Established in 2008, the Science Education Alliance (SEA) supports a vibrant and growing community of STEM faculty from 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities to adopt, collaborate, and sustainably implement course-based research — a form of science pedagogy that enhances student learning and persistence in science.

Each year, hundreds of STEM faculty from over 150 institutions engage more than 5,500 undergraduate students in SEA research projects. These SEA scientists conduct research that explores the remarkable bacteriophage population, one of the most discovery-rich systems on our planet, and one with wide-reaching implications for ecology, biotechnology, and human health.  

SEA projects offer STEM faculty rich educational settings to center mentorship in the undergraduate curriculum and to integrate their students in the research ecosystem, promoting students' learning and persistence in science (Heller et al., 2024; Jordan et al., 2014external link, opens in a new tab; Hanauer et al., 2017external link, opens in a new tab).  SEA also fosters a collaborative faculty community of practice through regular meetings and an annual research symposium.

SEA accepts applications from new institutions on an ongoing basis. Apply by October 31 to begin offering the program in the next academic year.

Community colleges interested in starting a SEA-PHAGES program may qualify for NSF support for implementation. For more details, visit the NSF websiteexternal link, opens in a new tab. The SEA team welcomes all inquiries at [email protected]. 

 

All HHMI programs

The SEA Projects

The Science Education Alliance is an Inclusive Research-Education Community (iREC) committed to supporting STEM faculty to adopt and sustainably implement course-based research at their institutions — regardless of their prior research experiences or institutional research capacities — and promoting broad inclusion in undergraduate research.

SEA currently offers two course-based research experiences for undergraduates: SEA-PHAGES and SEA-GENES. HHMI supports the implementation of these research projects in place of traditional lab curricula through faculty training, negotiating discounts and donations, and covering some administrative costs. Both projects provide undergraduate students with an authentic research experience that enables them to gain a sense of ownership of the scientific problem and of the discoveries made. Students and faculty have opportunities to present at scientific meetings and publish original researchexternal link, opens in a new tab about their findings.

SEA-PHAGES

Science Education Alliance - Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) 

Jointly administered by HHMI, Graham Hatfull at the University of Pittsburgh, and Steve Cresawnexternal link, opens in a new tab at James Madison University, SEA-PHAGES is a discovery-based research project aimed at undergraduate students who are new to college-level science and have little to no research experience. The research goal of the PHAGES project, which spans two academic terms, is to uncover the genetic variety among bacteriophages and explore the evolution of the bacteriophage population. At many schools, the PHAGES curriculum replaces the standard introductory biology laboratory course sequence.

In the first term, students isolate, purify, and amplify bacteriophages from environmental soil samples and get to name their discovered phageexternal link, opens in a new tab (examples include: Joleneexternal link, opens in a new tab and PhrostedPhlakeexternal link, opens in a new tab). SEA provides whole-genome sequencing of two phages per section, and in the second term, students work collaboratively to annotate these phage genomes, submitting them to the national database, GenBankexternal link, opens in a new tab.

Some of the phages discovered through the PHAGES project have already been deployed therapeutically to treat life-threatening Mycobacterium infectionsexternal link, opens in a new tab. 

What SEA-PHAGES Offers Undergraduate Students:

Foundational Concepts
  • Microbiology
  • Molecular biology
  • Bioinformatics
  • Comparative genomics and evolution
Scientific Methods
  • Aseptic technique
  • Electron microscopy
  • DNA sequencing
  • Comparative genomic analysis
  • Functional genomic analysis
  • Genome annotation
Critical Thinking Skills
  • Data analysis and interpretation
  • Experimental design
  • Reading and analysis of primary literature
  • Understanding applications of mathematical modeling in problem solving
Professional Development
  • Effective presentation of research
  • Networking with other SEA participants
  • Dissemination of research findings including co-authorship on peer-reviewed publications and
  • Submissions to genomic databases 
Career Readiness
  • Practical laboratory skills and experiences to prepare students for transfer, upper-level coursework, independent research, and for graduate schools
  • Cutting-edge bioscience skills that prepare students for the workplace

SEA-GENES

Science Education Alliance - Gene-function Exploration by a Network of Emerging Scientists (SEA-GENES)

For 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities implementing the SEA-PHAGES project, the SEA-GENES project, launched in 2019, provides the opportunity to extend PHAGES research with 1-2 additional terms of course-based research. GENES is meant for mid- to upper-level undergraduates, replacing traditional lab curricula in Genetics, Molecular Biology, or Microbiology courses.

The GENES project aims to functionally investigate the large variety of phage-encoded genes discovered in the PHAGES project. STEM faculty at a growing subset of SEA institutions lead students to build phage gene libraries and screen these libraries in bacteria to elucidate phage gene functions. This project provides students with foundational skills in molecular cloning, genetics, and microbiology as well as additional experience with the process of science, critical thinking, and professional development.

Currently, only SEA institutions offering the PHAGES project are eligible to apply for SEA-GENES.

Inside the SEA Projects

More than 150 institutions are currently participating in the SEA-PHAGES and SEA-GENES projects. Faculty from these schools are invited to an annual meeting held at HHMI headquarters in Chevy Chase, Md. 

From the Labs

2024 Faculty Meeting

50,000+

students engaged in research since 2018external link, opens in a new tab

150+

active participating institutionsexternal link, opens in a new tab

23,000+

new bacteriophages isolatedexternal link, opens in a new tab

4,500+

bacteriophages fully sequenced and annotatedexternal link, opens in a new tab