Programs for Clubs and Groups
Offerings for Elementary School and up!
The A C T G’s of Fruit!
1.5 hour course
What is DNA? What is a gene? We’ll learn by using chemistry to extract DNA from several fruits. Can you guess the number of chromosomes in each based on the amount of DNA?
Grow an Ecosystem!
1.5 hour course
Winogradsky columns allow you to grow your own ecosystem and learn how different soil bacteria use different nutrients to live. Come learn about soil ecosystems and create a long-term experiment to go home with!
Agar Art!
1 hour course
Use colored bacteria and yeast to create your own living art works by drawing with colored organisms on petri dishes.
Offerings for Middle School and up!
Eau That Smell!
10 hour course
In this lab, normally stinky smelling bacteria are made to smell sweet, like bananas. Four strains are compared for their banana smells. The activity teaches microbiology, genetics, and bioengineering.
Golden Rice
15 hour course
Genetically-modified foods are sometimes described as life-saving approaches to malnutrition, and sometimes protested as unnatural and unsafe. In this series of labs, you will work with a genetically modified organism that can be used to bake breads containing a super-dose of Vitamin A. You will test the bright orange yeast for vitamin production and for the food quality.
Offerings for High School and up!
Molecular Biotechnology Boot Camp
10 or 20 hour course
Learn all the basics of DNA manipulation, including DNA plasmid isolation, restriction digest, PCR, gel electrophoresis, ligation, and transformation. With these skills, you’ll be ready to design your own experiments!
iTUNE Device
4 hour course
This lab focuses on predictable design. Students will examine the role of parts, such as promoters and ribosome binding sites, in determining the output of a genetic device. The students measure β-galactosidase enzymatic activity as the device’s output, enabling them to look through the lens of molecular genetics to evaluate a device’s behavior.