Biotechnology/Genetics Students are Learning Advanced Microbiology and DNA Technology

Since February, genetics students have been learning about microbiology and genetics.  They have learned how to manipulate DNA and transfer DNA into organisms, conferring new traits.  They have also learned how to isolate the protein products of interest. Upcoming labs will build upon these foundations and they will amplify and analyzed their own DNA.

Successful transformation!  Glowing colonies under UV light indicate transformed bacteria.

Cell pellet of transformed cells glowingly showing their traits.

Learning and practicing aseptic technique.

Teamwork prepping and plating out cells.

Column chromatography showing isolation of protein product from transformed cells.

Biotechnology/Chemistry Students Learning About Chemical Reactions

Mapping out their experiments.

Happy Chemists!

Did they get the correct results?  Thumbs up!

Teamwork sign?

CSI Ballard

Biotechnology/Biology students recently helped crack a murder case using forensic science.  Students learned essential lab skills in micropipetting and gel electrophoresis.  They then conducted restriction enzyme digests of DNA and compared their evidence samples to suspect samples.  Case closed!

Team work! Prepping samples.

Steady hands.  Learning how to load an agarose gel.

Nice technique!  Mastering loading an agarose gel.

Supportive team work!

Careful and precise technique.

Removing gel for staining.

 

The First Semester Winds Down. Units Completed and Finals are Here!

     Biotechnology students in biology and genetics have recently completed some extensive unit work.  In biology, students completed the conservation/consumption unit where they learned about their own impact on the planet.  They collected their garbage and weighed and sorted it daily by material type.  They then kept a daily log which they will analyze in their math classes next semester.  They also read and responded to the book, Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things, by Alan Durning.
     In genetics, students completed their two month experiment on Mendelian genetics using the model organism Drosophila melanogaster to conduct crosses to determine the mode of inheritance of certain traits.  Thousands of flies participated in the crosses and students used statistical analysis to learn about "goodness of fit" of their observed outcomes compared to expected outcomes.

Example of fly cross.

Delicately removing flies for examination.

Counting and sexing flies for data collection.

The fly whisperer and champion breeder.

Happy to weigh their garbage.

Waiting for weighing.

Sorting and weighing.

Lunging for compost bin-sorting waste.

Keeping that aluminum out of the landfill.

So much garbage!

Typical happy consumers.

Recyclables after four days of collection!

Happy recyclers!

   

Learning by Doing! Biotech Students are Actively Engaged in Science Inquiry.

Winter is here!  Biotech students have been busily researching the way cells work, how DNA can be manipulated, and conducting research of their own as they delve into project based learning.  Biology students are beginning their work on the Imagine Tomorrow competition.  To learn more about the competition check out the WSU site at imaginetomorrow.wsu.edu.
In Genetics, students are in the middle of their research projects about a genetic disorder of their choosing.  Students will begin formal presentations on January 4th.  In the interim, all students have been working through laboratory activities to help them understand molecular biology.

Making samples for gel loading.

Making cell splats of HeLa cells.

Calculating surface area to volume ratio.  Oh my!

Playing with agar while waiting for diffusion experiment.

Go Team!  Way to share gel loading!

Right tip, correct volume-load!

Fall Whidbey Island Fieldtrip was Cold but Successful!

On November 3-4, 26 students participated in our long-term monitoring survey at the DeBell Tree Farm on Whidbey Island.  The weather did not dissuade the students from the task at hand and we had a productive sampling experience in the forest and on the pond.  I am always amazed at what the students are able to accomplish and learn on this fieldtrip.  We had a great group of students who bonded well, freshmen, sophomores, juniors and our senior leader-who was a crew boss mentor for the new crew bosses.

On the ferry ride over to Whidbey.

Getting to know you activities.

Getting to know you-screaming toes!

Getting to know you activities.

Team building-getting to know you.

The cows-always a big draw!

Doing a hike to the sampling sites.  Rain and snow this day!

Shaking the trees for insects and other invertebrates at a sample site.

Measuring DBH for our forest studies.

Tree huggers at the grandmother tree. Red Western Cedar.

Plankton tow at the pond!

Sharing out of data.

Sharing out of data from the ecological studies.

Ferry ride back home and group shot and BT signs.

Fall is Here and Biotechnology Academy Students are Learning Science Habits of Mind.

Biotechnology Students are engaging in hands on science as they learn and re-learn the metric system and science habits of mind.  Biology students are learning about atomic theory, compounds, and biomolecules.  Chemistry students are getting a crash course in the metric system and scientific notation.  Genetic students are doing a deep dive into protein chemistry and learning about the workhorse molecules of biology.  Welcome Back to Science!

Learning about protein folding in genetics class.

Learning about the chemical properties of amino acid side chains in genetics.

Spooling DNA in genetics!

Team work and a successful DNA extraction!

Biology students investigating biomolecules.

Biology students performing tests on unknown biomolecules-teamwork pays off in testing!