Summer SAVY 2017, Session 6/Day 2- Industrial Microbiology (Rising 4th/5th)

Posted by morganr1 on Tuesday, July 25, 2017 in SAVY.

Hello again parents and students,

Day two has come and gone! Our time is flying by so fast!

We started off the day by recapping what we had learned from yesterday. Each student got to stand up with their group and present. I was very impressed by how much everyone remembered as well as the great speaking skills! Way to go!

Everyone did a great job participating in the diagram of gene expression (DNA to RNA to protein). We learned about base-pairs (ATCG) and how the “bookreader” (aka ribosomes) read the genetic code and translate it into protein. We spent the rest of day learning about genetically modified organisms GMOs, and how to genetically engineer a genome. This led us into a deep conversation on ethics and how far can we go with gene modification, which will be re-addressed at the end of our week after students have had time to process views from both sides of the argument. We also learned how to track proteins that have been inserted into a new organism by using green fluorescent proteins (GFP) which glows green in the new organism under UV (similar to glow-fish at pet stores).

We ended our day with a field trip to VANTAGE, Vanderbilt’s sequencing center, where students were introduced to the many DNA sequencing tools scientists use to read the genome. Everyone was shocked by the cost of each instrument!

Have a great evening!

See you tomorrow,

Mr. Josh O’Hair