One afternoon in April, 19 students from Murray Hill
Middle School in Laurel, Md., visited the laboratory of
Aravinda Chakravarti in the School of Medicine's
McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine. Through
a grant provided by Kaiser Permanente, their teacher,
Amanda Brewer, runs a weekly after-school science activity
club and plans occasional visits to various health care
settings to give her students some exposure to the health
sciences. The trips are designed to encourage them to
choose health science careers. For many, this trip was
their first visit to a university, and for more it was
their first visit to a research laboratory.
As hosts, our mission was simple: to teach genetics to
middle school students in a way that was fun. Our two hours
was planned to the minute: first, greetings by David Valle,
director of the institute; second, a short slide show about
the basic principles of DNA and heredity; third, a DNA
model building exercise; fourth, a tour of the lab and its
robotics equipment; and then, the grand finale, a hands-on
activity to make DNA from strawberries. Ambitious, yes, but
it was designed to be high-packed to meet the high
expectations of today's young students.
Our initial meeting with the students found them
seemingly more excited to be out of school than in a new
environment. No matter how much we tried to engage them,
the prejudices that most kids have about science were
evident. When Dr. Valle asked if any were excited to learn
science, many said no, adding that biology was boring. Even
snacks did not help.
We were up for a big challenge. Yet, with the slide
show on heredity and discussions of real examples of
genetic traits like tongue rolling, they developed a
glimmer of interest as they started to examine themselves
for these traits. This was a good start.
Next up: making a DNA model from candy. Using two
strands of Twizzlers and some gumdrops of different colors,
they were to set up the DNA helix, first building a
ladderlike structure with two gumdrops stuck together in
specific color combinations to form each rung. Many
preferred eating their bases to putting them together. But
once the first student raised and twisted his finished
ladder and the model of the double helical structure of DNA
formed before their eyes, the others rushed to finish their
own DNA models. As they were all proudly modeling their
creations, I noted to one student, Desmond Sessomes, "Hey,
you have a lot of mutations in your DNA." After a few
moments, he shouted, "I have a cancer!" Not many people
would be so excited to have uttered those words, nor would
I have been pleased to hear such words from a child, but it
was true: He did have a model of a cancerous DNA. And in a
few moments, it was thoroughly enjoyed and resting soundly
in his stomach.
Tykia Harper, a student from
Murray Hill Middle School in Laurel, Md., isolates DNA from
strawberries.
Photo by Courtesy of Betty Doan
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After the students ate their DNA, they toured the lab
to see how we conduct genetic research using robotic- and
microchip-based technologies. Working off their great
excitement from seeing robots in action, they were ready to
conduct their own experiment — isolating DNA from
strawberries. Donning gloves, they mashed the strawberries
to separate the cells and then added a mixture of
dishwashing detergent and salt to break them open. As they
slowly poured ice-cold rubbing alcohol into their test
tubes to precipitate the DNA, they watched in awe as a
stringy white substance started to form before their eyes.
Shouts of "Is that the DNA?" "Where is my DNA?" "Cool!"
were heard throughout the lab. Some students were so
excited that they asked if they could keep their tubes to
show their moms.
Soon they were gone from the lab, leaving behind an
aroma of strawberries and detergent as a reminder of our
day together.
Those of us working as researchers at Hopkins strive
to be the best at what we do, to be at the forefront of the
research in our fields and to be well recognized for our
achievements. We appreciate the value of a long-term time
commitment, as many careers are built on decades of work.
However, we often neglect what I believe is our
responsibility to provide opportunities to the young. Too
often, social and economic situations will be barriers to
opportunities for some young students, but even more
damaging is the disconnect between what is taught in
schools and what one can do professionally.
Students who think that science is boring will quickly
close the door to potential new exposures to the field. Of
course, sometimes our work is boring and mundane, but it is
the intellectual curiosity it generates that makes it
interesting — and that often cannot be taught through
books but instead is better shown. Regardless of the work
that we do, unless we can teach that work to others —
making it interesting to those not in the field — we
lessen our impact on our community. As long as there is an
expectation that we will invest our time in research that
may take years to conduct, there should be an expectation
that we will invest our time in promoting our fields to
those younger students who will be the future researchers.
Many of these interactions between academic institutions
and public schools do currently exist, but not enough. We
constantly must find new, creative ways to increase such
opportunities.
By the end of the students' visit, quite a number of
them had claimed interest in pursuing science — a
stark contrast to their initial responses. Even if none
become genetic researchers, they will have gained a better
understanding and appreciation of genetics and the work we
do.
"I thought scientists just did a bunch of math and
measuring, but they get to do fun things, too," said Tina
Howard. "I hope I can come back soon."
As Daniel Nathans, one of our institute's namesakes,
said in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, "I am struck by
the good fortune that came my way. Throughout my schooling,
there was an abundance of opportunity and encouragement."
We in our lab hope that the few hours we shared with
Amanda Brewer's students gave them opportunity to learn and
encouragement to dream. And that some of them, at least,
will join the next generation of scientists.
Editor's note: Betty Doan is a research fellow in the
School of Medicine's McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic
Medicine.