Please help me bring CSI's intrigue, mystery, and its relevance to my classroom. DNA technology is going to be an integral portion of all of our futures, whether our youngsters wind up in a genetics lab or simply read the daily news. I'd love for my students to not just understand the concepts behind gel electrophoresis but to get hands on experience as well.
My students attend an Early College where they go to school for five years and receive a high school diploma and an Associates degree on their graduation day. Our students are primarily chosen based on socioeconomic status; low income or if they are the first in their family to ever attend college. We have a large percentage of English Language Learners.
We're currently in the thick of our Genetics unit where we cover current DNA technology and its impact on individuals and society. As a focal point, we discuss gel electrophoresis in which DNA fragments are separated by length. The students found this concept quite interesting, even though all I had as a resource was a video describing how to use it.
I would love to have my students actually run and interpret a gel of their own. This lab set includes enough materials for each lab group of three to inject their own gel with DNA from different "suspects" in order to solve a crime. This provides real world insight and appreciation for how criminals are actually caught using DNA fingerprinting methods. Not to mention, they can point the finger at the "bad guy."
Your help will make it possible for my students to truly appreciate modern DNA technology.
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