Curriculum
7 self-contained modules, each 1 to 3 weeks. Students go from collecting a soil sample to uploading species data to the California eDNA Atlas. Every module is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Equipment per classroom: 1 Oxford Nanopore MinION ($1,000), Flongle flow cells ($90 each), extraction kit ($200), and a laptop. We provide field kit packages to partner schools.
See what students have discovered so far in our field stories.
Launching Summer 2026
Our alpha pilot: Venice High School
Our first cohort of high-school students gathers at Venice High School (LAUSD) in summer 2026. Over the program, they sample soil and ocean water from their own neighborhood, sequence the environmental DNA (eDNA) on portable Oxford Nanopore MinION devices, and study what they find — turning a few weeks of fieldwork into real data on the living world around them.
Students leave the pilot with three kinds of output: a peer-style write-up of their findings, a contribution to the California eDNA Atlas, and a creative artifact of their own choosing — a short film, a zine, a public talk, a piece of art — that translates the science for their community. Each cohort works alongside a mentor — a university student, researcher, or educator paired with a student team to guide fieldwork, sequencing, and analysis. See how to mentor or sponsor a mentor on the Get Involved page.
The pilot is intentionally small and honest about its stage: we will share what worked, what did not, and the first stories on Stories from the Field as the cohort ships.
Flexible offerings
Adaptable to your school, your watershed, your partners. We start with our LA pilot and design every pathway to travel — local in every cohort, global in ambition.
Intro
Middle School
Modules: 1, 2, 5, 7
6-8 weeks
Standard
High School
Modules: All 7
12-16 weeks
Advanced
AP / Community College
Modules: All + research extension
16-20 weeks
Farm Focus
Applied Ag
Modules: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
8-10 weeks
Ocean Focus
Marine Science
Modules: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
8-10 weeks
All Modules
Field Sampling
Collect soil, water, and air samples with GPS-tagged metadata from schoolyard to watershed.
Students will design a sampling protocol, collect GPS-tagged environmental samples, and record MIxS-compliant field metadata.
DNA Extraction
Isolate environmental DNA using lysis, protein removal, and precipitation protocols at BSL-1.
Students will extract and quantify environmental DNA from soil or water samples using standard lysis and precipitation methods.
Library Preparation
Barcode and multiplex 24-96 samples using Oxford Nanopore Rapid Barcoding Kit in under 20 minutes.
Students will barcode and multiplex DNA libraries for nanopore sequencing, understanding why indexing enables parallel sample processing.
Nanopore Sequencing
Load a MinION flow cell, monitor real-time basecalling in MinKNOW, and collect raw read data.
Students will operate a MinION sequencer, interpret real-time basecalling metrics, and evaluate run quality from read-length distributions.
Bioinformatics Analysis
Run Dorado basecalling, Kraken2 classification, and diversity index calculations via EPI2ME.
Students will classify sequencing reads against NCBI taxonomy, calculate Shannon diversity indices, and compare species richness across sites.
GIS Mapping
Upload results to the California eDNA Atlas, create map visualizations, and compare across sites.
Students will create GeoJSON map layers from their sampling data and interpret spatial patterns in species distribution across ecoregions.
Data Storytelling
Present findings to your community, contribute data to the California eDNA Atlas, draft a publishable report, and create a community exhibit, story map, or art-science piece.
Students will communicate scientific findings to non-expert audiences through three named outputs: a publishable report draft, at least one creative or experiential output (exhibit, story map, or art-science piece), and a community presentation.
Bring eDNA to Your Classroom
We ship field kits to partner schools and provide teacher training on all 7 modules. Your students will sequence real DNA and contribute real data to the California eDNA Atlas.
Request a field kit