Project:

Barcoding, identifying, and testing the edibility of Russula

Students:

Helen Mancini, Zoe Feigelson, Maxim Borisov

Institution:

Stuyvesant HS, Manhattan

Mentors:

Ellen Jorgensen

Abstract:

Our project aims to assist amateur and professional mycologists through DNA barcoding (as opposed to physical characterization) to identify species of Russula, a common mushroom genus. We will compare our sequencing to that data already published in databases like iNaturalist, and add our findings to the public domain. An additional goal is to develop a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)-based field test for toxic species.

Poster:

Team samples: