Urban Barcode Research Project Team The MetaSUBbers
Program:
Urban Barcode Research Project
Year:
2021-22
Research Topic:
Biodiversity & trade
Taxonomic Group Studied:
Multiple - enter below

Project:

Elucidating the metagenomic diversity of and across New York City subway stations
Students:
Alexa Rosenberg, Pierce Haider
Institution:
Hunter College High School, Manhattan
Mentors:
Jonathan Foox

Abstract:

Metagenomics provide important foundational information about the composition of natural and built environments. The NYC subway is one of the most densely used urban environments in the world, and mapping its biodiversity is essential for building an “atlas,” monitoring public health, and discovery and tracking of emergent pathogens. We aim to build upon previous work done in the MetaSUB study by swabbing and profiling NYC subway stations. We hypothesize that terminal stations will represent diverse ethnic compositions, and that transfer stations will reveal high genetic diversity. We will classify the taxonomic identity of all species present on swabs, characterize biodiversity across longitudinal timepoints, and look for the presence of antimicrobial gene pathways. We aim to determine demography and potential socioeconomic correlations of riders of each station, differences in genetic diversity between stations, and the consistency of metagenomic profiles over time.

Poster:

DNA Barcoding Poster
View team poster (PDF/PowerPoint)

Team samples: