My students need a UV light box and camera to see the results of our DNA experiments.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Wolf's classroom raised $3,290
This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
I teach an extremely eager and bright collection of immigrant high school students, most of whom are from low-income households. All of them have come to America to pursue the American dream of freedom, a great education and unfettered opportunity.
As a teacher of English Language Learners, I have found that there is nothing as powerful as hands-on activities for engaging my students and encouraging their language development. DNA science, at the cutting edge of all fields of biology, holds particular interest for my students because of its application in food science, forensics and medicine. With the right equipment, the abstract and hard to see world of DNA can become the ultimate field for hands-on exploration.
There are several dyes on the market for seeing DNA once it is isolated, however, not all of them are particularly effective or safe. We have learned through trial and error that the best method uses a safe dye that can be seen under UV light. Currently, this means that for the students, the lab ends before they see their DNA results. They must wait until the teacher brings it to a distant university lab and takes photos on borrowed equipment. Having our own equipment would allow us to spend more time DOING science and less time waiting for the results.
We already do experiments testing foods for Genetically Modified genes and with our own DNA to answer questions about heredity and ethics. This light box and camera would enhance these projects and let us do them more frequently in my Biology course and my Science Research course.
Over the last ten years, DNA extraction and visualization equipment has become as essential a piece of equipment in the Biology lab as a Bunsen burner is in the Chemistry lab. Most suburban high schools already have these tools. To adequately prepare for competitive science careers in college and beyond, it is essential that students become familiar with this technology at an early age.
This light box is an investment that will empower hundreds of students at my school for a decade or more to pursue everything from a basic understanding of DNA to their own original science research. My students work hard to make their journey to America meaningful. Your donation may be instrumental for a student who goes on to be the next great American success story by making tomorrow's next great scientific breakthrough in medicine or our understanding of the nature of life.
More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Wolf and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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