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Posted: 3:28 PM- LOGAN -- Three teenagers, wading into the vast sea of microbiology, have discovered two formerly unknown species of bacteria in the Great Salt Lake.
Their discovery was reported Friday at the Great Salt Lake Microbiology Research Forum presented by the Center for Integrated BioSystems at Utah State University.
The three are sophomore Mario Clavel, 15, of North Logan; and junior Martin Gonzalez, 17, and senior Cristian Navas, 17, both of Logan. They are from South Campus, an alternative high school in the Logan School District.
Center Director Bart Weimer said the findings complemented the research of other presenters, who are collaborating to better understand the health of the Great Salt Lake.
Their project - begun at the prompting of evolutionary biologist and high-school science teacher Steve Scott-Albee - involved taking samples from the lake's northern arm. The students evaluated the bacteria, which they grew, spun, amplified and blasted in a lab.
"Doing science is a lot more interesting than sitting and listening and reading from a book," Navas said. "I didn't know it was going to take me this far."
Scott-Albee said immersing young people from diverse backgrounds in science will help solve the "dearth of problems of getting people into science now."
"They're actually doing things that I didn't even do in graduate school, which is astounding to me," he said
He predicts the students will be able to apply the results "to an actual publishable paper."
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