In the last two decades, DNA fingerprinting, individual identification via DNA sequencing, has been widely used and accepted in crime scene investigations, paternity testing, and ancestry research. Additionally, genetic testing sites are becoming more popular amongst the curious general public. Companies such as 23 and Me, Navigenics, and deCode send clients kits to be returned with saliva samples which are then sequenced. An online analysis report is provided for clients with information about genetic predispositions and ancestry. Moreover, recent headlines have been made by artists who have created 3D sculptures from DNA they sequenced from littered trash. 

With these funds I will provide Biology and Advanced Placement Biology students with the opportunity to conduct a real-world laboratory experience, via gel electrophoresis, the  biotechnology used to perform DNA fingerprinting. Electrophoresis chambers are used to separate DNA fragments by size, in order to analyze DNA. This laboratory experience will be part of a genetics unit in which students will think critically to explore the future of genetics and ethics. Is your consent needed to sequence your genome? Is it really possible to keep your genome anonymous? Should you be allowed to keep your genome anonymous? How can and will your genome be used? These highly debatable questions are likely to arise more frequently in our culture as genomic sequencing becomes more accessible and cost effective. Yet, the answers may cause apprehensiveness amongst both sides of the debate, as we are charting the territory of the unknown. My students will use this lab to help develop an argument about who should be the guardians of our genomes. 

My students deserve these resources as this is a lab performed in most Biology courses. Students in Advanced Placement Biology who study rigorous college-level content should also be able to perform a college-level lab activity and learn biotechnology skills and equipment to prepare them for both the Advanced Placement test and college science course. Hands-on investigations are not only engaging, but also help students gain a better understanding of content. In order to conduct this lab activity, I need to purchase an electrophoresis equipment package which can be used by students for many years to come. The total package which includes six electrophoresis chambers, three electrophoresis power supplies, six pipettors, a water batch, a microcentrifuge, and a white light/digital camera system costs a total of $6,150. (See link below) Please support the cause! The future of your genome may depend on it!

http://www.carolina.com/biotechnology-equipment-packages/carolina-electrophoresis-equipment-package-ii-110-v/213622.pr?question=

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