Biotechnology Laboratory for Arizona Students and Teachers (BLAST)
THE LAB: A molecular biology laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment was established in Tucson Magnet High School in 2006. Margaret Wilch, biology teacher at the school, is director of the laboratory, which has the support of Principal Abel Morado. Initial equipment was purchased with a National Science Foundation grant to Nancy Moran, Regent’s Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. About $30,000 worth of equipment (owned by UA) is part of the lab, including equipment needed for PCR amplification, running gels and imaging them, performing restriction digests, etc.. DNA sequencing at the UA Genomic Analysis and Technology Center (Arizona Research Laboratories) is available.
The equipment will remain at TMHS for use in other research-based classes and activities, such as science fair projects, and workshops with teachers. An expectation is that other research-based activities from UA would be able to use BLAST as a foundation for additional workshops or classes involving high school teachers and students.
SUMMER 2006: An inaugural use for the laboratory was a summer course taught July 17-August 3 2006. This course included 22 high school students and 3 high school teachers as students. Students and teachers worked in groups to learn and apply basic molecular biology skills, in the context of research questions developed in the class. Students started with living organisms (insects and bacteria), extracted DNA, and performed PCR to amplify a particular gene region of choice. Products were submitted to the UA GATC facility for sequencing. The students then used bioinformatics software available on the web in order to compare their sequences to related sequences in public databases.
Through these hands-on activities, students learned about genomics and gene function, molecular biology, evolution, bioinformatics, and computational biology. Some of the student projects focused on the role of genetic differences in heat tolerance of aphids; this relates directly to the research supported by the Moran NSF grant. Many connections to biomedical research were developed in the class. Students learned to read and analyze scientific papers from the primary research literature, and they learned about the scientific enterprise in general. They toured the UA GATC and the Moran research lab where they met student and advanced researchers. All students participated in presentations of their work in a final session, attended by parents and others.
Staff: Margaret Wilch was paid though the UA from the Moran NSF Biocomplexity award. Wilch and Moran organized the course and taught it, along with Al Agellon, who does outreach and education for the Arizona Research Laboratories. Two graduate students (one paid and one volunteer) helped teach the course. A few other UA staff gave guest lectures or lab tours.
High school students were selected from applicants based on personal statements, academic records and a letter of recommendation from a teacher. These students were 14-17 years old and entering the 10th, 11th or 12th grades in fall 2006. They included six Hispanic students (based on names), some from South Tucson. There were 12 males and 10 females. Students were from 12 high schools in Tucson, Elfrida, Morenci, Sierra Vista, and Scottsdale, including public, private and charter schools. Students received a certificate documenting their experience. All of them were enthusiastic about the course in evaluations, and several of them have since continued in lab-based research projects in UA labs or in science fair projects with Wilch.
High school teachers received 2 units of UA laboratory course credit, with tuition waivers funded by the Moran NSF grant. Registration was coordinated through the General Biology Program for Science Teachers in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics. The course was open to undergraduates interested in high school biology teaching, as well. Teachers attended one additional day before and one day after the high school students for discussion of teaching objectives, assessments and application to Arizona and national science standards.
SUMMER 2007: A similar class is planned for July 9-27 2007. The content and experimental system will be changed, enabling 2006 students to re-enroll. An aim is to increase the level even further, by including a couple of new methods (cloning, more bioinformatics). Bacterial culture will also be included in the 2007 version.
EQUIPMENT IN THE BLAST LAB: The following equipment was provided by the NSF Moran grant; additional equipment and facilities are available at Tucson High MS.
micropipettors ( 8 sets: P10, P20, P200, P1000)
tube holders (various sizes)
vortex mixers (4)
Eppendorf centrifuge
Eppendorf Mastercycler gradient thermocycler
horizontal DNA electrophoresis gel boxes (8)
electrophoresis power supplies (4)
UVP BioDoc-It UV gel transilluminator with camera and thermal printer
microwave oven
-20 freezer
Need additional info?
Contact Al Agellon agellon@u.arizona.edu
