Gananda AP Bio Class Discovers New Species!
Being part of an AP Biology class that partners with one of the largest research universities in the region? Amazing. Your research resulting in discovering a new species—and earning the rare privilege of naming it themselves? A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Gananda highschoolers!
The discovery was made as part of their Metagenomics Education Partnership research project, which is funded by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), seeks to build understanding of best practices contributing to student motivation and participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at the high school level. This project in Mrs. Peterson’s class was in collaboration with researchers at the University of Buffalo, and looked at bacterial species living in the Channing Philbrick Park waterway in Penfield. UB Professors Dr. Sandra Small and Dr. Stephen Koury helped the students sample the DNA of bacterial species living in the waterway. The students collected the water samples and performed some environmental data at the collections site. The water was then filtered at UB and the filtered bacteria grown on a petri dish. Upon inspection of the plate, one organism didn’t match any they’d seen in the existing database. After weeks of careful documentation and genetic sequencing, it was confirmed that the class had found a unique genetic variant to a previously discovered species! The variant is 81% similar to an existing bacteria Bacillus mycoides, but due to the 19% difference the bacteria discovered by our Gananda students can be considered a new species.
In recognition of their find, students are currently awaiting further steps from the University of Buffalo on how to legally name this new variant. For now, they are calling the bacteria “Amactocaege,” using a letter from each of their first names as the name of their newly identified species.
Regardless of their future educational journeys, whether it be continuing in the scientific field or not, these ten will always be linked to this amazing discovery. Congratulations!
#GanandaProud
