Myco-Ed: A National Platform Bringing Fungal Genomics to the Future Biomedical Workforce

About This Grant

Title: Myco-Ed: A National Platform Bringing Fungal Genomics to the Future Biomedical Workforce Project Summary Fungi represent an underexplored frontier in biomedical science research. They are rich in natural products that have - and will continue to have - a tremendous impact on the pharmaceutical industry, yet only a tiny fraction of these products has been characterized. At the same time, fungi are emerging pathogens, capable of causing devastating diseases, particularly in immunocompromised individuals, such as Aspergillosis, Mucormycosis, Cryptococcosis, etc. However, fungi have largely been left out of the biomedical science field due to a lack of exposure and training of researchers, both at the undergraduate level and society at large. Similarly, addressing major biomedical challenges is increasingly coming to rely on analysis of massive, multi-omics datasets, both using artificial intelligence and traditional methods, yet student training opportunities for these techniques remain incredibly rare. For a successful, mycologically-literate future biomedical workforce, freely available and widely accessible resources are needed that can expose a large audience to these concepts. To this end, we propose the use of the Mycological Curriculum for Education and Discovery (Myco-Ed) program to expand access to hand-on fungal and genomics research and skills training for biomedical science undergraduate students and instructors across the U.S. Myco-Ed was first developed to engage students in a nation-wide effort to isolate, sequence, phenotype, and explore the genomes of diverse fungi through a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE). The CURE curriculum has been piloted by instructional mycologists in 15 classrooms across 12 institutions ranging from online e-campuses to R1 universities, reaching hundreds of students across the country, and our assessment of this pilot shows initial success. To expand Myco-Ed to educate the future biomedical community, we propose expanding the CURE curriculum to include a biomedical science focus, developing a non-mycologist instructor training program on how to implement the CURE, and building educational and skill building support resources. The program will serve undergraduate students, including those from institutions with limited research infrastructure, and instructors, specifically those with little mycology background, in biomedical science programs nationwide. Strategies will include expanding the Myco- Ed CURE to focus on biomedically important fungi, developing, and delivering instructor training through years- long mentorship, and providing open-access resources and AI-powered support via a Myco-Ed web portal. Our goal is to recruit and train 20 new instructors and engage at least 600 undergraduate students in authentic fungal genomics research. Our program will increase participant (instructor and student) knowledge and skills in fungal biology and genomics, generate new genomic and phenotypic data on fungi, and disseminate resources and findings nationally. The program will be evaluated through external assessment of learning gains and program impact. We will ensure the success and adaptability of our biomedical science-focused program in broad teaching environments through assessment of student learning gains and external evaluation. By broadening and expanding the existing Myco-Ed program to include biomedical science content and educational activities, we expect to significantly expand fungal and genomics skills training opportunities for students and instructors across the nation, contribute to the next generation of biomedical workers, and compile large amounts of information on understudied fungi with biomedical relevance.