Amazing Fieldtrip to Seattle Children's Research Institute

On Wednesday, Dec. 11, Biotech Genetics students visited Children's Research Discovery Lab in downtown Seattle.  Students first learned about immunotherapy and the production of CAR-T cells that are used to treat some types of cancers.  Their research on this day was to learn how to separate out white blood cells from the other components of blood so that researchers could then extract T-cells to be used in CAR-T therapy. Students learned about clincal and research techniques and how they are critical to drug discovery;

Getting ready to work in the lab.

Prepared for micropipetting practice.

Loving the feel of doing research!

Tasks accomplished successfully.

Learning how to layer liquids in practice for blood separation.

Focused!

Passing off the experiment to team member.

Art in science mural.

Group photo!

Glow in the dark staircase.

Successful spin of Ficoll blood separation.

Removing plasma.

Obtaining white blood cells for observation.

Adding cells to hemacytometer.

Counting white blood cells.

Group photo in front of Children's facility.

Fall Whidbey Island Fieldtrip was a Successful Journey!

On the first weekend of November, Biotech students from all three cohorts (biology, chemistry, and genetics) embarked on an overnight fieldtrip to the Whidbey Island Tree Farm where, for 17 years,  biotech students have been studying some long-term monitoring sites in the forest.  On Friday, students studied the various forest sites, and collected data on carbon sequestration in trees, and sampled some new pond water chemistry sites.  The weather was lovely and dry, with fog rolling in the a.m. and clearing by afternoon.

Getting to  know you!  Playing Captain  Callin'.

Captain Callin'

Captain Callin'

Collect tree data.

Using bleating sheet to collect insects.

Tree huggers!

Kayak race and plankton tow from the pond.

Apple harvest and apple cider making.

Work that press!

Apple delivery boy from apple orchard.

Dinner!

Saturday bug trap collection.

Carnivorous ground beetle.  Observed and released.

Examining other macroinvertebrates.

Cow and new calf.

Apples for feeding cows.

Cow feeding during apple cider making.

Saturday site presentations.

Demonstrating Tree Trigonometry from Carbon Sequestration Study Site.

Heading back to Seattle on the Ferry.

Fall Backward! Lots of chemistry learning and reviewing in biology and genetics.

This fall, biotech/biology students have been learning about chemistry from the perspective of living things with a focus on biomolecules and biochemistry.  Recently, students have been learning about the transfer of energy and rearranging matter.  In biotech/genetics, students have been focusing on protein chemistry and learning about the structure and function of proteins.

Genetics students presented their folded protein.

Another pair sharing their folded protein.

Stepping it up!  Students forming a quarternary protein!

And the quarternary competition continues!

Learning about the properties of amino acid side chains to understand protein folding.

Biology students learning about pH chemistry.

Biology students learning how to use biomolecule indicators.

Biology students learning about biomolecules and how a cow can turn corn into milk.

Genetics students pondering cellular biology as they examine different cell types.

Biology student who created glucose successfully during the molecular modeling exercise.  How sweet!

It's the 20th year of the Ballard Biotechnology Academy! School has started and we are doing science!

This fall marks the 20th year of the Biotechnology Academy. The Academy began with the opening of the new building in 1999. This year we have two 9th grade classes that started in  the Biology/Biotechnology Cohort.  Students are learning about science habits of mind and doing science in real time.  In biology, students are reviewing the metric system and learning about the actual tools of the trade in the laboratory. In chemistry, students are also learning and reviewing basic scientific concepts of inquiry and experimentation. In genetics, students are refining their investigative skills to learn more about chemistry with a focus on biochemistry.  Curriculum night is on Thursday, Sept. 26 from 7-9.  Please come and learn what your offspring are learning!

Genetics students trying to make observations of an unknown substance.

Lab team exploring and investigating, reviewing lab techniques.

Genetics students spooling DNA after extracting it from plant cells.

Students spooling DNA that precipitated out of solution from their experiment.

DNA precipitated!

Adding unknown samples to test for presence of specific biomolecules.

Biology students learning how to use the microscope.