TTU biochemistry students take sleuthing back to school
klykins@tntech.edu
Office of Communications & Marketing
Give Casey McCormick and his fellow biochemistry students a blender, some green peas and 100 high school students and you have the perfect recipe for inspiring more youngsters to study science.
Through a recent two-day DNA fingerprinting program, Tennessee Tech University undergraduates gave area high school students an introduction to the real-world capabilities of the technology commonly used by researchers, criminologists and health care workers in genetic identification.
After outlining the procedures involved in extracting and purifying DNA, it was time for some hands-on participation, said McCormick, a junior biochemistry major and teaching assistant.
“The fun really began with the extraction of DNA using a blender, green peas and reagents purchased from a local grocery store,” said McCormick.
TTU’s chemistry and biology departments joined to support the project, but it was TTU’s Undergraduate Affiliate Network, populated by student members of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, that led more than 100 high school students from Monterey and Cookeville in the outreach project. TTU’s student group was selected by the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology as one of the top three chapters in the United States based on activities and leadership.
The DNA project was even featured recently in a “Communities” column in the Washington Times.
McCormick said another activity allowed students to identify the possible perpetrator of a crime from a pre-prepared and developed agarose gel.
“It definitely challenged the students and made them feel like real crime busters. Students had to identify the different samples in the gel using the DNA ladder. In addition to pinpointing the correct suspect, students compared the DNA fragments of each possible suspect,” he said.
McCormick said his group is committed to helping reach younger students and nurture their interests in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers.
“The entire exercise was designed to give students insight into the procedures of real science, and many were surprised at how fun and involved it was,” said McCormick.
“Students often have misconceptions about the level of complexity and the amount of time needed during scientific endeavors, something we like to nickname the ‘CSI effect.’
“We really thought about this, because a lot of things, especially in biochemistry, take hours to do. It took me 10 hours to prep some of these things for them to do,” he said.
McCormick says the UAN group hopes to use the Millard Oakley STEM Center, scheduled to open this spring, as another resource to expand the outreach program for wider, more regional impact. They plan to continue this program on an annual basis, providing new activities each year.
“We look forward to serving as a model for science outreach among all UAN institutions,” he said.
Jeff Boles, TTU’s chemistry department chairperson, said, “This chapter does a wonderful job championing science. Beginning last year, they also judged at the Upper Cumberland Regional Science Fair and presented two awards on behalf of the ASBMB.
“I've been their adviser from many years and have witnessed this club grow in service activities. I'm very proud of their accomplishments.”
