“Alpha, Delta, Omicron- Oh My! A SARSCoV2 Genome Alignment Activity to Understand Mutations and COVID” was the creative title of the ASMCUE 2022 microbrew session I watched tonight. J. Jordan Steel, an Associate Professor at the US Air Force Academy, was the presenter and shared COVID sequences as handouts for the session. Interestingly, I think this is the first COVID session I watch! Steel is located in Colorado Springs, CO. Steel developed this activity for a 300-level microbial diversity course for sophomores and junior biology majors. The activity has been modified for STEM outreach and high school students. Steel explained that the learning objectives are to compare viral variants and mutants. This is a seven part activity, and Steel published the first part in JMBE. Participants work with the bat SARS CoV2 virus sequence and find gaps to identify mutations. Sequences are analyzed entirely online using NCBI and GenBank tools. Steel shared data from the JMBE publication that emphasized how well-received it was. Thus, Steel built on the activity by having participants watch videos to learn about mutations. This activity is a paper-based activity and learners use sequences. Steel modified an HHMI BioInteractive activity on mutations in the Ebola virus. The third part of the series of activities focuses on analyzing and identifying variants to learn about the history. Part four introduces the 3D model of the spike protein. Other parts are adaptations to include molecular models. Steel shared a QR code and link to the activities and keys. Heather Townsend was the moderator and shared several questions from the audience. One question addressed an issue/aspect we encountered: that the databases are continuously being updated and results can change. Another question was whether the more biochemistry-focused part was challenging for some learners. Steel hasn’t used some 3D models in courses and provided what I thought was an eloquent response about the advantages of web-based activities. Steel does all seven parts in two full sessions. This was a quick overview of a really nice “build-out” of a SARS CoV2 activity.
