Past projects 16
Biotechnology in the Classroom: Crime Scene Investigation
Funded Aug 3, 2023I know that it has been a long time, but we finally used the materials funded with this project last month and the results were amazing. Students were able to cut and analyze the DNA from their simulated crime scene to determine which "suspects" could be eliminated as suspects. Thank you for your contribution to this project, it is through activities like these that students further learn how what they learn in school can be used outside the classroom.
This project has "real-world" applications that allow students to see how what they learn in school applies to the world outside the classroom. The restriction enzymes used to cut the DNA and agarose gel electrophoresis are common techniques used by biologists around the world to study DNA.
Although not as "fun" for the students, in addition to the hands-on wet lab work, the students also got another chance to practice their graphing skills to determine the exact sizes of the DNA fragments as they appeared after being separated by size through the gel electrophoresis.
Once again, thank you for your contribution, my students and I really appreciated it.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Hanono
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 9 other donors.Biotechnology in the Classroom: Real World Applications of DNA Science
Funded Aug 14, 2019Last summer, when this project was funded, seems like so long ago. It is hard to believe that we are only a few months away until the end of the school year. That stated, I am happy to report that we finally completed using the materials purchased with this project.
In January, the biotechnology students analyzed their simulated crime scene DNA. They cut DNA samples and analyzed the resulting patterns of the DNA fragments by a common technique used in labs every day called agarose gel electrophoresis. This week, the biology students gave the bacteria the ability to glow under blue light. Importantly, it was the addition of a gene from a jellyfish that the students added to the cells that allowed them to do this, which allowed them to demonstrate a basic concept in biology showing how a gene can code for a particular protein that ultimately results in the trait of an organism.
In addition, the technique of bacterial transformation used simulates how biotechnology companies can "program" bacteria to make useful products for human use such as insulin for diabetics.
The bacterial transformation lab is one of those activities that never fails to excite students. It is a joy to hear their excitement at seeing the glowing bacteria for the first time that they created. It is an experience they will remember for a while.Neither of the projects described above could have been completed without your support. My students and I thank you.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Hanono
This classroom project was brought to life by San Diego Gas & Electric and 4 other donors.Here's Looking at You, DNA!
Funded Feb 19, 2020Thank you again to all of who donated towards the success of this project. I believe (though not 100% sure) that the donations made all came from the local community. It is wonderful that the Chula Vista/Eastlake Community is so generous.
I cannot wait for the students to be able to use the equipment purchased to visualize the DNA they separate by gel electrophoresis later this semester. I am sure it is an activity they will remember well into the future.
Once again, (though the students don't know it yet) we are all very appreciative to all of you for supporting the purchase of the requested equipment through this project. Thank you again for your contributions.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Hanono
Biotechnology in the Classroom: DNA Differences
Funded Aug 22, 2018Thank you for your contribution to this towards these materials; we finally used the materials in the class earlier this month and the results were amazing. The biotechnology students analyzed their simulated crime scene DNA, and the biology students gave the bacteria the ability to glow under blue light which the bacteria could not do until the students added the gene from a jellyfish to the cells. Students enjoy activities that have practical applications, and these definitely qualify.
The biology students were able to show a basic principle in biology how a gene can code for a protein that determines the trait of an organism. In addition, the students learned some basic microbiology in terms of how scientists can grow bacteria in a lab under different conditions to get different outputs. Moreover, the technique used simulates how biotechnology companies can "program" bacteria to make useful products for human use, like insulin or other hormones. These proteins though are not as exciting as one with a bright green glow. The biotechnology students, practiced cutting samples of DNA and analyzed the resulting pattern of the DNA fragments by a common technique used in labs every day called agarose gel electrophoresis. Both these projects have "real-world" applications that allow students to see how what they learn in school applies to the world outside the classroom.
The bacterial transformation lab is one of those activities that never fails to excite, and the students definitely learned something from it, and hopefully sparked an interest in science that will carry on in the future. Seeing this happen is one of the joys of being a teacher. Most importantly, it could not have been done without your donations towards this project; my students and I thank you.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Hanono
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 18 other donors.Biotechnology in the Classroom: Measuring pH
Funded Nov 28, 2018Thank you again for your generous donations toward this project.
The students have used the pH meters and learned a valuable skill while they were at it. They learned to calibrate the meters, and they used them to measure the pH of different solutions. This experience, will allow them to further explain their understanding of pH, pH scale, and the importance of pH and buffers in the biotechnology laboratory.
Students are always excited to try new equipment, and as many of them had never tested pH in this manner they were very eager to try them out. Some were even amazed at how "simple" the process is. Moreover, as there are not enough meters for the entire class to use them at once, as they rotated, students taught each other how to properly use the meters. This made the students discuss more of the science and further gain confidence with the equipment use. It is obvious from watching them interact such a way that they gained a valuable skill should they ever encounter a similar piece of equipment in the future.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Hanono
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 14 other donors.Of Corn and Blood: Fundamental Genetics
Funded Feb 16, 2018Once again, than you very much for your contribution to this project. As we are nearing the end of our Genetics unit, the students have learned quite a bit of new things. In part, their experiences were greatly enhanced by the use of the synthetic blood testing kits and the corn genetics kit. These simple kits helped demonstrate concepts in the real world that would not have been as apparent without the hands-on experiences gained through their use. The blood kit demonstrated the importance of blood types in blood transfusions as an extension of how blood types can be inherited. Likewise the corn kit demonstrated how the laws of probability play into genetic inheritance. The students and I greatly appreciated your support.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Hanono
Let it Glow! Let it Glow! Let it Glow!
Funded Aug 23, 2017I know that it has been a while since this project was funded, but once again, thank you for your contribution to this towards these materials; we finally used the materials in the class a couple weeks ago and the results were amazing. Students enjoy activities that have practical applications, and this is definitely one of them.
Students used the materials to make genetically modified bacteria by transferring a sequence of DNA from jellyfish that encodes a protein that allow the bacteria to glow under a blacklight. In essence, the students were able to show a basic principle in biology how a gene can code for a protein that determines the trait of an organism. In addition, the students learned some basic microbiology in terms of how scientists can grow bacteria in a lab under different conditions to get different results from the bacteria under the different conditions. Of course, it doesn't hurt when the results are bright and colorful.
One of the great things of being a teacher is seeing students get excited about science and are excited to learn. This is one of those labs that never fails to excite, and the students definitely learned something from it. Importantly, it could not have been done without your donation towards this project; my students and I thank you.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Hanono
Biotech in the Classroom: Taking the Science Outside the Lab
Funded Sep 2, 2015It has been some time since this project was funded, but this semester, we finally finished reading "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" in my Biotechnology class. This class is a class that focuses on research techniques in molecular biology, and one aspect of the class is to cover some bioethics. This book was great to introduce the history of HeLa cells, and some of the aspects of human experimentation including the idea of "informed consent" among others.
At first, many of the students in the class were surprised they would be reading a "book" in science class as many had not done so. So although students were a bit reluctant at the idea of the book at first, over the course of a few weeks the book started generating conversation in the class among the students (unprompted). During labs or when students walked into the room for class, comments about the story would be made. For example, many students were concerned that Henrietta's family was so poor and could not afford basic medical care, yet her cells revolutionized medicine and made millions of dollars for many companies and individuals. These cells were used for research without the consent of Henrietta Lacks. Some students commented that the more they read the book, the more hooked they became on the story. Others commented that although it was a good book that was engaging, they were disturbed by some of the events depicted. This is no surprise as the story does a good job of depicting how science in the lab cannot be separated from the society in which it is practiced.
After a course of about six weeks, we had a whole-class discussion about the book. Aside from my providing prompts to the students, this was an entirely student driven activity. It was great to see their engagement come to life as they discussed aspects of the book and different lessons that the story taught.
In the end, although I was unsure of how the book would be received by the students, it is apparent that they enjoyed the experience and were happy to have had the opportunity to read it. I cannot wait to use these books again to expose next year's cohort of students to Henrietta's story.
Thank you again for your contributions to this project.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Hanono
Biotech in the Classroom: All about that BASE (and ACID)
Funded Jun 18, 2015Once again, thank you very much for your generous donations toward this project.
The students have used the pH meters and learned a valuable skill while they were at it. They have used the meters to measure the pH of different buffers and determined how the addition of an acid or base affect the pH of solutions.
Students are always excited to try new equipment, and as many of them had never tested pH in this manner they were very eager to try them out. In addition to learning the basics of how to operate the equipment, as there were only two meters for the entire class, the students took turns practicing and using the pH meters. Moreover, as they rotated, students taught each other how to properly use the meters. This made the students "talk" science and further gain confidence with their use. It is obvious from watching them interact such a way that they would be comfortable using any similar piece of equipment in the future.
Thank you again.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Hanono
Totally Cellular! Investigating the Organization of Life
Funded Aug 19, 2015Thank you so much for supporting this project. I had mentioned din the initial proposal that the slides purchased through this proposal would be used throughout the year to help students better understand the organization of life at a cellular level. I am happy to report hat as of this writing, we have started to use the slides purchased through this project, and the students are enjoying them greatly.
As of this point, the various human tissue slides were used in a lab where students were to compare and contrast the structure and function of different human and mammalian tissues; there was even an onion root tip added into the mix for the students to see the main structural differences bet ween plant and animal cells. The class has a medical focus where human biology is included whenever possible. Many of the students indicate that they would like to do something in the medical field in the future, and they were excited to be looking at real human tissue. From hearing their reactions and reading their lab reports they have learned quite a bit through their use. It seems that many of them really enjoyed seeing the organization of bone, and it seems to have been a class favorite (The bone tissue is the gray colored microscope image with circular patterns. The other tissues included are human scalp where the hair shafts are clearly visible, and human stomach. These are all pictures taken of the donated materials though the microscope lenses.)
The lab had a further purpose of allowing students to learn to use and practice using the microscopes. It is apparent that the students liked using the microscopes. The human tissue slides will be used again in the class as we learn about the different organ systems in the body later in the year. Finally, the other major set of slides purchased are meant to have students learn about the process of cell division. We will tackle that topic early during the spring semester; no doubt the students will appreciate those as well and be excited about using the microscopes again.
Once again, your contribution towards these slides is greatly appreciated.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Hanono