From Participants to Partners: Co-Creating Environmental Microbiome Research with Students through Participatory Science

Engaging students as partners in authentic research can strengthen disciplinary learning and student agency in Higher Education. We developed a participatory science framework that positions students as active contributors to environmental microbiome research through co-designed sampling, data generation, and collaborative analysis. This framework was implemented during the Bicocca Sampling Days (BSDs), an year-long experiential learning event embedded within an urban regeneration context in Milan, Italy. Undergraduate students applied standardized protocols to collect environmental microbiome samples and associated metadata across multiple outdoor sites in the Bicocca district. Within eight hours, 76 students collected 2,429 samples across 29,288 m², demonstrating the feasibility of large-scale student-driven data collection while maintaining high data quality ( ~0.58% critical errors and no data loss). The project extended beyond fieldwork through a crowdfunding initiative, Fantastic Microbes and Where to Find Them, which funded sequencing and co-supported small student groups in analysing soil metagenomes using the US DOE KBase platform. During this collaborative analysis workshop, co-funded by SEB Educational Research and Development Grant (PARTNER project), participants analysed and interpreted microbiome datasets generated from their own samples. Educational outcomes were evaluated using validated survey instruments assessing understanding of environmental sampling and metagenomics, inquiry-related skills, and self-efficacy in microbiome research tasks. Results indicate significant increases in microbiome knowledge, research confidence, and perceived analytical skills. By integrating citizen science, co-creation, and authentic research experiences, this reproducible and scalable framework demonstrates how student-staff partnerships can generate robust scientific datasets and empower students as active contributors to the biology curriculum.