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The CRISPR in the Classroom Network, an NSF-Research Coordination Network for Undergraduate Biology education, aims to train faculty, graduate students, and postdocs in one of the most recently developed techniques for gene editing, CRISPR. The network provides a 4-day hands-on workshop to review CRISPR from the perspective of innate immunity in bacteria to gene editing applications. Following the workshops, participants receive a materials kit to help them get started with development of curriculum for their own courses. Mentors are available for discussions and assistance beyond the workshop and anyone reaching out to us via the QUBES Hub platform who has questions about CRISPR related curriculum or protocols. We recruit participants for all institution types, including community colleges and recruit heavily from HBCUs, tribal colleges and universities, and other minority-serving institutes. A key strength of the Network is the ways in which alumni of the workshops train others at their institutes or in their regions. A long-term goal is to establish regional hubs to increase the Network’s reach and increase opportunities for faculty to lead, collaborate and build ties in their local areas.
