Figure 3.

The Wolbachia Project proposes five components of virtual learning to enable online learners to engage in science outside of the traditional classroom setting. Participants begin with collection and identification of arthropods in their environment. Subsequently, they engage in “Research at a Distance” in which samples are shipped to and processed by the Wolbachia Project team. Students utilize remote learning to learn and virtually practice techniques such as DNA extractions, PCR, and gel electrophoresis, followed by video conference calls with Wolbachia scientists. Upon receipt of gel images and DNA sequences from their collected arthropods and Wolbachia, students then assess their original hypothesis using the gel images, and they conduct homology and phylogenetic analyses using their sequences. Finally, they share their data with the world by uploading location, specimen, infection status, and sequence data to The Wolbachia Project Database. Figure created with BioRender.com.