NSF Arecibo C3 Center bridges science and community in Puerto Rico

As technological innovation propels society into the future, it becomes increasingly important to make science accessible. Empowering individuals to understand the world around them fosters trust in science, sparks curiosity and promotes scientific literacy. It also helps put more people in the driver's seat to explore what matters to them and their community.

With this in mind, the new U.S. National Science Foundation Arecibo Center for Culturally Relevant and Inclusive Science Education, Computational Skills and Community Engagement (Arecibo C3 Center) is working to make science more accessible.

As the center prepares for its opening in 2025, a pilot phase is engaging local groups of students and educators. High school and college faculty participated in a workshop in which they learned how they can incorporate the latest generation of DNA sequencing technology into their classrooms, without the need for costly lab equipment.

Center built on legacy of outreach and opportunity

The NSF Arecibo C3 Center aims to bridge science across the STEM spectrum to empower people with computing and foster community around culturally relevant and inclusive values. The multidisciplinary educational center is being established at the site of the NSF Arecibo Observatory Historic District in Puerto Rico.

Building on the observatory's legacy, the center is focused on expanding collaborative education and research opportunities for educators and students in Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland. It will include a research laboratory and an interactive science center for exhibitions and educational outreach activities including science talks, hands-on field trips and public events.

In preparation for its opening, the center will be inviting small groups of local students and educators to test the center's activities and exhibits. The insights collected from this pilot phase will help shape the center's future. 

"Co-creation is crucial for our programs at NSF Arecibo C3. This pilot phase will help us understand the communities we aim to serve and honor the observatory's legacy. Our goal is to collaborate with Puerto Rico to revitalize this space for science and create a new landmark for global inspiration," said Jason Williams, NSF Arecibo C3 Center lead investigator, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

A summer of nanopore sequencing

The "Summer of Nanopore Sequencing 2024" workshop invited high school and college faculty to learn about nanopore DNA sequencing and be trained in how to use this technology to study samples in their classrooms.

Nanopore DNA sequencing is one of the latest advancements in genetic technology. It involves reading the code of a single DNA strand as it is pulled through extremely tiny nanopores in a membrane. Each nanopore corresponds to its own electrode connected to a channel and sensor chip, which measures the electric current that flows through the nanopore. When a molecule passes through a nanopore, the current is disrupted to produce a characteristic "squiggle." This squiggle is then decoded using algorithms to determine the DNA sequence in real time.

A major advantage of this technology is the ability to produce much longer reads of the DNA sequence compared to previous generations. This enables the analysis of complex DNA regions and provides a more detailed understanding of the molecular structure.

Putting science in the hands of educators

Workshop attendees had the opportunity to learn about this DNA sequencing technique using samples from various plants, animals and insects native to Puerto Rico. The DNA of these samples was analyzed using a miniature sequencing device developed by Oxford Nanopore. The MinION, roughly the size of a cell phone, is designed to be both affordable and transportable. In partnership with the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DNA Learning Center, the MinION is now being brought into the classroom.

With the MinION, the workshop aimed to empower educators with the ability to turn their classrooms into personal genome sequencing labs, regardless of location or access to equipment. This was particularly important as many attendees were educators located in rural areas across Puerto Rico.

"The isolated space provides an uninterrupted focus to the workshop that I don't think would have been possible anywhere else. It allowed me to concentrate on what was being taught in the workshop and learning as much as possible about nanopore sequencing," said one participant in response to a survey about the experience.

During the remainder of the pilot phase, the center will collaborate with students and educators to trial other programming, including workshops on molecular biology, genomics, astronomy, climate change and biodiversity. Plans also include redeveloping exhibition spaces to celebrate the site's history and reflect the diversity of STEM opportunities that will be developed moving forward.