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Biology students in two classes are sequencing their own DNA using technology and professional assistance from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Teachers say the program shows students how scientists work in the real world, and students say the hands-on work is more engaging than traditional experiments.
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Sam Miner, 17, places 20 microlitres of cheek cells into a solution to separate the DNA during his Advanced Placement Biology class at Winona Senior High School.
(Photo by Melissa Carlo/Winona Daily New)
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“Genetics is fun,” senior Megan Hatfield said, “but finding out your own DNA is cooler.”
The science students conduct the same experiments done by researchers, albeit on a simplified level. It works like this: Ken Mann’s advanced placement biology class started by collecting cheek cells and purifying them. Then, they put their samples into a polymerase chain reaction machine given to the class by Mayo. The PCR machine exponentially amplifies the DNA samples through a heating and cooling process, creating large enough portions of DNA that are sequenced at Mayo. The results are then sent back to the classroom, where students compare their genetics to their classmates.
Sound complicated? It is. Technology like the PCR machine used to be available only in research labs and college classes. Scientists still use the techniques to identify genetic diseases or in forensic science.
“We’ve always done genetics,” Mann said. “Just not on this level.”
Before this year, Mann stuck to the high school science staple for genetics lessons: crossing fruit fly genes. He was convinced by fellow WSHS science teacher Sandra Bussian to take a seminar at Mayo, where Ross Aleff teaches science teachers how to bring molecular biology into the classroom.
The class still does the fruit fly experiment, crossbreeding white and red eyed flies to learn how genetics are passed through generations. It’s just that this year, Mann’s class has a new twist, and it’s one students seem excited about.
That’s Mayo’s goal. Declining interest in science among students convinced Mayo to think of ways to build excitement for the field, said Guy Finne, a recruitment adviser for the world —renowned hospital.
“It was disheartening that young people just weren’t excited about science,” he said. “We thought that if we took real science into the classroom it would make an impact.”
Soon, the experiments will become more accessible to students. A new mobile molecular biology lab paid for by a grant from HealthForce Minnesota, a state-funded health science education program, will arrive at Sandra Bussian’s WSHS class at the end of next month. Schools in Cochrane-Fountain City, Wis., have already used the traveling lab. It brings new, state-of-the-art technology such as PCR machines into classrooms and will allow Mayo to become involved with even more schools.
