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The Lane College Science Club, ASBMB Student Chapter, engages in community outreach to serve students at Title I schools in Jackson, TN. The Lane College Science Club students visited Lincoln Elementary School during the fall 2023 semester to host a dynamic science activity involving 77 children, divided into two groups of students. Both groups were divided into three smaller groups, each assigned to one of the stations of intriguing experiments. The first station involved the creation of "Elephant Toothpaste" using a concoction of 3% hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, food coloring, and active yeast. The second station, the "Lava Lamp" station used blend of water, vegetable oil, food coloring, and Alka Seltzer®. Lastly, the "Hand Washing" station involved a blue light source and Glo Germ powder. This experiment included applying glow powder to the students' hands, followed by a hand washing exercise. When they returned, the effectiveness of their hand washing was shown using the blue light. After the rotations and engaging experiments, each group was asked their favorite station. These experiments were not just fun; it also helped them learn about science and how to keep their hands clean. This work is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation EES 2011938. 

The microbiome is a group of microorganisms living in a particular environment. Microorganisms living in ponds play an important role in the health and balance of these ecosystems. This study aimed to understand how microorganisms vary in different local ponds using metagenomics. Water samples were collected from local ponds around Jackson, Tennessee, to be examined for the presence of microorganisms. DNA was extracted using a standard ethanol precipitation protocol followed by clean-up with a ZymoBIOMICS genomic DNA mini kit. The whole genome DNA was then amplified using the Nanopore Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Barcoding kit due to low DNA yield and to allow multiplexing during DNA sequencing. This process involves fragmentation of the genomic DNA and addition of a linker oligonucleotide using an engineered transposase followed by amplification of the DNA with specific primers containing a unique barcode. All amplified genomic DNA samples were cleaned using MagBeads, prepped for the Genomic libraries, and ran on the Nanopore MinION Mk1c DNA sequencer. DNA reads were analyzed using the Epi2Me What's in My Pot workflow to identify specific microorganisms using standard sequence alignment to NCBI reference sequences. Initial findings showed that the microorganisms differed significantly from pond-to-pond. Each pond had its own unique mix of microorganisms, and some ponds had more diverse microorganisms than others. Various types of bacteria, archaea, and fungi were found, but their abundance and distribution varied across ponds. Environmental factors that were documented to influence diversity of microorganisms were also studied. These factors, including acidity of the water and oxygen levels, seemed to affect the types of microorganisms present. Some connections between specific microorganisms and these environmental factors suggests that they work together in the pond ecosystem. Understanding these differences can contribute to effective management and conservation of local ponds. Further research on how the microorganisms change over time, as well as studying other environmental factors and how the microorganisms function in the ponds. This information can help monitor water quality, protect the environment, and manage ponds more effectively. This work is supported by an HBCU-UP Implementation Project grant from the National Science Foundation EES 2011938.