Rowan undergraduates make novel contributions to research in biological sciences

In one semester, freshman neuroscience major Evelyn Buonamici went from having never heard of bacteriophages to contributing to global scientific knowledge of this large, abundant—and important—group of viruses through hands-on research.

“Our class’s work with bacteriophages progresses the scientific world by expanding the understanding of phages and advancing the applications they can have, including in our environment, medical therapy and food safety,” Buonamici said. 

Buonamici was one of 15 students enrolled in Rowan University’s first Honors Foundations in Biology for Biomedical Sciences (FBBS I) Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) course in fall 2024.

Established in 2008, the SEA-PHAGES program, jointly administered by Graham Hatfull's lab at the University of Pittsburgh and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)'s Science Education Alliance, involves more than 150 colleges and universities. With its acceptance as a SEA-PHAGES institution, Rowan University became the second institution in New Jersey to be part of the program, which provides authentic research opportunities for students while directly advancing the field of science.

“Studying phages is super important,” said Marina Bogush, Ph.D., HHMI SEA-PHAGES program coordinator at Rowan University. Phages are naturally occurring viruses that exclusively infect bacteria and single-celled microbes called archaea. Noting their utility in areas like food safety and the treatment of infections, she said, “The contributions our students make through the SEA-PHAGES course benefit both current scientists and future researchers by providing tools for medical breakthroughs.” 

For students, the immediate benefit of the SEA-PHAGES course lies in the opportunity to experience authentic research. Like professional researchers, students in the SEA-PHAGES course don’t know what they’re going to discover. 

As they learned about molecular genetics and gene inheritance, students enrolled in the fall course collected soil samples and, under Bogush’s guidance, isolated, identified and characterized the bacteriophages these specimens contained. Students’ work yielded eight previously undiscovered bacteriophages, which they named, archived and entered into the Actinobacteriophage Database.

“The SEA-PHAGES program offers a valuable opportunity for students to learn how to conduct research and to contribute to scientific discoveries,” said Bogush. “The focus on phage discovery motivates students, encouraging them to learn quickly and helping them build confidence.”

As her first exposure to research, Buonamici found the SEA-PHAGES course rewarding as well as challenging.

“I never imagined that each class would be filled with hands-on experiments,” she said. “The entire class has been working hard throughout this project to get to where we are today.”

Buonamici and her classmates are furthering their knowledge of phage genomics and bioinformatics in Honors FBBS II SEA-PHAGES, the second half of the two-semester lecture and laboratory program. Over the spring semester, they will analyze and investigate the complexes of cellular life as they annotate phage genomes. The students plan to present their project at the 2025 SEA Symposium in April and publish their novel findings in a peer-reviewed journal.

For honors students interested in taking the fall 2025 SEA-PHAGES course, the most important requirements are “an interest in discovery science and a determination to contribute to the scientific community,” Bogush said.