At our September 15 STEMplus virtual launch, UH evolutionary biologists Ethan Hill and Dr. Marguerite Butler (Pacific Biodiversity Lab) presented on how we can detect which SARS-CoV-2 variants are circulating around Hawaiʻi. First, Ethan shares how students can safely contribute towards genomic surveillance of the virus. From the mutations observed between samples, students can then use bioinformatics tools to reconstruct the many chains of transmission across the islands. Dr. Butler then updates us on the state of variants in Hawaiʻi, and breaks down how variant tracking is used in our pandemic response.
