SEA-PHAGES Students Discover and Analyze Bacteriophages, Advancing Biomedical Research

First-year biology students at Baylor University are making significant strides in biomedical research through the prestigious Science Education Alliance-Phages (SEA-PHAGES) program, an initiative supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Their real-world research contributions have the potential to advance the scientific understanding of bacteriophages – viruses that infect and kill bacteria – and their role in combating antibiotic-resistant infections.

Now Baylor SEA-PHAGES students can call themselves published authors. The 2023-2024 and 2022-2023 students’ work has culminated in an article published Feb. 3 in Microbiology Resource Announcements, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology, that showcases the sequencing and analysis of two bacteriophages named WildWest and Sue2. The publication process was entirely student-led, encompassing the isolation of phages, genome sequencing and annotation, and the collaborative drafting and revising of the final research paper.

‘This is real research.’

The students work under the guidance of Tamarah L. Adair, Ph.D., senior lecturer in biology who is both the Director of Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CURES) in Biology and Director of Undergraduate Research in the Office of Engaged Learning. Baylor’s participation in the SEA-PHAGES initiative began in 2010, making it one of the first universities involved in this nationwide effort.

The program, which integrates hands-on research into the undergraduate curriculum, provides students with the opportunity to discover and analyze novel bacteriophages from local soil samples. Using bioinformatics tools, the students annotate genomes found in the soil samples and contribute data to a global database used by researchers.

“This is real research,” Adair said. “Our students are making meaningful contributions to the scientific community by discovering and sequencing bacteriophages, mapping their genomes and identifying potential applications in medicine and biotechnology.”

Baylor’s SEA-PHAGES program is highly competitive, accepting only 24 first-year students each year. The program is open to any student interested in scientific research. 

“Being a part of the SEA-PHAGES program under Dr. Adair's mentorship has opened up so many opportunities for me in the scientific community,” said Varsha Upadhyayulla, a bioinformatics major from Frisco, Texas, and a member of the 2023-2024 cohort. “Having the research that my classmates and I have done published is such a huge accomplishment and steppingstone into further research on bacteriophages.”

Commitment to undergraduate research

Through SEA-PHAGES, participants engage in a rigorous, research-intensive curriculum that sets them apart for future opportunities, including graduate school, medical research and competitive internships. For many students, this research is their first exposure to laboratory work, and it opens doors to careers they may have never considered.

“It is daunting to enter a research lab at first, but in the process of seeing projects through I am incredibly grateful and proud of the community we built within that class and seeing all that they continue to accomplish within the program," said Isabella Cloud, a biology major on the pre-med track from Prosper, Texas, and a member of the 2023-2024 SEA-PHAGES cohort.

Not surprisingly, U.S. News & World Report ranks Baylor among the nation’s top universities for its commitments to undergraduate research, providing opportunities, intensive and self-directed research or creative work, typically mentored by a faculty member, that results in an original scholarly paper or other product that can be formally presented on or off campus.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Tamarah L. Adair, Ph.D.

Tamarah L. Adair, Ph.D. senior lecturer in biology at Baylor University who is both the Director of Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CURES) in Biology and Director of Undergraduate Research in the Office of Engaged Learning.

Adair began her career in science as a medical laboratory technician and later worked as a technologist in hematology. After gaining valuable experience in the medical field, she moved to teaching, spending eight years as an educator in biology, chemistry, physics, reading and algebra. This experience in the classroom sparked a passion for teaching that led her to return to graduate school and pursue advanced studies.

She is passionate about developing inquiry-based curricula that incorporate research into undergraduate teaching labs. 

Isabella E. Cloud 

Isabella E. Cloud is a biology major on the pre-med track from Prosper, Texas. She is a member of the 2023-2024 cohort that discovered and identified the Sue2 phage. 

Varsha Upadhyayulla

Varsha Upadhyayulla is a bioinformatics major from Frisco, Texas. She is a member of the 2023-2024 cohort that discovered and identified the Sue2 phage. 

Ava N. Ortega

Ava N. Ortega is a biology major from San Antonio. She is a member of the 2023-2024 cohort that discovered and identified the Sue2 phage. 

Angelina M. Spencer

Angelina M. Spencer is a former Baylor student and biology major from Beaverton, Oregan. She is a member of the 2022-2023 cohort that discovered and identified the Wildwest phage.  

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu. 

ABOUT THE COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

The College of Arts & Sciences is Baylor University’s largest academic division, consisting of 25 academic departments in the sciences, humanities, fine arts and social sciences, as well as 11 academic centers and institutes. The more than 5,000 courses taught in the College span topics from art and theatre to religion, philosophy, sociology and the natural sciences. The College’s undergraduate Unified Core Curriculum, which routinely receives top grades in national assessments, emphasizes a liberal education characterized by critical thinking, communication, civic engagement and Christian commitment. Arts & Sciences faculty conduct research around the world, and research on the undergraduate and graduate level is prevalent throughout all disciplines. Visit the College of Arts & Sciences website.