Volunteer for Global City Sampling Day this Monday 6/22

[Maria Chavez]

This coming Monday 6/22, BioCurious and Counter Culture Labs will be participating in the Global City Sampling Day organized by the international MetaSUB consortium, run out of Chris Mason's lab at Cornell. We would love your help to go sample microbial diversity on various surfaces around the wider Bay Area. 

Global City Sampling Day (gCSD) is a synchronized event that takes place annually on June 22nd. During gCSD samples of DNA, RNA and microbes from surfaces in subways, buses, airports and other well-traveled public spaces are collected across the world’s cities. 

We've scheduled two online orientation sessions for volunteers - one on Sunday morning, and one on Monday morning 10am. Please do try to attend one of these, because we'll have a good amount of logistics to cover, including how and where to sample, where to get and return your sampling materials, how to enter data into the KoBo Toolbox platform, and more.

IF you are able to go out and gather some samples this coming Monday, please contact me at ishy...@gmail.com. You may also want to set up an account at https://kf.kobotoolbox.org/accounts/register/ and email your username to Maria as well.

Your safety is important to us, especially considering the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, so please do not commit to sampling any locations you do not feel comfortable visiting. Participants will be wearing masks and gloves at all times, but we will be visiting some high-traffic areas that could be frequented by people who carry the virus.

Historically, samples are collected mainly from public transportation points. The locations selected can vary but should be central to your city and be considered a highly trafficked area. It may fall under one of the following location types:
• Transit Station
• Transit Interchange
• Bus Terminal
• Mall or Shopping Center
• Public Community Center

This may differ based on each cities sampling plan and access to locations. However, optimally the chosen locations will have the following characteristics:
1. Located indoors or underground (protected from outside elements)
2. Is considered a public area
3. Is continuously populated during the week and weekend

Secondary sampling locations may be selected if access is limited to areas of high public interface. Optimally such locations should have the following characteristics:
1. Located indoors or underground (protected from outside elements)
2. Is considered a public area
3. Is an interface for public interaction

Examples of such locations are as follows:
• ATM (automated teller machine / cash machine)
• Door handles of public areas
• Crosswalk button/Pedestrian button
• Public chair/bench
• Mailbox/Post drop/Letter drop
• Street parking meters
• Newspaper and magazine dispensers
• Vending machines
• Public telephones/Payphones

I am very excited that our sampling kit has arrived and that our community will be able to participate in this research.

-Maria