# Citizen DNA Barcode Network:  A Community-based Infrastructure for Monitoring Biodiversity and Disease Vectors

> **NIH NIH R25** · COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY · 2021 · $263,507

## Abstract

In collaboration with the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI), the DNA Learning Center
(DNALC) of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) proposes to develop a Citizen DNA
Barcode Network. The project will organize national campaigns to map the ranges of
species within three groups of insect: ants, mosquitoes, and beetles. These groups
include bioindicators of environmental change, vectors of human disease, and
economically important species whose ranges are being altered by global climate change.
Citizen scientists will use the technique of DNA barcoding, which allows non-experts to
identify almost any insect species, even from larval forms or damaged samples.
The project is based on an integrated biochemical and bioinformatics workflow we have
developed to support DNA barcoding in formal education settings. Our current SEPA
project, Barcode Long Island, has undertaken DNA barcoding campaigns in the formal
education system—with high school students documenting local biodiversity and the
northward range expansion of several insects—novel evidence of global warming.
During the development phase, we will work intensively with NYSCI to refine resources
and dissemination methods to support citizen science in informal settings. In parallel, we
will pilot methods to engage visitors to nature preserves and members of conservation
groups, including The Nature Conservancy and Audubon Society. During the replication
phase, we will onboard three additional science centers and six additional community
conservation groups. Partners will be provided with training, educational materials, mobile
labs, and supplies needed to generate data for insect campaigns and biodiversity surveys
(bioblitzes) of locally important habitats. Mentorship by high school and college faculty with
experience in DNA barcoding and extended collaborative support—including
troubleshooting and data analysis—will help insure success at each site.
Data collected by citizen scientists will contribute to the scientific record in two ways: 1)
Barcode sequences will be published in GenBank, the authoritative DNA database, and to
species-specific databases. 2) Occurrence data will be contributed to the Global
Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) to expand existing range maps. A multi-faceted
evaluation program will develop novel survey instruments to assess the impact of
participation in citizen barcoding projects on attitudes toward biodiversity on global
climate change.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10168578
- **Project number:** 5R25GM137355-02
- **Recipient organization:** COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY
- **Principal Investigator:** David Andrew MICKLOS
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $263,507
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-06-01 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10168578

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10168578, Citizen DNA Barcode Network:  A Community-based Infrastructure for Monitoring Biodiversity and Disease Vectors (5R25GM137355-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10168578. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*