Written by Lucy Robinson, Jade Cawthray and Anne Jungblut
The Natural History Museum’s latest citizen science project is now live and the Museum is inviting 250 schools and colleges across the UK to collaborate with them on this exciting research project. Slightly different to previous Museum citizen science projects, The Microverse project takes biological recording to a microscopic scale.
Supporting Dr Anne Jungblut’s research, The Microverse focusses on the microorganisms living in the built environment. Students will gather samples of microorganisms from a building near them, and record a range of environmental variables. They submit these data with their samples to the Museum for next generation DNA sequencing. Once sequenced, students receive their results back for analysis in the classroom.
The project is free for secondary schools and colleges in the UK, and all participants will receive a pack containing all the specialist equipment they will need plus supporting resources for teachers. Ideally suited for A-level biology classes or equivalent, students will learn about microorganisms, DNA sequencing and the scientific process while contributing data to real research. Their samples will also be stored for future use in the Museum’s Molecular Collections Facility, becoming part of the Museum’s collections.
If you know of schools that might like to take part, they can register online or email microverse@nhm.ac.uk.