Development of the EdvoReader: a Quantitative PCR and Colorimetry Instrument for Laboratory Skills Training

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Project Summary The modern world needs a workforce capable of collecting data, understanding quantitative analysis, and using that knowledge to make informed decisions. These skills play a role in many careers, including those in science, but are also vital in navigating daily life. Students gain proficiency in these techniques through education in science, technology, engineering, and math (or STEM). Despite this push, and over $200 million per year in funding from the U.S. Department of Education, high school and undergraduate instructors struggle to incorporate quantitative concepts into their curriculum. Teachers face multiple barriers to success, including a lack of resources, equipment, expertise, and time. This proposal addresses these deficiencies through the creation of equipment and experiments that bring quantitative research to the teaching laboratory. The instrumentation needed for quantitative experiments is often too expensive, bulky, fragile, or complicated for use in an educational environment. Therefore, we aim to develop a simple new device that allows students to explore a large array of quantitative biology techniques in the lab. This device, called the “EdvoReader”, will be designed using recent advances in LED and optical detection electronics. The EdvoReader will be designed specifically for educational use and will be capable of both colorimetry and real-time PCR analysis, exposing students to a range of diverse biological measurements. Importantly, by building this instrument from the ground up, the EdvoReader can incorporate the features most requested by educators while minimizing costs. The instrument will be validated using existing assays and compared to current equipment to ensure that it is capable of reproducible measurements. During Phase I a collection of robust, classroom safe experiments will be adapted from authentic EPA water quality testing for bacteria, iron, and lead contamination. These assays are used worldwide for environmental monitoring, allowing us to validate the equipment using known standards and lay the groundwork for the commercialization of the EdvoReader platform. Without the EdvoReader these real-world quantitative experiments would require multiple expensive pieces of equipment. Importantly, the experiments have broad appeal, making them ideal for biotechnology, biology, and environmental science classes. An advisory board of high school teachers, university instructors, and non-profit educators has been recruited to support the development of the EdvoReader and a citizen science curriculum. This will guide our work with students, which will begin in Phase II. By combining a classroom-focused instrument with dedicated experiments, the EdvoReader platform will provide educators with an inexpensive and accessible pathway to instruct cutting-edge biotechnology. In turn, students will gain valuable hands-on training in real-world, relevant quantitative techniques and an understanding of STEM analysis that is underutilized in classroom laboratories.