Field Trip Information
Our in-person science field trips deliver hands-on biology and genetics experiences for middle and high school students. Students have fun while learning about important science concepts and performing sophisticated experiments. Reserve a trip for students to experience hands-on labs in one of our state-of-the-art laboratory classrooms. DNALC educators and Ph.D. biologists are trained to deliver an exceptional learning experience to every visitor.
Activities
Observing Mutant Organisms
Mutations are changes in DNA that can sometimes lead to variation in traits. Through a comparison of wild-type and mutant strains of Drosophila fruit flies—a common model organism in genetic research—students will observe how mutations in DNA can affect the traits of a living thing and draw conclusions about the role that mutations play in natural selection, evolution, and genetic disease.
Students will:
- observe fruit fly traits using a stereo microscope or pocket magnifier;
- describe and record traits of different fruit flies;
- draw conclusions about the fitness of flies with different trait variations; and
- discuss the role of mutations in species survival and evolution.
Information:
- Lab time: 1 hour
- Grades 5 & 6
Pre-Lab and Skills
Suggested Pre-Lab Teaching:
• DNA structure and function
• Heredity
Lab Skills:
• Use a stereo microscope to magnify and view Drosophila fruit flies.
• Record and describe observations of wild type and mutant fruit fly traits.
Conceptual Knowledge/Skills:
• Classify the shared characteristics of model organisms used in genetic research.
• Draw conclusions about the fitness of flies with different observed trait variations.
• Describe the role of mutations in species survival and evolution.
• Explain why sometimes mutations have no effect on an organism’s trait.
DNA Extraction from Wheat Germ
DNA is a molecule inside the cells of all living things, including things we eat! In this lab students will follow a simple procedure to extract DNA from wheat germ. Upon completion, they will have a visible DNA sample that can be collected and preserved.
Students will:
- review the structure of plant cells;
- follow a simple lab procedure;
- explain how DNA can be visible without a microscope; and
- collect DNA and make a keepsake necklace.
Information:
- Lab time: 1 hour
- Grades 5, 6, 7, & 8
Pre-Lab and Skills
Suggested Pre-Lab Teaching:
• Plant cell anatomy
• DNA structure and function
Lab Skills:
• Use graduated tubes and transfer pipettes to measure small volumes of liquid.
• Follow a multi-step protocol.
Conceptual Knowledge/Skills:
• Explain how DNA can be visible without a microscope.
• Outline the process of DNA extraction from plant cells, including the purpose of detergent and alcohol.
• Describe real-world examples of professions that use DNA extraction.
The Mystery of Anastasia
During the Russian Revolution of 1917 the last royal family of Russia—the Romanovs—went missing. It was determined that that the family was likely murdered, yet in 1920 a mysterious woman resurfaced in Germany and claimed to be the missing Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov. Learn about this very interesting time in Russian history and use computers to see how modern science was used to solve the mystery of Anastasia!
Students will:
- learn the story of the Romanovs and their disappearance in 1917;
- collect and interpret forensic evidence;
- perform DNA comparisons to identify important people; and
- use evidence to support a claim and solve the mystery.
Information:
- Lab time: 1 hour
- Grades 5, 6, 7, & 8
Pre-Lab and Skills
Suggested Pre-Lab Teaching:
• DNA structure, function, and heredity
• Parts of the animal cell
Lab Skills:
• Collect and interpret forensic evidence.
• Perform DNA sequence alignments to determine relatedness.
Conceptual Knowledge/Skills:
• Critically examine different forensic techniques.
• Explain how mitochondrial DNA is useful in genealogy.
• Use evidence to support or refute a claim.
Bacteria and Antibiotics
In this lab, two different strains of bacteria are treated with two different antibiotics. After a day of growth, the presence or absence of growth inhibition zones indicates the effect of each antibiotic and helps to determine if any of the bacterial strains are antibiotic resistant.
Students will:
- learn to culture bacteria in Petri dishes and perform antibiotic sensitivity tests;
- observe the effect of antibiotics on different bacterial strains; and
- discuss how antibiotics work and how bacteria become resistant to antibiotics.
Information:
- Lab time: 1 hour
- Grades 6 & 7
Pre-Lab and Skills
Suggested Pre-Lab Teaching:
• Although most are harmless, some bacteria can cause infection.
• Antibiotics are prescribed to treat bacterial infections.
Lab Skills:
• Conduct a controlled experiment to determine antibiotic sensitivity.
• Use a transfer pipette or micropipette to measure small volumes of liquid.
• Use sterile technique to culture bacteria in Petri dishes.
Conceptual Knowledge/Skills:
• Use experimental results to determine antibiotic sensitivity.
• Describe how experimental results support a claim about antibiotic resistance.
• Explain how bacteria develop antibiotic resistance in nature.
Better Milk for Cats
In this laboratory students will learn the interesting combination of genetics and culture that led to lactase persistence - the ability to digest lactose in milk - in humans. Next, they will build a “bioreactor” where the enzyme lactase can be used to remove lactose from milk, as is done in industry to produce some lactose free products.
Students will:
- create enzyme "beads" using sodium alginate and use them in a "bioreactor";
- observe the enzyme substrate reaction of lactase and lactose;
- understand the genetics behind lactase production and lactose intolerance; and
- test for the product of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction to demonstrate enzyme efficiency.
Information:
- Lab time: 1 hour
- Grades 6 & 7
Pre-Lab and Skills
Suggested Pre-Lab Teaching:
• DNA structure and function
• Central Dogma (genes to proteins)
• Enzyme function
Lab Skills:
• Use transfer pipettes to measure small volumes of liquid.
• Test for the product of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction.
Conceptual Knowledge/Skills:
• Explain why lactose free milk is a “better milk for cats.”
• Describe the enzyme-substrate reaction that results in the digestion of lactose.
• Use experimental results to demonstrate if an enzymatic reaction occurred.
Glowing Genes
This experiment illustrates the direct link between an organism's genetic complement (genotype) and its observable characteristics (phenotype). Two genes, for antibiotic resistance and luminescence, are introduced into the bacterium E. coli. Following overnight incubation, transformed bacteria are compared to non-transformed bacteria for their ability to grow in the presence of ampicillin and glow when exposed to ultraviolet light.
Students will:
- observe the effect of antibiotics on bacteria;
- learn how plasmids are used to introduce new genes into bacterial cells;
- understand how bacteria can be used to make human proteins such as insulin; and
- discuss how GFP can be used as a molecular reporter in research.
Information:
- Lab time: 1 or 2 hours
- Grades 6, 7, & 8
Pre-Lab and Skills
Suggested Pre-Lab Teaching:
• DNA Structure
• Bacterial cell components, including plasmids
• Central Dogma (genes to proteins)
Lab Skills:
• Measure small volumes of liquid using micropipettes.
• Use sterile technique while working with bacteria.
• Culture experiment results in Petri dishes.
• Follow a multi-step procedure to conduct a controlled experiment.
Conceptual Knowledge/Skills:
• Explain the steps of bacterial transformation.
• Predict experimental and control results.
• Construct an explanation of how the transformation technique can be used in industry.
Gene Therapy
Gene therapy is an experimental technique that can be used to treat or prevent genetic disease. In this lab, a mutant strain of E.coli is genetically engineered with a missing gene so it can survive in a Petri dish with a selective food source. After overnight growth, a color change indicates the bacteria have been transformed and the “therapy” was a success.
Students will:
- Perform a bacterial transformation;
- Culture bacteria in Petri dishes;
- Learn about enzyme mediated digestion of lactose; and
- Discuss medical applications of genetic engineering.
Information:
- Lab time: 1 or 2 hours
- Grades 7 & 8
Pre-Lab and Skills
Suggested Pre-Lab Teaching:
• DNA Structure
• Bacterial cell components, including plasmids
• Central Dogma (genes to proteins)
Lab Skills:
• Measure small volumes of liquid using micropipettes.
• Use sterile technique while working with bacteria.
• Culture bacteria in Petri dishes.
• Follow a multi-step procedure to conduct a controlled experiment.
Conceptual Knowledge/Skills:
• Explain the steps of bacterial transformation.
• Predict experimental and control results.
• Construct an explanation of how the results show the host bacteria were genetically modified.
• Describe an example of how gene therapy could be used in humans.
DNA Fingerprint
Human DNA is more alike than different, so how do we find the differences? Restriction enzymes are proteins that recognize specific DNA sequences and can be used to determine whether a particular DNA sequence is present. In this lab, DNA from “evidence” and “suspects” will be compared using restriction enzyme digest and agarose gel electrophoresis. DNA analysis will then be combined with crime scene data to draw conclusions about each suspect.
Students will:
- learn about restriction enzymes;
- observe how agarose gel electrophoresis is used to produce a DNA fingerprint;
- compare DNA fingerprints from “evidence” and “suspects”; and
- determine who left their DNA at a “crime scene”.
Information:
- Lab time: 1 or 2 hours
- Grades 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, & 12
Pre-Lab and Skills
Suggested Pre-Lab Teaching:
• DNA structure and function, heredity
Lab Skills:
• Prepare an agarose gel.
• Use micropipettes to measure small volumes of liquid and load DNA into agarose gels.
• Perform agarose gel electrophoresis to visualize DNA.
• Analyze and interpret DNA fingerprints from “evidence” and “suspects.”
Conceptual Knowledge/Skills:
• Use agarose gel electrophoresis results to determine whose DNA was at the “crime scene.”
• Explain how the agarose gel electrophoresis results support a conclusion.
• Describe how restriction enzymes cut DNA, and how they can be used to differentiate DNA sequences.
DNA Restriction Analysis
The DNA restriction analysis experiment demonstrates that DNA can be precisely manipulated with enzymes that recognize and cut specific target sequences. In this lab, restriction enzymes—the scissors of molecular biology—are used to digest DNA from the bacteriophage lambda. After cutting, the DNA fragments are visualized by agarose gel electrophoresis, allowing students to identify a “mystery” enzyme through comparison with controls.
Information:
- Lab time: 3.5 hours
- Grades 9, 10, 11 & 12
Pre-Lab and Skills
Suggested Pre-Lab Teaching:
• DNA structure and function
• Central Dogma (genes to proteins)
Lab Skills:
• Measure small volumes of liquid using micropipettes.
• Prepare DNA digests with different restriction enzymes.
• Visualize DNA using agarose gel electrophoresis.
• Interpret agarose gel electrophoresis results.
Conceptual Knowledge/Skills:
• Explain the principles of agarose gel electrophoresis, and how it was used to visualize the results of a DNA digest.
• Compare experimental and control results to identify a mystery enzyme.
• Use a DNA restriction map to predict the results of a DNA digest.
• Describe how restriction enzymes can be used in genetic engineering.
Bacterial Transformation
Green Fluorescent Protein
The bacterial transformation experiment illustrates the direct link between an organism's genetic complement (genotype) and its observable characteristics (phenotype). Two genes, for antibiotic resistance and fluorescence, are introduced into the bacterium E. coli. Following overnight incubation, transformed bacteria are compared to non-transformed bacteria for their ability to grow in the presence of ampicillin and glow when exposed to ultraviolet light.
Lactase (New)
The bacterial transformation experiment illustrates the direct link between an organism's genetic complement (genotype) and its observable characteristics (phenotype). Two genes, for antibiotic resistance and lactose digestion, are introduced into the bacterium E. coli. Following overnight incubation, transformed bacteria are compared to non-transformed bacteria for their ability to survive in the presence of ampicillin and digest lactose, as indicated by a color change.
Information:
- Lab time: 2.5 hours
- Grades 9, 10, 11 & 12
Pre-Lab and Skills
Suggested Pre-Lab Teaching:
• DNA structure
• Bacterial cell components, including plasmids
• Asexual reproduction
• Central Dogma (genes to proteins)
Lab Skills:
• Measure small volumes of liquid using micropipettes.
• Use sterile technique while working with bacteria.
• Culture experiment results in Petri dishes.
Conceptual Knowledge/Skills:
• Explain the steps of bacterial transformation.
• Describe how bacterial cells can be used to manufacture human proteins.
• Predict experimental and control results.
• Examine experimental results and calculate transformation efficiency.
Detecting a Jumping Gene
This lab examines a region of DNA from chromosome 16 that can contain a short nucleotide sequence called Alu within a noncoding region of the chromosome. Alu insertions are segments of DNA that “jump” around in the genome. Students will prepare a sample of their own DNA from cells obtained by saline mouthwash, use PCR to amplify the targeted locus, and agarose gel electrophoresis to determine the presence or absence of this Alu, which jumped into the chromosome tens of thousands of years ago. Class data can be used as part of an exploration of allele frequencies and population genetics and to identify classmates who are related.
Information:
- Lab time: 4 hours
- Grades 10, 11, & 12
- Participation in this laboratory requires a signed consent form (provided by the DNALC) from the parent/guardian of each student under 18 years of age.
Pre-Lab and Skills
Suggested Pre-Lab Teaching:
• DNA structure, function, and replication
• Central Dogma (genes to proteins)
• Mendelian genetics
• Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
Lab Skills:
• Measure small volumes of liquid using micropipettes.
• Isolate DNA from human epithelial cells.
• Amplify DNA sequence using PCR.
• Visualize DNA using agarose gel electrophoresis.
• Utilize software to determine allele frequencies.
• Follow a multi-step procedure to complete a controlled experiment.
Conceptual Knowledge/Skills:
• Explain how PCR is used to amplify DNA.
• Predict experimental results.
• Interpret experimental results to determine class allele frequencies.
• Use class data to explore Hardy Weinberg equilibrium (post lab).
Human Mitochondrial Sequencing
Comparison of the control region within the human mitochondrial genome reveals that people have distinct patterns of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). These sequence differences, in turn, are the basis for far-ranging investigations on human DNA diversity and the evolution of hominids. In this lab, students prepare a sample of their own DNA from cells obtained by saline mouthwash, use PCR to amplify a section of their own mitochondrial DNA and agarose gel electrophoresis to confirm the result. DNA is then sent for sequencing, and results are uploaded to the DNALC’s BioServers website approximately two weeks after students attend the field trip at the DNALC. Back at school, students can perform bioinformatic analysis of their own DNA sequences to explore the theories behind how modern humans evolved and how related they are to their classmates and people from around the world.
Information:
- Lab time: 4 hours
- Grades 10, 11, & 12
- Participation in this laboratory requires a signed consent form (provided by the DNALC) from the parent/guardian of each student under 18 years of age
Pre-Lab and Skills
Suggested Pre-Lab Teaching:
• DNA structure and function, DNA replication, heredity
• Central Dogma (genes to proteins)
• Theories of human evolution
• Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
Lab Skills:
• Measure small volumes of liquid using micropipettes.
• Isolate DNA from human epithelial cells.
• Amplify DNA sequences using PCR.
• Visualize DNA fragments using agarose gel electrophoresis.
• Utilize bioinformatic tools to perform DNA sequence alignments.
Conceptual Knowledge/Skills:
• Explain how to use PCR to amplify DNA.
• Describe the utility of mitochondrial DNA in the study of genealogy and human origins
• Use DNA sequence data to support or refute a hypothesis about human origins.
• Use DNA sequence data to explain evolutionary relationships between organisms, living and extinct.