High school - university partnerships support advanced STEM research methods in exploring local and global ecosystem health through the study of bee microbiome

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Tallisker L. H. Weiss, Grace Church School, New York, NY, Allison Mayle and Bruce Nash, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Alison Cucco, Grace Church School, Dana M. Bevilacqua, Psychology, New York University, New York, NY

Background/Question/Methods
Younger environmental advocates are increasingly rising to the forefront of efforts to address ecological sustainability and health. New techniques to train young scientists should invest in preparing them for their professional endeavors earlier. Creating partnerships between university research labs and high schools for hands-on training is an accessible outreach approach that can also support under-resourced schools, encouraging underrepresented groups to pursue STEM. Here, we present a research project from one high school student in collaboration with external institutions-- NYU and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory-- to demonstrate the questions, opportunities, and research methods that can be addressed through dynamic multi-level educational approaches.
The first research question explored is how honey samples from the NYC area compare and reflect the microbiome of locales. The microbial DNA that bees incorporated into their honey was extracted and sequenced. Findings from this study have supported the current follow-up study investigating how bees’ microbiomes vary across ecosystems and whether honey can serve as a “biomarker” for local ecosystem health and agricultural practices. Specifically, this study seeks to explore the impact of pesticides and biopesticides, whose use and regulations vary internationally, as a leading contributor to the decline of bee populations and Colony Collapse Disorder.

Results/Conclusions
In Study 1, samples from the NYC (city), Westchester County (non-city), and commercial sources (non-city) identified 278 unique DNA sequences. These included: actinobacteria, Methylobacterium, firmicutes, Streptococcaceae gordonii, Lactobacillus, and cyanobacteria, Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus epidermidis. These microorganisms, incorporated into bees’ hives, show what they, and by extension people, come in contact with that may be harmful. Each sample was distinct with wide microbe variety per location though differences were not greater in city versus non-city samples. Exploratory taxonomic plots show that DNA sequenced from one sample revealed 11.38% of cyanobacteria (other samples yielded ranges from 1.35% to 3.5%). Cyanobacteria not only negatively impacts bee health but has also been found to influence people living in proximity to high concentrations who are more likely to develop ALS. Study 2 aims to extend comparisons to more diverse international ecosystem samples to explore the impact of environmental factors on various bee microbe taxonomies. Here, we capitalize on high school and university collaborations to create an exchange of mentorship and resources that encourages young trainees to hone questions earlier in their professional endeavors. This effort aims to encourage a more diverse and inclusive representation of scientists in the STEM fields moving forward.