Members of the Biological Chemistry department, led by graduate student Beth Rousseau, volunteered in the five sections of a Forensics course at Ypsilanti Community High School in early December. The volunteers guided small groups of ~4 students each as the students collected their own DNA samples, assembled PCR reactions, and analyzed their PCR products on an agarose gel. The lab was performed over two class periods, and 89 students participated in at least one day of the lab. Thank you to Fabienne Birkle, Cassie Dutcher, Benjamin Ide, Kip Kaitany, Karl Koebke, Cara Loomis, Allison Maebius, Anjali Patwardhan, Emily Roberts, Rosa Romero, Beth Rousseau, and Yun Zhang for making this scientific outreach event possible!
A spring lab is being planned and will likely take place in May. To learn about volunteering with CLICKS, please contact the director, Beth Rousseau ([email protected]). CLICKS promotes science education in underserved and diverse schools by bringing biochemistry-focused lab activities to classrooms in order to supplement students’ education, engage them in science, and build their confidence as emerging scientists.
For more information about the recent event, see the CLICKS Fall 2019 Communiqué.