Planning: sea-phages-tycs DCL: from soil to sequence: transforming microbiology education through course-based research experiences at a two-year college

The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education awarded $164,125 to Maricopa County Community College District on July 1, 2026, under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) to implement the SEA-PHAGES (Science Education Alliance Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science) curriculum at Mesa Community College Red Mountain in Tempe, Arizona.

The project embeds a two-semester, discovery-based research curriculum across all microbiology sections at the college. Students isolate novel bacteriophages from soil and progress through microbiological methods, genome annotation, and bioinformatics analyses. The recipient will implement the SEA-PHAGES initiative as part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's nationwide network to expand authentic research opportunities early in the college pathway, particularly for two-year college students underrepresented in STEM.

Over the two-year performance period ending June 30, 2028, the project aims to determine effective implementation and scaling strategies specific to two-year institutions. Maricopa County Community College District will create resources and support structures tailored to two-year college challenges, establish a community of practice for faculty development and collaboration, and conduct assessment and evaluation of both student outcomes and institutional infrastructure requirements for course-based research implementation. Faculty will engage in capacity-building activities to support expansion of research experiences across the district.

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by increasing the number of research opportunities available for two-year college students and to strengthen student interest, engagement, and persistence in stem. Mesa community college ? Red mountain has been selected to join the howard hughes medical institute's (hhmi) science education alliance phage hunters advancing genomics and evolutionary science (sea-phages) initiative. This initiative connects a nationwide network of stem faculty dedicated to supporting the adaptation, implementation and assessment of authentic research experiences for students early in the college pathway. The sea-phages curriculum spans two-semesters and immerses students in discovery-based research that begins with isolating novel bacteriophages from soil and continues through microbiological methods, genome annotation, and bioinformatics analyses. Over two years, the project aims to determine how such programs can be effectively implemented and scaled across two-year college microbiology courses and ultimately support a more scientifically prepared workforce. The goals of this project are to provide authentic research experiences for students, create resources and support structures to address the unique challenges of implementation at two-year colleges, and establish a community of practice to foster faculty development and collaboration. To achieve this goal, the sea-phages curriculum is embedded in all microbiology sections at MCC at red mountain. Additionally, faculty engage in capacity building activities for implementing and expanding research experiences for two-year college students. Assessment and evaluation efforts will assess both student outcomes and institutional infrastructure requirements for successful course-based research implementation. This research will contribute to understanding scaling and implementation at community colleges nationwide. The NSF iuse: innovation in two-year college stem education (ityc) program seeks to accelerate the impact of and advance knowledge about emerging and evidence-based practices in undergraduate stem education at two-year colleges. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.