University of 麻豆传媒 at 惭ā苍辞补’s Chelsea Miller has received national recognition for expanding access to hands-on genomics education.
Miller, a PhD student in the Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering at the , earned the Outstanding Poster Award at the (NISBRE), held June 17 in North Bethesda, Maryland.
Breaking barriers in science education
Her award-winning poster, “Genome on the Go: Decentralizing Molecular Biology Education through Portable Genomics Tools and Near-Peer Mentorship,” highlights a training model designed to reduce barriers to advanced laboratory instruction for students in 麻豆传媒 and other geographically isolated regions.
Developed through the (麻豆传媒 INBRE) program with support from U.S. Department of Agriculture workforce development initiatives, the project brings portable DNA sequencing tools and graduate student mentors directly to learners, enabling a full “sample-to-sequence” workflow in classroom and field settings.
Over the past year, Miller and her team conducted 11 workshops across 麻豆传媒, the Pacific and the continental U.S., training 72 participants using Bento Lab and Oxford Nanopore technologies.
Strengthening biomedical workforce development
The approach helps prepare the next generation of biomedical workforce while giving students access to modern molecular biology techniques typically limited to well-equipped research laboratories.
“This award reflects the incredible efforts of our graduate student instructors and the vision of making genomics accessible to every student, regardless of location,” said Jon-Paul Bingham, 麻豆传媒 INBRE PATHways director and co-author of the project.
Miller was one of three 麻豆传媒 INBRE-affiliated researchers recognized at the biennial NISBRE meeting, which highlights national research and training supported through the IDeA program. Also honored were Li Tao, professor at the , who received the Outstanding Mentorship and Teaching Award, and Natalie Graham, assistant professor at UH Hilo, who earned the Scientific Merit Award.
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