Genetics/Genomics Team Summary

The goal of the Genetics/Genomics Teaching team is to teach teenagers about the new and exciting field of Genomics. Since the sequencing of the human genome, the field of genomics has focused on understanding the important bits and pieces of the human genome as well as other organisms’ genomes. From studying genomes, scientists are able to determine how closely two organisms are related to one another, figure out the important or functional parts of the DNA and determine how DNA effects an organisms characteristics (or phenotype). We have three specific goals as a teaching team: 1) Show students how you figure out a genome sequence, 2) Show students how big the human genome is and 3) Show students what scientist can do once they figure out a genome sequence.

DNA Facts.doc

We teach the following units:

Strawberry DNA Extraction – In this unit, students are shown how to extract DNA from strawberries using common household products. Students learn about each step in a usual DNA extraction process and also get to see and play with real DNA.

Strawberries and DNA.doc

DNA Sequencing Game – This unit is centered around a computer game that Jay Gertz, a former member of our teaching team, programmed. The computer game lets the students sequence a strand of DNA by going through all of the steps necessary to determine a DNA sequence. The students usually race to see who can sequence their strand of DNA first.  Here's the accompanying handout: Introduction to Sanger Sequencing.doc

How Long is Your Genome – This unit uses basic math skills to show students just how big their genome is. We calculate how a long a sentence would have to be to hold one students entire genome. We then compare the size of other organism’s genomes, showing that humans do not have the biggest genome on the planet.

HowLongGenome.doc

DNA and Evolution – In this unit we show students how we can use DNA to determine how different organisms are related. Through different examples students are introduced to the idea of phylogenetic trees and shown that DNA can help to clarify difficult to determine evolutionary relationships.

Gourdomics – This unit demonstrates how an organisms DNA (or genotype) can relate to an organisms characteristics (or phenotype). Students study a set of gourds together with their genotype and determine what phenotype is being affected. In the end, students are given the genotype of a mystery gourd and must pick it out from a set of possible mystery gourds.

Gourdomics demo.doc

Tasting Strips – This unit shows the students how their genotype can affect them. The students taste strips of paper, some students will not be able to taste anything and others will. We explain that only students with a particular DNA sequence are able to taste anything. We then look at how traits, like taste, are passed through families by looking at different pedigrees.

Taste Strips.doc