1.  Prince Edward County Environmental Molecular Biology Institute (PECEMBI):
A Project of the Hampden-Sydney College ASBMB Student Chapter
Jason R. Halmo and Michael J. Wolyniak
Hampden-Sydney College. Hampden-Sydney, VA 23943
Abstract
Future Directions
-collaborative projects across
STEM disciplines.
-more work with high school
students on the Hampden-Sydney
campus.
-develop partnerships with
additional local high schools.
Exploration of the Hops Microbiome:
An 8-10 week experiment
Introduction to Hops
-Why are these plants important?
-How do microbes affect the way that hops grow?
Swab of leaves/culture microbes
-How can we identify the microbes that we find on the hops leaves?
-Microscopy to identify morphology
-Bacteria or Fungus?
-Design and run your own experiment
Molecular Identification
-PCR of 16srRNA gene
-Gel Electrophoresis
-Sequencing( in conjunction with Longwood University)
-Bioinformatics (BLAST searches)
Symposium (Poster Presentation)
With financial support from the ASBMB and Dominion Virginia Power, Inc., the ASBMB student chapter of Hampden-Sydney College launched the Prince Edward Chemistry and Environmental Molecular Biology Institute (PECEMBI), an outreach program connecting the chapter with the students of Prince Edward County High School, Virginia.  Prince Edward Country is a rural, underserved school system in central Virginia with a significant population of students from groups traditionally underrepresented in the STEM disciplines.  In the fall semester, ASBMB chapter members visited the high school each week and worked with biology and chemistry students on a long-term project that explored the microbiome of hop plants.  The spring semester featured the high school students visiting Hampden-Sydney each week to work side-by-side with ASBMB chapter members on research projects involving instrumentation not available at the high school. The program gives students insight into how college level research is done and how to respond to peer criticism.  It is PECEMBI's goal to supplement the scientific educations of the high school student's in Hampden-Sydney's backyard and better prepare them for potential careers in science.  
The PECEMBI Initiative
PECEMBI faculty and students work with the K-12 student population of Prince Edward County through development of long-term educational outreach activities. The long-term legacy of well-known school integration resistance in the 1950s and 1960s in Prince Edward County can be seen today in the continued struggles of the public school system to provide an adequate education to its students. Like many schools in the rural South, the Prince Edward County district consists of a majority of students from groups traditionally underrepresented in the STEM disciplines and is underserved relative to its wealthier and more urban peers with respect to educational resources, especially with respect to scientific infrastructure and supplies. Thus, PECEMBI represents an exciting opportunity to serve the community and to develop a stronger working relationship with the underserved school system in Hampden- Sydney’s backyard. 
Acknowledgements
-ASBMB Outreach Committee
-Dominion Virginia Power
-Hampden-Sydney College Chemistry
Club
-Dr. Amorette Barber, Longwood
University
Contact Information
-Michael Wolyniak
-Jason Halmo