Summer workshops gave teachers an opportunity to work through the scientific process as researchers. Both the technology they were using and the way of working was new to the teachers, and they were very enthusiastic about both.
Teachers did biotechnology and bioinformatics work. They extracted and cloned DNA and send it off for sequencing. Then they performed bioinformatics analysis including sequence alignments, phylogenetics and protein modeling.
Teachers created lessons that they could take back to the classroom to expose their students to—and get them excited about—the scientific process and potential career opportunities in the biotech field. To help teachers think concretely about using this material in their classrooms on an ongoing basis, project staff invited a guest teacher to speak about how he’s used this material in his classroom. Follow-up meetings and classroom visits are planned to support teachers as they experiment with and tailor this content for their students.