RKYHS Genetic Engineering students finished the academic year by focusing their attention on Zika Virus. Having spent a good part of the year doing DNA sequence and bioinformatic analysis on their DNA clones of Landoltia punctata, a duckweed species with implications for biofuel and bio remediation applications, the students used their skills to begin to analyze unexplained changes in the Zika virus genome, and looked to identify elements that may have mutated, rendering the virus more pathogenic and capable of causing neurological disease. The students’ work will continue this year with the current crop of Genetic Engineering students, who will continue working at the forefront of the field to help better understand this important, emerging infectious agent.