Project:

Using DNA Barcoding to identify species of local ants collected at West Babylon Senior High School, Long Island NY

Students:

Dahiana Horna, Janelle Wheeler-Benbadri, Sophia Chen, Madeline Siena

School:

West Babylon Senior High School, Suffolk

Mentors:

Andrea Durbin

Abstract:

We are trying to identify the species of ants that exist in our courtyard. Though we will try to do so just by looking at them and using a key, it is very difficult to identify ants using just your eyes. By extracting the DNA, we will be able to compare their DNA with known ants and see if we can find a match. The reason we are barcoding the DNA of the ants in our courtyard is because we are looking for a new type of ant species that we could have discovered. In order for us to possibly discover a new type of ant species we need to take the samples of the ants in our courtyard and extract their DNA, purify it and conduct PCR on a specific gene that will help us identify the species of the ant. Once we find the species of the ants we had tested we’ll run gel electrophoresis and send the DNA up to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. We will most likely expect to find some of the more common types of ants, but on the off chance that we could discover a new species it could unlock another doo

Poster:

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