Genomics in the jungle: using portable sequencing as a teaching tool in field courses

Genetic research is a rapidly evolving field of study that is increasingly being utilized as a tool for wildlife conservation. However, researchers and science educators in remote areas can often find it difficult to access the latest genetic technologies, often due to a combination of high costs, bulky equipment, and lack of infrastructure. Recent technological innovations are resulting in portable, low-cost instruments that enable next-generation sequencing in remote environments, offering new opportunities to generate a more widespread network of trained conservation scientists, particularly within regions of high biodiversity. What is currently lacking are formalized educational efforts to teach participants in biodiverse areas with hands-on training in molecular biology and real-time DNA sequencing techniques. To address this challenge, we report the design and summarized feedback/outcomes of a conservation genetics field course, called ‘Genomics in the Jungle’, that took place at a field research station in the Amazon rainforest of southeastern Peru. The program was established by a small US-based NGO, Field Projects International, and facilitated by a local eco-tourism company in Peru, Inkaterra. We utilized portable sequencing technologies from Oxford Nanopore Technologies, and in-kind support from the manufacturers MiniPCR, MiniOne Systems, Promega, and New England Biolabs. Participants included a mix of non-Peruvian students and local/regional students, some of which had no prior exposure to a genetics laboratory. Overall, we maintain that portable sequencing technology is democratizing scientific research and conservation efforts, and is a major step forward for science educators and conservationists.

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