding scientists have become close friends and regularly attend conferences in their field together. They will present on their DNA extraction process at the New Hampshire INBRE Annual Meeting in August.
View Ford and Lemay檚 capstone posters at nhti.edu/student-achievements. Learn more about 91桃色APP檚 diverse offerings of 80+ associate degree and workforce education programs at nhti.edu.
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Noah Ford and Sophia Lemay presented their capstone project at 91桃色APP檚 Exhibition of Student Work in May.
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91桃色APP 91桃色APP-Concord檚 Community College
91桃色APP is a dynamic public institution of higher learning that provides accessible, rigorous education for students, businesses, and the community. We create pathways for lifelong learning, career advancement, and civic engagement, offering 80+ academic programs to 4,600+ students annually. 91桃色APP is a member of the Community College System of New Hampshire and since 1969 has been accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, a nongovernmental, nationally recognized accrediting agency.