Garrett Darden

Biology 1106-Section 25

Dr. Adair

3/29/2019

CILI-CURE Lab #10: Next Generation Sequencing and Metabarcoding

Objective: The objective lab this week was to finish fixing our respective posters based on the corrections given during last weeks lab. The other objective was to begin learning exactly how the metabarcoding process will be performed and to make an account with CyVerse.

Purpose: The purpose of this lab was to have us finish our posters and get used to making adequate adjustments based on prior suggestions/criticisms. The secondary purpose was for us to get used and set up our account with CyVerse so that we can access its programs and software in future labs.

Materials:

1. Computer with Internet Connection
2. Copy of Poster
3. Access to CyVerse System
4. Editing Software in Order to Finish Corrections
5. Metabarcoding Procedure Flashcards

Procedure:

1. Adjust the copy of the rough draft poster in order to incorporate all suggestions and to fix all criticisms from prior weeks in the editing software.
2. Click on the CyVerse link in the modules section and sign up for an account using your instiution email, and be sure to write down the username and password for future reference.
3. Edit the shared spreadsheet in order to include your username, so that your instructor can give everyone permission to access the Atmosphere program, the program that will be used in order to analyze the DNA samples.
4. Read up on the metabarcoding process from either wikipedia or from the powerpoint this week, and order the flashcards in order of sequential events.
5. Read up on the Atmosphere program and familiarize yourself with CyVerse, its interface, and the available programs so that you will be prepared in future labs.

Results/Data:

The main criticism that was levied against my group’s poster was that it was way too wordy and detailed with few pictures that showed our process and general information. We also had some other minor errors in titling, wording of phrases, and with the figures as well, like a lack of a figure representing the soil texture assay. After receiving these criticisms we drastically redid multiple sections like the methodology and the conclusion, and we added in some new pictures that we can use to explain our research without the need for extra verbiage on the poster. We also reworded our image descriptions in order to make them shorter and more concise with less extraneous information cluttering those sections. As a last addition we also incorporated that pie chart for the soil texture assay and made the words bigger and the colors more pleasing to the eye.

Conclusion: In conclusion I believe that my group and I were able to incorporate/address all of the suggestions/criticisms into the final draft of the poster, and while it is only our first one I am very proud of the final product. I also was able to grasp the overlying, as well as some of the specifics, of the metabarcoding procedure which will definitely make the next several weeks in lab a lot easier from an understanding viewpoint.

Future Goals: In future labs I want to be able to more deeply understand the entire metabqrcoding process as well as the future procedures we will be using as this lab begins to come to a close. I also want to work on becoming familiar with the CyVerse interface so that I can efficiently use the program in this class and in future labs that may use this program.