Source: SISTEMA UNIVERSITARIO ANA G. MENDEZ, INC. submitted to NRP
PRIMER TROPICAL BIOPROSPECTING VENTURE BASED ON FOREST MICROBIOLOGY
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1020345
Grant No.
2019-70004-30057
Cumulative Award Amt.
$150,000.00
Proposal No.
2019-02760
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2019
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2023
Grant Year
2019
Program Code
[AA-Q]- Resident Instruction Grants for Insular Areas
Recipient Organization
SISTEMA UNIVERSITARIO ANA G. MENDEZ, INC.
RD 189 KM 3 HM 3
CAGUAS,PR 00725
Performing Department
Natural Sciences & Technology
Non Technical Summary
PRIMER Tropical Bioprospecting Venture based on Forest Microbiology sets-up an alliance of various universities to increment the number, diversity and competencies of Hispanic undergraduate students entering agrisciences fields and strengthening the workforce based on experiential learning. Undergraduate students from natural sciences majors at Universidad Ana G. Me?ndez, Recinto de Gurabo (Gurabo Campus), PR will engage in advanced studies related to the microbial functions in forest ecosystems. An educational intervention will be based on the adoption of relevant practical experiences at various levels: improved curriculum in microbiology courses, access to modern research infrastructure, advanced workshops, authentic research experiences, scientific dissemination, peer-mentoring interactions, and mentoring by experts. Previous research findings based on bioprospection (i.e., degradation of pollutants, antimicrobial activity, bioplastic production, water treatment, and biofuel alternatives) will be subject to further microbial, metagenomics, and biochemical elucidations that will support novel laboratory exercises, more current protocols, assisting undergraduates into graduate-level training, and the potential identification and development of novel biotechnological products. Ultimately, the undergraduate students in Puerto Rico will be better prepared to develop and understand microbial processes that sustain the forest ecosystem, contribute to society and promote resiliency to natural disasters.
Animal Health Component
15%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
70%
Applied
15%
Developmental
15%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
10240991100100%
Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships;

Subject Of Investigation
4099 - Microorganisms, general/other;

Field Of Science
1100 - Bacteriology;
Goals / Objectives
Universidad Ana G. Méndez, Recinto de Gurabo (UAGM-RG) proposes an academic development pipeline that will educate undergraduate Hispanic students from natural sciences in the diversity of knowledge, skills, and opportunities within agrisciences.Goal #1. Engage individual transformations in fundamental formation for students that will serve agriculture better and ignite changes in the community by enhancing the quality of instruction and increasing diversity in the agrisciences workforce. Through this project, students and educators will be prepared in diverse aspects for microbial contributions to agriculture. They will be provided with the means to learn fundamental concepts, while adopting existing materials and developing strategies and tools for their niche that will also be able to change with time. Thus, curricular innovation will be enriched from research (hands-on experiences, protocols, discoveries, and concepts) to enhance the quality of instruction and increase the diversity of students pursing academic interests in agrisciences.Goal #2. Strengthen technical education to meet modern practices and assure an increase in the number of students who enter the high-performance workplace with enhanced competencies in agrotechnology. PRIMER Tropical Bioprospecting Venture Based on Forest Microbiology aims to transform individuals that can serve as models for broader adoption of its strategies to support regional progress.
Project Methods
PRIMER Tropical Bioprospecting Venture Based on Forest Microbiology (PRIMER-TBV) pursues to enhance an alliance among various universities to increase the number, diversity and competencies of Hispanic undergraduate students entering agrisciences fields and strengthening the workforce based on microbial biotechnology theme by (i) developing workplace skills for agrisciences scientists in students through mentored discovery- based experiences (workshops and research); (ii) educating the academic community through the improvement of the major microbiology course track and the Colloquium on Advanced Research Approaches in Agriculture; and, (iii) developing leadership skills through workshops and research. A partnership among the PD, researchers, universities, and training consortia will constitute a Scientific Advisory Board for the enactment of a discovery transformation pathway for student development translating into curricular innovation and advanced agricultural innovation.Objective #1: Advance Hispanic student development through discovery-based experiences. Active student engagement in academic activities aligned to workplace skills has improved learning success in various scenarios. The realization of success helps students to progress and move on to higher goals. For over ten (10) years, the PD has used mentored research to develop scientific skills in undergraduate students, even when they lacked the fundamental knowledge. The opportunity to practice has led to discoveries that have ignited more interest in understanding how things happen. Through this project, a mentored process will help to develop skills and broader perspectives. PRIMER-TBV will mentor undergraduate research in forest microbiology. This discovery-based model will develop skills related to fieldwork, regulated environment, detailed protocols, data analysis and dissemination. TBV will operate as a contract research organization emphasizing the assessment and domestication of microbial functions in the forest towards process understanding and entrepreneurship. PRIMER has provided research experiences for undergraduate students in microbiology and biotechnology topics (see PD biosketch). Mentored technical work (apprentice) has stimulated understanding of scientific concepts (novice) that has led to dissemination forums (fellows). As science progresses, the role of the students evolves from apprentice to fellow. Undergraduate students (3/year) will be trained, with major dedication than before, in authentic research activities by researchers (PD, graduate scholar, and collaborators) to assume the role of a junior scientist. Students will be selected according to their performance on a 4-day workshop (at the beginning of the project) and a personal statement. A second tier of students (3-4) will be invited to enroll in the research course (BIOL 365 or similar) with the PD. Projects in microbiology will be aligned to research collaborators (i.e., Rutgers University, PREC, DNALC-CSHL, NSF-LTER Luquillo); therefore, infrastructure and data outside laboratory settings will be available for use. The research team will have regular laboratory meetings to discuss outcomes and constraints, while developing research capabilities. Outcomes will be shared at local, state, and national forums or similar events (local Researchers Forum, state PRISM, or SACNAS Conference). Research will focus on microbial aspects of agrisciences and products derived from tropical microbiota, such as proteomics for alkane degradation, fungal metabolomics in coastal sediments, bioinformatics for arsenate respiration detection, and diversity for sulfate-reducing bacteria. These activities will provide students with a more extensive hands-on experience with respect to industrial internships. Quarterly workshops will address research techniques to share acquired knowledge. Protocols and concepts will be available for the research and microbiology track courses. Participants will attend the Frontiers for Environmental Microbiology symposium where new research perspectives have been made available to the undergraduate community. Student Research Poster Presentations and Internet broadcasts are anticipated. Different levels will be defined to stimulate student progress and extracurricular sessions will teach specific skills aligned to discovery (workshops). Students will be able to acquire research and dissemination skills through experiential learning opportunities. An outstanding graduate student will be competitively recruited as scholar for academic technology transfer to collaborate with the PD in mentoring research experiences and translation of research into courses. Participation at national meetings (i.e., PD Meeting and SACNAS Conference) will expand collaborations and research dissemination. More advanced students will experience a mentored-independent work environment, so that they can acquire more responsibility in their studies (retention) and enhance educational equity toward careers or post-secondary education in agrisciences. Advanced students will assist in mentoring and training classmates enrolled in the research courses (BIOL 365). A real-time PCR apparatus (USDA- funded) introduces convenient advanced instrumentation to quantify genes for specific microbial function (i.e., lignin degradation, sulfate respiration,) in nature, as part of research and courses, for direct use by students. Research projects will target USFS and agricultural sites.Objective #2: Educate 400 Hispanic students in microbiological contributions to agrisciences in a 2-year period, to increase the number and diversity of students pursing related academic interest. Most college students pursue careers or post-secondary education without considering agrisciences as an alternative due to the perception of it being a low-income career within a rustic workplace. The proposed academic development pipeline that will educate Hispanic undergraduate students in skills, knowledge, and opportunities within agrisciences using extracurricular events and major microbiology track courses. This project will focus on forest microbiology and place major emphasis on skills and tasks conducted by scientists throughout the nation from a tropical perspective.Extracurricular events. Everyone must have a common baseline and equal opportunity to learn novel things despite selection criteria. This project will offer workshops and experiential learning (~50 participants; quarterly; seminars, field trips), Colloquium on Professional Development (~40 participants, Fall), Colloquium on Advanced Research Approaches in Agriculture (~40 participants; September), and Frontiers in Environmental Microbiology Symposium (FEM; ~65 participants island-wide). Researchers from collaborating organizations will be invited as speakers and role models for the audiences.Major microbiology track courses. Curricular innovation will be led by the PD with support of academic stakeholders and collaboration of the graduate scholar. Introductory topics in BIOL 320 will be assessed to establish parallel experiences in laboratory course (BIOL 320L). BIOL 410 (Introduction to Biotechnology), and BIOL 460 (Techniques in Biotechnology) will complete the microbiology track. Content will be updated, contextualized, and aligned among the four courses in the major track to include general and advanced applications to agrisciences, experiences into laboratories (revised syllabus), and incorporate research projects into courses (capstone experience). The outcome of the proposed curricular innovation will lead to an advanced understanding of the agrisciences into the microbiology course track.

Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project is comprised of seven (7)Puerto Rican (Hispanic) undergraduate and 1 graduate students in Natural Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Microbiology academic programs at Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus. However, our scientific dissemination aims for broader impact. Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to participate in the research program as three (3) undergraduate research fellows (3 positions per year) or a graduate scholar in academic technology transfer scholar. Scientific dissemination will be encouraged. Undergraduate students (~150/year) have experienced Curricular Innovation of four major courses in microbiology leading to more articulated alignment among them. The impacted courses are Microbiology (BIOL320) and corresponding laboratory (BIOL320L), Introduction to Biotechnology (BIOL410), and Techniques in Biotechnology (BIOL460). Courses are being updated and contextualized into local contexts with global effects and renovate the syllabus for laboratory course. Students and faculty in Puerto Rico were invited to attend seminar series and events cosponsored with the Puerto Rico Society for Microbiology. This approach is an alternative to the proposed annual symposium Frontiers in Environmental Microbiology (FEM). FEM seeks to advance understanding of modern microbial sciences from diverse points of view into innovation. Efforts have been redirected into (i) active training/mentoring on the research component to generate outcomes suitable to sustain innovation, and (ii) disseminate aligned events organized by others and available for future engagement. In collaboration with retention official, a mailing list was created to impacted nearly a thousand people among students in natural sciences and faculty on campus. Our brand is being solidifying and more disciplines demonstrated interest on our efforts. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?PRIMER, in this project aims to establish the contract research organization as a training model to transition naturales sciences into agricultural applications and contributions. Dr. José Ortiz (PD) attended several events organized by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and its local branch Puerto Rico Society for Microbiology (PRSM). Locally, he assisted in organizing and cosponsoring three events in microbiology / environmental were participation of faculty and students were fostered and supported. Thus, "individuals with advanced professional skills and experience assist others in attaining greater proficiency", as aimed by the agency entrenamiento tutorias cursos debiol talleres intensos In this project, PRIMER has provided mentored research experiences for undergraduate students (7) leading to hands- on practices and use of advanced instrumentation for genetic analyses. The summer research experience evolved from a remote into an advanced program that articulated mentored experiential learning, presentations, group discussions, and papers analyses in diverse disciplines (i.e., soil, forest/trees; precipitation; microorganisms; solar radiation) that contribute to agricultural innovation. The graduate traineeship for academic technology transfer rotated one (1) graduate students for undergraduate research mentorship and curricular innovation developing related leadership and teaching skills. Research protocols and perspectives continue enriching the general microbiology and biotechnology courses, based on bioprospecting approach from this grant, including ELISA-based detection of allergens in food, estimation of bacteriophages, bioinformatics of bacterial arsenic mobilization, DNA barcoding of bacteria capable of degrading pollutants, RNA interference in the worm C. elegans, and fundamentals of plant biotechnology. Most of the topics were done on remote virtual modality. General academic community was invited to several virtual seminars, such as: PRIMER Distinguished Lecture Series in Biotechnology (Dr. Riccardo Papa, Dr. Alfredo Ghezzi, and Dr. José A. Rodriguez-Martinez; University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras; Spring 2022) aligned with the course BIOT460-Techniques in Biotechnology (21 students) and open to general community beyond campus. We hosted the American Society for Microbiology • Distinguished Lecture: The Amazing, Death-defying...Poxviruses by Dr. Bertram Jacobs (January 29, 2023) with novel perspective on detection, characterization and treatment of virus with implications in human health and integrated to ONE HEALTH approach that interconnect with agriculture activities. Collaborations have been maintained with the US Cano Tiburones Reserve (Arecibo, PR) assistance has been provided by colleagues from the University: Dr. Alex Mercado with Meteorological Station investigating onhumidity, precipitationand solar radiation. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination efforts included presentations at university and college faculty meetings, seminars and workshops presented by the project, emails announcements of events and opportunities to faculty and students. The project has continued to organize resources and gather help for improved dissemination efforts, including incursion on the revamped college website, and collaboration from academic departments in communications and design. In collaboration with retention officials, a extensive mailing list has been assembled and used to promote more than ten event in the year. Thus, PRIMER is presented as an ally for students and faculty on their development and success. Scientific presentations have disseminated the project among the scientific community, including students and faculty forums, the bioprospecting working group at the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust where the PD is member. Pandemic COVID has delayed more formal efforts to publish our magazine. But dissemination of students research will be published among several university newsletters compatible with the academic calendar, such as report of plans and achievement for the beginning of each semester. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? As our Final Report, our programmatic performance of the no cost extension granted resume activities. The expected outcomes were addressed as follows. Four Workshops (quarterly) in advanced technical topics, including precipitation; forests/trees; soil; and leaf litter. Three main projects were develop onthe Training experiences. Seven (7) students trained in microbiology, envirionmental, and biology sciences in the Non cost Extension to fulfill expected outcomes. The undergraduate research experience model based on contract research organization in which diverse roles are assigned for skills development according to dedication and expertise. Schedules will be organized similar to the workplace and aligned to coursework. It will include students from the research course (BIOL365/366) The Graduate Scholar for Academic Technology Transfer will continue assisting the PD in course innovation and mentoring research experiences. Scientific Dissemination of undergraduate research experiences will be encouraged in local forums (FEM, UAGM's Researcher Forums, and PRISM) to develop skills for national conferences (i.e., SACNAS, ABRCMS, ASM Microbe). Posters were presented based on Cano Tiburones Reserve Experience. Study areas: Ecosystems health to control Salinity; Microbiota changes on Cano Tiburones soil; Liquens and microorganisms.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? PRIMER Tropical Bioprospecting Venture Based on Forest Microbiology (PRIMER-TBV) pursues to enhance an alliance among various universities to increase the number, diversity and competencies of Hispanic undergraduate students entering agrisciences fields and strengthening the workforce based on microbial biotechnology theme by (i) developing workplace skills for agrisciences scientists in students through mentored discovery-based experiences (workshops and research); (ii) educating the academic community through the improvement of the major microbiology course track and the Colloquium on Advanced Research Approaches in Agriculture; and, (iii) developing leadership skills through workshops and research. A partnership among the PD, researchers, universities, and training consortia constitute a Scientific Advisory Board for the enactment of a discovery transformation pathway for student development translating into curricular innovation and advanced agricultural innovation. Objective #1: Advance Hispanic student development through discovery-based experiences. PRIMER-TBV has been mentoring undergraduate research in forest microbiology. This discovery-based model is developing skills related to fieldwork, regulated environment, detailed protocols, data analysis and dissemination. TBV is operating as a contract research organization (CRO model) emphasizing the assessment and domestication of microbial functions in the forest towards process understanding and entrepreneurship. Six (6) undergraduate students (3/year awarded), at various levels of dedication, have took part in authentic research activities. A second tier of students (4) came from research course (BIOL 365 or similar). Projects in microbiology are aligned to research collaborators (i.e., Rutgers University, PREC, DNALC-CSHL, NSF-LTER Luquillo); therefore, infrastructure and data outside laboratory settings have been available for use.The research team assumed a more professional discipline towards technology transfer of protocols and advanced instrumentation for students in the future. Scientific dissemination produced 7 posterpresentations shared at local, state, and national forums or similar events as2023SACNAS National Diversity in STEM Conference (October 2023); Student Symposium from the Puerto Rico Society for Microbiology (2023) During the week, the PD has been directly training the students within the research team in biology, microbiology and environmental issues and courses. This extended training has come to replace the quarterly workshops to address research techniques suitable for extended training and tutoring in three main topics related to research as Health of ecosystems at Cano Tiburones that controls salinity; Microbiota on Cano Tiburones soil; Liquens and microrganisms. Still, protocols are being validated for transfer into courses, including novel approaches for cultivation of anaerobic bacteria and biodegradation assays. The Frontiers for Environmental Microbiology (FEM) symposium has been postponed until further notice, but the project has supported similar initiatives from the Puerto Rico Society for Microbiology. The outstanding graduate student, Ms. Karleen Gonzalez, was competitively recruited in year 1 as scholar for academic technology transfer to collaborate with the PD in mentoring research experiences and translation of research into courses. Her expertise was needed to teach critical courses for pharmacy technicians, including overseeing academic apprenticeships. Her dedication was reduced but has remained connected with the team as she completes her masters.All participant students within the research team have achieved academic progress. Six (6) of the seven(7) completed their baccalaureate and continue to work as professional scientists with the biopharmaceutical industry (2), or enrolled in advanced education (one in pharmacy doctorate, three in masters and one in medical technology post-baccalaureate certificate). Their experiences in this project have been meaningful in their progress. Objective #2: Educate 400 Hispanic students in microbiological contributions to agrisciences in a 2-year period, to increase the number and diversity of students pursing related academic interest. Most college students pursue careers or post-secondary education without considering agrisciences as an alternative due to the perception of it being a low-income career within a rustic workplace. The proposed academic development pipeline is educating Hispanic undergraduate students in skills, knowledge, and opportunities within agrisciences using extracurricular events and major microbiology track courses. This project focuses on forest microbiology and places major emphasis on skills and tasks conducted by scientists throughout the nation from a tropical perspective. Emphasis has been placed in contextualizing courses within the microbiology, environmental track to agrisciences contributions and aligning them to the remote modality and academic unification within the university. Courses impacted have been BIOL320 Microbiology (151; Fall, Spring, and Summer 2020-21), BIOL320L Microbiology Laboratory (150; Fall, Spring, and Summer 2020-21), BIOL 410 Introduction to Biotechnology (22, Fall 2020), and BIOL 460 Techniques in Biotechnology (21, Spring 2021). Most of the students (98.7%) approved the impacted course track. BIOL 460 Techniques in Biotechnology had a hands-on session in which ELISA and chromatography was conducted to refine their skills on manipulations, protocol performance and critical thinking.

Publications


    Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22

    Outputs
    Target Audience:The target audience for this project is comprised of Puerto Rican (Hispanic) undergraduate and graduate students in Natural Sciences academic programs at Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus. However, our scientific dissemination aims for broader impact. Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to participate in the research program as three (3) undergraduate research fellows (3 positions per year) or a graduate scholar in academic technology transfer scholar. Scientific dissemination will be encouraged. Undergraduate students (~150/year) have experienced Curricular Innovation of four major courses in microbiology leading to more articulated alignment among them. The impacted courses are Microbiology (BIOL320) and corresponding laboratory (BIOL320L), Introduction to Biotechnology (BIOL410), and Techniques in Biotechnology (BIOL460). Courses are being updated and contextualized into local contexts with global effects and renovate the syllabus for laboratory course.Students and faculty in Puerto Rico were invited to attend seminar series and events cosponsored with the Puerto Rico Society for Microbiology. This approach is an alternative to the proposed annual symposium Frontiers in Environmental Microbiology (FEM). FEM seeks to advance understanding of modern microbial sciences from diverse points of view into innovation. For twelve years, UAGM-Gurabo, through the leadership of the PD, has experienced the attendance of 125 people (nearly 110 students and 15 faculty members) each year. Despite the use of remote means, the attendance to events were less that expected. Thus, efforts have been redirected into (i) active training/mentoring on the research component to generate outcomes suitable to sustain innovation as we learn to live with COVID, and (ii) disseminate aligned events organized by others and available for future engagement (i.e., the Noble Prize Summit). In collaboration with retention official, a mailing list was created to impacted nearly a thousand people among students in natural sciences and faculty on campus. Our brand is being solidifying and more disciplines demonstrated interest on our efforts. Changes/Problems:A no-cost extensionrequest was granted close to the end of the project year. Our grant 2019-70004-30057, has demonstrated satisfactory performance, as documented in all progress reports submitted. However, theproject director, has been changed to close the remaining activities andto complete the original proposed activities, as the operation was affected by the PD resignation,Dr. Perez-Jimenez is no longer working with the university.Dr. Jose Rosario was assigned to fulfill the scope of workand to ensure that remaining funding will be used according to the original purpose, within the originalthe There are changes in Project Contacts notified on the last report that need attention: The Project Director (Dr. Jose Rosario)email address: rosarioj4@uagm.edu The new Authorized Organizational Representative is Mrs. Mayra M. Ferran(mferran@uagm.edu). What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?PRIMER, in this project aims to establish the contract research organization as a training model to transition naatural and environmentalsciences into agricultural applications and contributions. Dr. J. Rosario(PD) attended several events organized by the local branch Puerto Rico Society for Microbiology (PRSM). Locally, he assisted in organizing and cosponsoring 1eventin environmental sciences were participation of faculty and students were fostered and supported. Thus, "individuals with advanced professional skills and experience assist others in attaining greater proficiency", as aimed by the agency. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination efforts included presentations at university and college faculty meetings, seminars and workshops presented by the project, emails announcements of events and opportunities to faculty and students. The project has continued to organize resources and gather help for improved dissemination efforts, including incursion on the revamped college website, and collaboration from academic departments in communications and design. In collaboration with retention officials, a extensive mailing list has been assembled and used to promote more than ten event in the year. Thus, PRIMER is presented as an ally for students and faculty on their development and success. Scientific presentations have disseminated the project among the scientific community, including students and faculty forums, the bioprospecting working group at the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust where the PD is member. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Our no cost extension request was granted until 08/30/2023. We aim to resume activities as normal as possible planningexpanding our research team. The expected outcomes will be addressed as follows. Workshops (quarterly) in advancedtopics, including leaf litter, forest and trees and precipitation. The undergraduate research experience model based on contract research organization in which diverse roles are assigned for skills development according to dedication and expertise. Schedules will be organized similar to the workplace and aligned to coursework. It will include students from the research course (BIOL365/366) The Graduate Scholar will continue assisting the PD in course innovation and mentoring research experiences. Scientific Dissemination of (7) undergraduate research experiences will be encouraged in local forums (FEM, UAGM's Researcher Forums, and PRISM) to develop skills for national conferences (i.e., SACNAS, ABRCMS, ASM Microbe). The aim is for each student to present their own work on each local event, but science do not always work.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Universidad Ana G. Méndez, Recinto de Gurabo (UAGM-RG) proposes an academic development pipeline that will educate undergraduate Hispanic students from natural sciences in the diversity of knowledge, skills, and opportunities within environmental/ agrisciences. In this project, PRIMER has provided mentoredresearch experiences for undergraduate students(10) leading to hands- on practices in soils, leaf litter, precipitation and forestsarticulated with mentored experiential learning, presentations, courses, and training in diverse disciplines (i.e., biology, microbiology, environmental) that contribute to agricultural innovation. The1graduate student receivedtraineeshipand seven(7) undergraduate students received research mentorship and curricular innovation developing related leadership and teaching skills in biology, microbiology and environmental courses.

    Publications

    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Blanco-Laureano, Stiphany and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2020. Airborne Fungi Degrade Haloalkanes. U.S. Department of Education " 2020 Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program Virtual Student Research Conference. October 27-28, 2020 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Medina-Perez, Carlos X. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2020. Initial Explorations of Sulfate Reducing Bacteria Associated to Human Gastrointestinal Tract. U.S. Department of Education " 2020 Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program Virtual Student Research Conference. October 27-28, 2020 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Diaz-Santana, Soraya L. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Bacteria with Antimicrobial Activity that Combat Emerging Antibiotic Resistance. 39th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. April 23-24, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Hernandez-Rivera, Karla M. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Bacterial degradation of phthalates. 39th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. April 23-24, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Tolentino-Morales, Adriana and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Biodegradation of Halogens Environmentally. 39th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. April 23-24, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lopez-Rosado, Omayra and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Characterization of Xylene-Degradation by Pseudomonas sp. TMS-HD2. 39th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. April 23-24, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lopez-Gonzalez, Felix R. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Dynamic of Sulfate Reducing Bacteria in response to Hurricane Maria along the elevation gradient at El Yunque Rain Forest in Puerto Rico. 39th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. April 23-24, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Blanco-Laureano, Stiphany and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Microbial Mats and Sulfate Reducing Bacteria (dsr). 39th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. April 23-24, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Velazquez-Martinez, Paola N. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) produced by bacteria. 39th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. April 23-24, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Medina-Perez, Carlos X. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria among Sediments in Puerto Rico, Disclosed by Analysis of the Dissimilatory Sulfite Reductase Genes (dsrAB). 39th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. April 23-24, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lopez-Gonzalez, Felix R. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Dynamic of Sulfate Reducing Bacteria in response to Hurricane Maria along the elevation gradient at El Yunque Rain Forest in Puerto Rico. 63rd Annual Meeting of the Puerto Rico Society of Microbiologists 63rd Annual Meeting. June 3-4, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Velazquez-Martinez, Paola N. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) produced by bacteria. 63rd Annual Meeting of the Puerto Rico Society of Microbiologists 63rd Annual Meeting. June 3-4, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Medina-Perez, Carlos X. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria among Sediments in Puerto Rico Disclosed by Analysis of the Dissimilatory Sulfite Reductase Genes (dsrAB). 63rd Annual Meeting of the Puerto Rico Society of Microbiologists 63rd Annual Meeting. June 3-4, 2021 (virtual conference).


    Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21

    Outputs
    Target Audience:The target audience for this project is comprised of Puerto Rican (Hispanic) undergraduate and graduate students in Natural Sciences academic programs at Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus. However, our scientific dissemination aims for broader impact. Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to participate in the research program as three (3) undergraduate research fellows (3 positions per year) or a graduate scholar in academic technology transfer scholar. Scientific dissemination will be encouraged. Undergraduate students (~150/year) have experienced Curricular Innovation of four major courses in microbiology leading to more articulated alignment among them. The impacted courses are Microbiology (BIOL320) and corresponding laboratory (BIOL320L), Introduction to Biotechnology (BIOL410), and Techniques in Biotechnology (BIOL460). Courses are being updated and contextualized into local contexts with global effects and renovate the syllabus for laboratory course. Students and faculty in Puerto Rico were invited to attend seminar series and events cosponsored with the Puerto Rico Society for Microbiology. This approach is an alternative to the proposed annual symposium Frontiers in Environmental Microbiology (FEM). FEM seeks to advance understanding of modern microbial sciences from diverse points of view into innovation. For twelve years, UAGM-Gurabo, through the leadership of the PD, has experienced the attendance of 125 people (nearly 110 students and 15 faculty members) each year. Despite the use of remote means, the attendance to events were less that expected. Thus, efforts have been redirected into (i) active training/mentoring on the research component to generate outcomes suitable to sustain innovation as we learn to live with COVID, and (ii) disseminate aligned events organized by others and available for future engagement (i.e., the Noble Prize Summit). In collaboration with retention official, a mailing list was created to impacted nearly a thousand people among students in natural sciences and faculty on campus. Our brand is being solidifying and more disciplines demonstrated interest on our efforts. Changes/Problems:A no-cost extension for a year request was granted close to the end of this second year. Our grant 2019-70004-30057, has demonstrated satisfactory performance, as documented in all progress reports submitted. However, the pandemic COVID-19 has limited our direct involvement with students. Since March 2020, our university has limited the access to campus facilities according to government rules. Gradually, we have come back while ensuring safety of the participants. Thus, as project director, I have been training participants that have experience in our operation to develop expertise for broader impact as we resume a more normal operation. We have anticipated carry forward funds essential to complete the original proposed activities, as the operation was affected by the pandemic COVID-19. Residual funding will be used according to the original purpose, within the original budget category, to fulfill the scope of work. There are changes in Project Contacts notified on the last report that need attention: • The Project Director (Dr. Jose R. Perez-Jimenez) has a new email address: JPEREZJM@uagm.edu • The new Authorized Organizational Representative is Mr. Julio C. Rosa (jcrosa@uagm.edu). Former AOR, Mrs. Jacqueline A. Mullen, has retired. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?PRIMER, in this project aims to establish the contract research organization as a training model to transition naturales sciences into agricultural applications and contributions. Dr. Perez-Jimenez (PD) attended several events organized by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and its local branch Puerto Rico Society for Microbiology (PRSM). Locally, he assisted in organizing and cosponsoring three events in microbiology were participation of faculty and students were fostered and supported. Thus, "individuals with advanced professional skills and experience assist others in attaining greater proficiency", as aimed by the agency In this project, PRIMER has provided mentored research experiences for undergraduate students (10) leading to hands-on practices and use of advanced instrumentation for genetic analyses. In collaboration with a MSEIP (P120A160097), USDA-NIFA-HSIP (2015-38422-24076) and NSF (DBI-2120367) grants, the summer research experience evolved from a remote into an advanced program that articulated mentored experiential learning, presentations, group discussions, and papers analyses in diverse disciplines (i.e., bioplastics, antimicrobial products, bioenergy, applied organic chemistry, metagenomics, and mycology) that contribute to agricultural innovation. The graduate traineeship for academic technology transfer rotated among six (6) graduate students for undergraduate research mentorship and curricular innovation developing related leadership and teaching skills. Scientific dissemination resulted in twenty-two presentations (22) at conferences on the year. Research protocols and perspectives continue enriching the general microbiology and biotechnology courses, based on bioprospecting approach from this grant, including ELISA-based detection of allergens in food, estimation of bacteriophages, bioinformatics of bacterial arsenic mobilization, DNA barcoding of bacteria capable of degrading pollutants, RNA interference in the worm C. elegans, and fundamentals of plant biotechnology. Most of the topics were done on remote virtual modality. In April 2021, a hands-on session provided experiences in ELISA and chromatography to students in the advanced biotechnology course (BIOL 460). Virtual conferences and seminars related to remote education, as ASMCUE, were attended by Perez-Jimenez (PD) and graduate scholars to refine teaching strategies for the Fall 2021 term. General academic community was invited to several virtual seminars, such as: PRIMER Distinguished Lecture Series in Biotechnology (Dr. Riccardo Papa, Dr. Alfredo Ghezzi, and Dr. José A. Rodriguez-Martinez; University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras; Spring 2021) aligned with the course BIOT460-Techniques in Biotechnology (21 students) and open to general community beyond campus. PRIMER Distinguished Lecture in Microbiology (Dr. Marirosa Molina, U.S. EPA; April 22, 2021) aligned to a graduate course in microbial ecology and open to the public (including the EPA Caribbean Consortium). This seminar started more formal collaboration to study microbial source tracking and water quality in Puerto Rico. We expect to enrich our objective by providing discovery-based experiences and enrich impacted courses that demonstrate microbiological contributions to agrisciences. We hosted the American Society for Microbiology • Distinguished Lecture: The Amazing, Death-defying...Poxviruses by Dr. Bertram Jacobs (January 29, 2021) with novel perspective on detection, characterization and treatment of virus with implications in human health and integrated to ONE HEALTH approach that interconnect with agriculture activities. Collaborations have been maintained with the US Forest Service (San Juan, PR) as part of the NSF Luquillo LTER and samples provided by Dr. Sharon Cantrell. Advanced biodegradation assistance has been provided by colleagues from Rutgers University: Dr. Lily Young, and Dr. Max Haggbloom. Dr. Bruce Nash (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) and Perez-Jimenez has exchange advise to their respective projects by extending the understanding and application of metagenomics to diverse communities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination efforts included presentations at university and college faculty meetings, seminars and workshops presented by the project, emails announcements of events and opportunities to faculty and students. The project has continued to organize resources and gather help for improved dissemination efforts, including incursion on the revamped college website, and collaboration from academic departments in communications and design. In collaboration with retention officials, a extensive mailing list has been assembled and used to promote more than ten event in the year. Thus, PRIMER is presented as an ally for students and faculty on their development and success. Scientific presentations have disseminated the project among the scientific community, including students and faculty forums, the bioprospecting working group at the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust where the PD is member. Pandemic COVID has delayed more formal efforts to publish our magazine. Note will be divided among several newsletters compatible with the academic calendar, such as report of plans and achievement for the beginning of each semester. There is need to recruit student assistance to expand their training as they help in the development of dissemination pieces for conventional and social media to the target populations and the general audiences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?As pandemic COVID-19 decreased our programmatic performance, our no cost extension request was granted. We aim to resume activities as normal as possible planning for remote/online events and expanding our research team. The expected outcomes will be addressed as follows. Four Workshops (quarterly) in advanced technical topics, including DNA Barcoding, functional metagenomics, statistical tools, microbial kinetics, qPCR analyses, and bioprospecting assays. The undergraduate research experience model based on contract research organization in which diverse roles are assigned for skills development according to dedication and expertise. Schedules will be organized similar to the workplace and aligned to coursework. It will include students from the research course (BIOL365/366) The Graduate Scholar for Academic Technology Transfer will continue assisting the PD in course innovation and mentoring research experiences. The interdisciplinary and multi-institutional Scientific Advisory Board will be formally constituted to advance the training agenda on academic innovation and research formation towards elevated competencies and facilitating cooperation with other academic institutions. Scientific Dissemination of undergraduate research experiences will be encouraged in local forums (FEM, UAGM's Researcher Forums, and PRISM) to develop skills for national conferences (i.e., SACNAS, ABRCMS, ASM Microbe). The aim is for each student to present their own work on each local event, but science do not always work. The annual symposium Frontiers in Environmental Microbiology (FEM; March) seeks to advance understanding of modern microbial sciences from diverse points of view into innovation. The annual Induction Seminar (January and August) will state the scientific basis of the project's academic innovation to foster transition from natural sciences into agricultural applications. The annual Colloquium on Professional Development, by the campus Career and Placement Office, on strategies for success in the workplace to teach best practices and leadership skills (February and September). The annual Colloquium on Advanced Research Approaches in Agriculture (FEM, and September), in collaboration with the Scientific Advisory Board, will educate the general community on topics related to agricultural careers and research challenges aligned to this project agenda. The major microbiology track of four (4) courses will continue to be reviewed by Perez-Jimenez (PD), as originally proposed. It is being aligned to academic integration among several UAGM campuses.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? PRIMER Tropical Bioprospecting Venture Based on Forest Microbiology (PRIMER-TBV) pursues to enhance an alliance among various universities to increase the number, diversity and competencies of Hispanic undergraduate students entering agrisciences fields and strengthening the workforce based on microbial biotechnology theme by (i) developing workplace skills for agrisciences scientists in students through mentored discovery-based experiences (workshops and research); (ii) educating the academic community through the improvement of the major microbiology course track and the Colloquium on Advanced Research Approaches in Agriculture; and, (iii) developing leadership skills through workshops and research. A partnership among the PD, researchers, universities, and training consortia constitute a Scientific Advisory Board for the enactment of a discovery transformation pathway for student development translating into curricular innovation and advanced agricultural innovation. Objective #1: Advance Hispanic student development through discovery-based experiences. PRIMER-TBV has been mentoring undergraduate research in forest microbiology. This discovery-based model is developing skills related to fieldwork, regulated environment, detailed protocols, data analysis and dissemination. TBV is operating as a contract research organization (CRO model) emphasizing the assessment and domestication of microbial functions in the forest towards process understanding and entrepreneurship. Six (6) undergraduate students (3/year awarded), at various levels of dedication, have took part in authentic research activities. A second tier of students (4) came from research course (BIOL 365 or similar). Most of them were supported by similar closing grants led by the PD (MSEIP award P120A160097, USDA-NIFA-HSIP award 2015-38422-24076, and NSF award DBI-2120367) to reserve funding for more participants as COVID-related limitations were overcome. Projects in microbiology are aligned to research collaborators (i.e., Rutgers University, PREC, DNALC-CSHL, NSF-LTER Luquillo); therefore, infrastructure and data outside laboratory settings have been available for use. Due to COVID-19 and local lockdown, the research team had occasional laboratory meetings to discuss outcomes and constraints, while developing research capabilities. The research team assumed a more professional discipline towards technology transfer of protocols and advanced instrumentation for students in the future. Scientific dissemination produced twenty-two (22) presentations shared at local, state, and national forums or similar events: 2020 SACNAS National Diversity in STEM Conference (October 2020) U.S. Department of Education • 2020 Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program Virtual Student Research Conference (October 2020) local PRIMER Undergraduate Research Colloquium on campus (May 2021; 8 oral presentations), 39th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting (May 2021) Student Symposium from the Puerto Rico Society for Microbiology (June 202) These research efforts resulted in ten (10) abstracts for the XI Puerto Rico Energy Center (PREC) Symposium (September 2021) and the national Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS; November 2021). The university reduced the workweek to four days since May 2020. On Fridays, the PD has been directly training the students within the research team. This extended training has come to replace the quarterly workshops to address research techniques suitable for extended training and peer-mentoring of another students when COVID-19 become under safer control. Still, protocols are being validated for transfer into courses, including novel approaches for cultivation of anaerobic bacteria and biodegradation assays. The Frontiers for Environmental Microbiology (FEM) symposium has been postponed until further notice, but the project has supported similar initiatives from the Puerto Rico Society for Microbiology. The outstanding graduate student, Ms. Karleen Gonzalez, was competitively recruited in year 1 as scholar for academic technology transfer to collaborate with the PD in mentoring research experiences and translation of research into courses. Her expertise was needed to teach critical courses for pharmacy technicians, including overseeing academic apprenticeships. Her dedication was reduced but has remained connected with the team as she completes her masters. Economies in graduate support (stipend/tuition) allowed the recruitment of five (5) other graduate students for specific collaborations at minor dedication: water quality (Mr. Marco Orizondo; collaboration with EPA), agronomy-related issues (Ms. Carmen Hernandez), biotechnology operations (Ms. Paola Velazquez), molecular characterization (Mr. Felix Lopez), and anaerobic cultivation (Mr. Kenneth Torres). Their collective performance helped on the improvement of microbiology/biotechnology courses under remote modality. Research experiences are progressing more in experiential learning and troubleshooting than final results. It has been very difficult to have group meetings as the pandemic COVID has imposed more responsibilities and particularities in each member of the team. All participant students within the research team have achieved academic progress. Six (6) of the ten (10) completed their baccalaureate and continue to work as professional scientists with the biopharmaceutical industry (2), or enrolled in advanced education (one in pharmacy doctorate, three in masters and one in medical technology post-baccalaureate certificate). Their experiences in this project have been meaningful in their progress. Objective #2: Educate 400 Hispanic students in microbiological contributions to agrisciences in a 2-year period, to increase the number and diversity of students pursing related academic interest. Most college students pursue careers or post-secondary education without considering agrisciences as an alternative due to the perception of it being a low-income career within a rustic workplace. The proposed academic development pipeline is educating Hispanic undergraduate students in skills, knowledge, and opportunities within agrisciences using extracurricular events and major microbiology track courses. This project focuses on forest microbiology and places major emphasis on skills and tasks conducted by scientists throughout the nation from a tropical perspective. Extracurricular events have been hard to organized based on lockdown, social distancing, and major responsibilities imposed by the pandemic COVID-19. As discussed above, the annual symposium Frontiers in Environmental Microbiology has been postponed until further notice. Alternatively, virtual seminar were organized, promoted or cosponsored to expose our community to advance knowledge; such as: PRIMER Distinguished Lecture Series in Biotechnology (Drs. Papa, Ghezzi, and Rodriguez-Martinez; University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras; Spring 2021) PRIMER Distinguished Lecture in Microbiology (Dr. Marirosa Molina, U.S. EPA; April 22, 2021) American Society for Microbiology • Distinguished Lecture: The Amazing, Death-defying...Poxviruses by Dr. Bertram Jacobs (January 29, 2021) Emphasis has been placed in contextualizing courses within the microbiology track to agrisciences contributions and aligning them to the remote modality and academic unification within the university. Courses impacted have been BIOL320 Microbiology (151; Fall, Spring, and Summer 2020-21), BIOL320L Microbiology Laboratory (150; Fall, Spring, and Summer 2020-21), BIOL 410 Introduction to Biotechnology (22, Fall 2020), and BIOL 460 Techniques in Biotechnology (21, Spring 2021). Most of the students (98.7%) approved the impacted course track. BIOL 460 Techniques in Biotechnology had a hands-on session in which ELISA and chromatography was conducted to refine their skills on manipulations, protocol performance and critical thinking.

    Publications

    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lopez-Rosado, Omayra and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Characterization of Xylene-Degradation by Pseudomonas sp. TMS-HD2. 39th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. April 23-24, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lopez-Gonzalez, Felix R. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Dynamic of Sulfate Reducing Bacteria in response to Hurricane Maria along the elevation gradient at El Yunque Rain Forest in Puerto Rico. 39th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. April 23-24, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Blanco-Laureano, Stiphany and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Microbial Mats and Sulfate Reducing Bacteria (dsr). 39th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. April 23-24, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Vela?zquez-Marti?nez, Paola N. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) produced by bacteria. 39th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. April 23-24, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Medina-Perez, Carlos X. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria among Sediments in Puerto Rico, Disclosed by Analysis of the Dissimilatory Sulfite Reductase Genes (dsrAB). 39th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. April 23-24, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lopez-Gonzalez, Felix R. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Dynamic of Sulfate Reducing Bacteria in response to Hurricane Maria along the elevation gradient at El Yunque Rain Forest in Puerto Rico. 63rd Annual Meeting of the Puerto Rico Society of Microbiologists 63rd Annual Meeting. June 3-4, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Vela?zquez-Marti?nez, Paola N. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) produced by bacteria. 63rd Annual Meeting of the Puerto Rico Society of Microbiologists 63rd Annual Meeting. June 3-4, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Medina-Perez, Carlos X. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria among Sediments in Puerto Rico Disclosed by Analysis of the Dissimilatory Sulfite Reductase Genes (dsrAB). 63rd Annual Meeting of the Puerto Rico Society of Microbiologists 63rd Annual Meeting. June 3-4, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Blanco-Laureano, Stiphany and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2020. Airborne Fungi Degrade Haloalkane. 2020 SACNAS National Diversity in STEM Conference. October 19-24, 2020 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Blanco-Laureano, Stiphany and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2020. Airborne Fungi Degrade Haloalkanes. U.S. Department of Education " 2020 Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program Virtual Student Research Conference. October 27-28, 2020 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Medina-Perez, Carlos X. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2020. Initial Explorations of Sulfate Reducing Bacteria Associated to Human Gastrointestinal Tract. U.S. Department of Education " 2020 Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program Virtual Student Research Conference. October 27-28, 2020 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Di?az-Santana, Soraya L. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Bacteria with Antimicrobial Activity that Combat Emerging Antibiotic Resistance. 39th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. April 23-24, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Hernandez-Rivera, Karla M. and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Bacterial degradation of phthalates. 39th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. April 23-24, 2021 (virtual conference).
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Tolentino-Morales, Adriana and Jose R. Perez-Jimenez. 2021. Biodegradation of Halogens Environmentally. 39th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. April 23-24, 2021 (virtual conference).


    Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20

    Outputs
    Target Audience:The target audience for PRIMER in this project is comprised of Puerto Rican (Hispanic) undergraduate and graduate students in Natural Sciences academic programs at Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus. However, our scientific dissemination aims for broader impact. Students and faculty, annually, are invited freely to participate on four workshops (15 participant each), two colloquia (40 participant each), and one annual symposium on advanced technical topics and skills. Hispanic students (200) will develop perspectives and skills that will be useful for their advanced agricultural innovation and academic progress according to their academic level. Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to participate in the research program as three (3) undergraduate research fellows (3 positions per year) or a graduate scholar in academic technology transfer scholar. Scientific dissemination is encouraged. Undergraduate students (~125/semester) will experience curricular innovation of four major courses in microbiology leading to more articulated alignment among them. The impacted courses are Microbiology (BIOL320) and corresponding laboratory (BIOL320L), Introduction to Biotechnology (BIOL410), and Techniques in Biotechnology (BIOL460). Courses will be updated and contextualized into local contexts with global effects and renovate the syllabus for laboratory course. Students and faculty in Puerto Rico are invited to attend the annual symposium Frontiers in Environmental Microbiology (FEM). FEM seeks to advance understanding of modern microbial sciences from diverse points of view into innovation. For twelve years, UAGM-Gurabo, through the leadership of the PD, has experienced the attendance of 125 people (nearly 110 students and 15 faculty members) each year. Changes/Problems:The project was delayed in completing required documentation. It started by October 2020. Several events planned for the beginning of the academic year have been scheduled for the next programmatic year. In March 2020, our university went into remote operations due to the pandemic COVID-19. The project director was allowed back to the laboratory by June (twice a week for three hours; not enough time for microbiology-related work). By the end of July, research laboratories allowed reduced occupancy of laboratories daily for eight hours. Students and faculty proceeded according to strict safety measurements respect to COVID-19. A delayed start and COVID-19 have decreased the rate of expenditure and expected outcomes. However, gradually some activities, undergraduate research experience and graduate traineeship have been resumed aiming to develop better peer-mentors and validated protocols to engage more students as soon as presential learning is allowed. The research scope remains as proposed originally and it is in compliance with responsible research. There are changes in Project Contacts: The Project Director (Dr. Jose R. Perez-Jimenez) has a new email address: JPEREZJM@uagm.edu The new Authorized Organizational Representative is Mr. Julio C. Rosa (jcrosa@uagm.edu). Former AOR, Mrs. Jacqueline A. Mullen, has retired. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?PRIMER, in this project aims to establish the contract research organization as a training model to transition naturales sciences into agricultural applications and contributions. Dr. Perez-Jimenez (PD) attended the American Society for Cell Biology national conference (December 2019) to gather useful approaches for the project: immersion in one of the top education research initiatives in the nations (ASCB-Science Education), internationally renowned leadership workshop (offered by the European Molecular Biology Organization), and explore scientific advances related to those seen in BeltsvilleAgricultural Research Center (MD). In this project, PRIMER has provided mentored research experiences for undergraduate students (8) leading to hands-on practices and use of advanced instrumentation for genetic analyses. In collaboration with a MSEIP (P120A160097) and USDA-NIFA-HSIP (2015-38422-24076) grants, the summer research experience evolved into a remote program that articulated presentations, group discussions, and papers analyses in diverse disciplines (i.e., bioplastics, antimicrobial products, bioenergy, applied organic chemistry, metagenomics, and mycology) that contribute to agricultural innovation. The graduate traineeship for academic technology transfer rotated among four (4) graduate students for undergraduate research mentorship and curricular innovation developing related leadership and teaching skills. Scientific dissemination resulted in fifteen presentations (15) at conferences on the year. Four (4) research posters were presented at the national Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students 2019 (ABRCMS). This national student conference provides an interdisciplinary venue that encourages students' development with judged posters, inspiring plenary speakers, exhibition hall with graduate schools, research program, and internship opportunities, and session on environmental sciences. Ms. Bianca Torres was awarded with outstanding poster presentation in her field for her academic level (senior). Research protocols and perspectives were introduced into the general microbiology and biotechnology courses, based on bioprospecting approach from this grant, including ELISA-based detection of allergens in food, estimation of bacteriophages, bioinformatics of bacterial arsenic mobilization, DNA barcoding of bacteria capable of degrading pollutants, RNA interference in the worm C. elegans, and fundamentals of plant biotechnology. Most of the topics were done in presential modality. The Spring semester, due to COVID-19, was continue remotely after March. In the summer session, microbiology lecture and laboratory transition to full remote teaching with close articulation between instructors (PD for class and graduate scholar for laboratory). Virtual conferences and seminars related to remote education, as ASMCUE, were attended by Perez-Jimenez (PD) and graduate scholars to refine teaching strategies for the Fall 2020 term. General academic community was invited to the seminar "Microbiology at UAGM-Gurabo" (January 2020; 15 participants) and the annual symposium Frontiers in Environmental Microbiology XIV: water shapes our resilient community (FEM; March 2020; 123 participants, 4 speakers and 28 student posters). FEM got support from NIH PR-INBRE, but was canceled the day before due to state lockdown in response to COVID-19. Collaborations have been maintained with the US Forest Service (San Juan, PR) as part of the NSF Luquillo LTER and samples provided by Dr. Sharon Cantrell. Advanced biodegradation assistance has been provided by colleagues from Rutgers University: Dr. Lily Young, Dr. Max Haggbloom and Dr. Brian T. Buckley. Dr. Bruce Nash (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) and Perez-Jimenez has exchange advise to their respective projects by extending the understanding and application of metagenomics to diverse communities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination efforts included presentations at university and college faculty meetings, seminars and workshops presented by the project, emails announcements of events and opportunities to faculty and students. The project has continued to organize resources and gather help for improved dissemination efforts, including incursion on the revamped college website, and collaboration from academic departments in communications and design. Scientific presentations have disseminated the project among the scientific community, including students and faculty forums, the bioprospecting working group at the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust where the PD is member. In summer 2020, a magazine began to be produced (in collaboration with PRIMER-MSEIP grant P120A160097 and USDA-NIFA-HSIP grant 2015-38422-24076). There is need to recruit student assistance to expand their training as they help in the development of dissemination pieces for conventional and social media to the target populations and the general audiences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?As pandemic COVID-19 decreased our programmatic performance, we aim to resume activities as normal as possible planning for remote /online events and expanding our research team. The expected outcomes will be addressed as follows. Four Workshops (quarterly) in advanced technical topics, including DNA Barcoding, functional metagenomics, statistical tools, microbial kinetics, qPCR analyses, and bioprospecting assays. The undergraduate research experience model based on contract research organization in which diverse roles are assigned for skills development according to dedication and expertise. Schedules will be organized similar to the workplace and aligned to coursework. It will include students from the research course (BIOL365/366) The Graduate Scholar for Academic Technology Transfer will continue assisting the PD in course innovation and mentoring research experiences. The interdisciplinary and multi-institutional Scientific Advisory Board will be formally constituted to advance the training agenda on academic innovation and research formation towards elevated competencies and facilitating cooperation with other academic institutions. Scientific Dissemination of undergraduate research experiences will be encouraged in local forums (FEM, UAGM's Researcher Forums, and PRISM) to develop skills for national conferences (i.e., SACNAS, ABRCMS, ASM Microbe). The aim is for each student to present their own work on each local event, but science do not always work. The annual symposium Frontiers in Environmental Microbiology (FEM; March) seeks to advance understanding of modern microbial sciences from diverse points of view into innovation. The annual Induction Seminar (January and August) will state the scientific basis of the project's academic innovation to foster transition from natural sciences into agricultural applications. The annual Colloquium on Professional Development, by the campus Career and Placement Office, on strategies for success in the workplace to teach best practices and leadership skills (February and September). The annual Colloquium on Advanced Research Approaches in Agriculture (FEM, and September), in collaboration with the Scientific Advisory Board, will educate the general community on topics related to agricultural careers and research challenges aligned to this project agenda. The major microbiology track of four (4) courses will continue to be reviewed by Perez-Jimenez (PD), as originally proposed. It will be aligned to academic integration among several campuses.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? PRIMER Tropical Bioprospecting Venture Based on Forest Microbiology (PRIMER-TBV) pursues to enhance an alliance among various universities to increase the number, diversity and competencies of Hispanic undergraduate students entering agrisciences fields and strengthening the workforce based on microbial biotechnology theme by (i) developing workplace skills for agrisciences scientists in students through mentored discovery-based experiences (workshops and research); (ii) educating the academic community through the improvement of the major microbiology course track and the Colloquium on Advanced Research Approaches in Agriculture; and, (iii) developing leadership skills through workshops and research. A partnership among the PD, researchers, universities, and training consortia constitute a Scientific Advisory Board for the enactment of a discovery transformation pathway for student development translating into curricular innovation and advanced agricultural innovation. Objective #1: Advance Hispanic student development through discovery-based experiences. PRIMER-TBV has been mentoring undergraduate research in forest microbiology. This discovery-based model is developing skills related to fieldwork, regulated environment, detailed protocols, data analysis and dissemination. TBV is operating as a contract research organization emphasizing the assessment and domestication of microbial functions in the forest towards process understanding and entrepreneurship. Eight (8) undergraduate students (3/year awarded), at various levels of dedication, have took part in authentic research activities. A second tier of students (3-4) came from research course (BIOL 365 or similar) or similar grants with the PD (MSEIP award P120A160097 and USDA-NIFA-HSIP award 2015-38422-24076). Projects in microbiology are aligned to research collaborators (i.e., Rutgers University, PREC, DNALC-CSHL, NSF-LTER Luquillo); therefore, infrastructure and data outside laboratory settings will be available for use. Due to COVID-19 and local lockdown, the research team had occasional laboratory meetings to discuss outcomes and constraints, while developing research capabilities. Outcomes were shared at local, state, and national forums or similar events: local Researchers Forum 2020 (4 short talks and three posters), and ABRCMS 2019 (4 posters). The university reduced the workweek to four days since May 2020. On Fridays, the PD has been directly training the students within the research team. This extended training has come to replace the quarterly workshops to address research techniques suitable for extended training and peer-mentoring of another students when COVID-19 become under safer control. Still, protocols are being validated for transfer into course, including novel approaches for cultivation of anaerobic bacteria and biodegradation assays. The Frontiers for Environmental Microbiology (FEM) symposium was canceled due to COVID-19 lockdown on the day before. FEM had four (4) speakers, twenty-eight (28) posters and one-hundred twenty-three (123) participants. NIH PR-INBRE was sponsoring the participation of faculty and poster presenters. An outstanding graduate student, Ms. Karleen Gonzalez, was competitively recruited as scholar for academic technology transfer to collaborate with the PD in mentoring research experiences and translation of research into courses. Economies in graduate support allowed the recruitment of three (3) other graduate students for specific collaborations at minor dedication: mycology identification (Ms. Darianne Alvarez), teaching improvement of microbiology laboratory under remote modality (Ms. Waleska Vazquez, instructor) and biodegradation assays (Mr. Juan Acevedo). Research experiences are progressing more in experiential learning and troubleshooting than final results. Objective #2: Educate 400 Hispanic students in microbiological contributions to agrisciences in a 2-year period, to increase the number and diversity of students pursing related academic interest. Most college students pursue careers or post-secondary education without considering agrisciences as an alternative due to the perception of it being a low-income career within a rustic workplace. The proposed academic development pipeline is educating Hispanic undergraduate students in skills, knowledge, and opportunities within agrisciences using extracurricular events and major microbiology track courses. This project focuses on forest microbiology and places major emphasis on skills and tasks conducted by scientists throughout the nation from a tropical perspective. Extracurricular events have been hard to organized based on lockdown, social distancing, and major responsibilities imposed by the pandemic COVID-19. As discussed above, the annual symposium Frontiers in Environmental Microbiology was canceled on the day before when it was ready to proceed (4 speakers, 28 posters, and 123 participants). However, emphasis has been placed in contextualizing courses within the microbiology track to agrisciences contributions and aligning them to the remote modality and academic unification within the university. Courses impacted have been BIOL320 Microbiology (144; Spring, Summer and Fall 2020), BIOL320L Microbiology Laboratory (150; Spring, Summer and Fall 2020), BIOL 410 Introduction to Biotechnology (21, Fall 2020), and BIOL 460 Techniques in Biotechnology (13, Spring 2020).

    Publications

    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Serrano-Torres, B.; Lim, A.; Choudhury, A. and Pranoti, M. 2019. CCR10 contributes to alcohol induced liver injury. Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS). Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California, USA. November 13  16, 2019
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Serrano-Torres, B.; Lim, A.; Choudhury, A. and Pranoti, M. 2020. CCR10 contributes to alcohol induced liver injury. Fourth Interdisciplinary Research Symposium. San Juan Bautista School of Medicine, Caguas, Puerto Rico. February 20th, 2020.
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Carlos X. Medina Perez, Chandramouli Natarajan, Balaji Krishnan. 2019. PLD1 inhibition improves dendritic spine integrity in the 3XTg-AD mouse model of Alzheimers Disease. Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California, USA. November 13  16, 2019.
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Alexis P. Healion Del Valle and Jos� R. P�rez-Jim�nez. 2019. Isolation of putative-lignin deconstructing bacteria. Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California, USA. November 13  16, 2019.
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Glorymar Rivera-Gonz�lez, Karleen M. Gonz�lez-Rosario and Jos� R. P�rez-Jim�nez. 2019. Bacterial Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates in Different Environments in Puerto Rico. Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California, USA. November 13  16, 2019.