WA Bug Barcode Blitz: A Two-Way Citizen Science Adventure in Regional WA
This National Science Week we’re taking our science to regional WA in an exciting citizen science project that sees participants collecting, cataloguing and DNA barcoding bugs from across the state! In the spirit of this year’s theme “Saving species – it’s not all about sustainability”, we are sending the message … We have to name them, before we can save them! We use DNA barcoding like a high tech detective tool for nature.
Pauline Charman will be running the virtual 4 hour science lesson online from Murdoch University on Wednesday 14 and Saturday 17 August, with the help of Science Ambassadors Charlize Kazmer and Jeremy Beerkens and guest scientists from the Harry Butler Institute – the arachnologist, Professor Volker Framenau and entomologist, Associate Professor Robert Emery. All equipment, reagents and instructions will be sent to participants before the day, enabling them to authentically process 8 insect or spider samples. The samples will then be sent to Perth for genetic sequencing. Who knows, they may even find a new species! For nearly all participants it will be a unique opportunity to be DNA scientists for the day.
Remote communities as far away as Kalumbaru, Looma along with Leonora and Albany will have the opportunity to share Indigenous knowledge of the invertebrates collected on country while trying out the high tech tools involved in the molecular identification of their samples during the live streamed presentation. After all the samples are sequenced in Perth, there will be an additional one hour webinar a week later to reveal the results to participants and show them how to navigate the online data bases that store this vital genetic data so crucial to the future of our species.
If you’d like to join us, check out the details on the National Science Week website!
This event would not be possible without the generous funding from the WA Inspiring Australia grant program for National Science Week, with additional sponsorship from the Harry Butler Institute providing live streaming support and a video of the process, the Australian Genome Research Facility (AGRF) who are genetically sequencing the samples, Promega Australia who have provided reagents and local business Fisher Biotec who have provided lab consumables.