Alumni of Graham Hatfull’s SEA-Phages Lab are still playing in the dirt even years after graduating. The SEA-Phages program, which stands for Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science program, is taught over the course of two semesters and was created by Hatfull under the Howard Hughes Medical Institute program.
During those two semesters, students are tasked with collecting soil samples, isolating phages, replicating the phages, and sequencing their DNA. They then focus on computational biology, utilizing the sequenced genome. Phages are naturally occurring viruses that infect and kill bacteria, and Hatfull and his students are studying them for their potential applications in antibacterial therapy, environmental remediation, and understanding microbial ecology.
Danny Jiang, a Dietrich School alumnus, says part of the appeal of studying phages is the ability to discover something novel: “The idea of discovering a bacteriophage and even having the chance to name it fascinated me, and I decided to pursue it further.”
Jiang was so inspired by his time in the program that he is now pursuing a PhD program at Drexel University.
“I truly believe this would not have been possible without the opportunity and experience I gained in the Hatfull Lab.”
Sadie Evanov, another alumnus, says that she was always interested in studying disease ecology, so taking the lab was a no-brainer. The hands-on experience helped her learn invaluable biology techniques and methods, which furthered her studies.
“It set me up really well to continue as a biology major because now I could go into these other biology labs and classes, actually understanding basic biology techniques and feeling like I kind of had some sort of research under my belt.”
After she graduated, Evanov began working at a different lab at Pitt where she researched disease ecology and evolutionary parasitology. Over the summer, Evanov ended up taking a job as a research specialist in the very labs that kick-started her career.
“Taking those classes nurtured my interest and made me realize that I actually can pursue a career in this. Since I started, I've been working to help archive all of the bacteriophages that are found all across the world and keep them in our collection. I've been helping distribute materials to different schools and hospitals, and I have also been annotating bacteriophage genomes, which is super cool.”
Maggie Vinland also worked at the Hatfull labs after graduation and currently works at Mass General Hospital in connection with Harvard Medical School as a Research Technician.
Hatfull Labs manager Colin Lewis originally came to Pitt as a pre-med student, but after taking the lab, he had a change of heart. He, like the other alumni, was drawn in by the idea of making novel discoveries. “I think the firsthand discovery of actually finding something scientific, putting a name to it, and getting it published in GenBank, that's so unbelievably cool.”
Through Hatfull’s Lab, Lewis was able to travel to South Africa, where he taught a SEA-Phages workshop for two weeks. He says that getting to participate in the lab as a teacher and seeing students become invested in the research is exciting and fulfilling.
All of the SEA-Phage alums agreed that deciding to participate in the program was one of the best decisions that they made while at Pitt. Whether you are unsure of your future in biology or you are certain of the research path you want to take, a pit stop studying phages will never be a bad choice.