For Immediate Release: July 17, 2001
Reprinted from the May/June 2001 DMS Digest
Contact: DMS Communications (603) 650-1520
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Hands on for DNA

Hanover, NH -- DNA took center stage when Lebanon High sophomores visited Dartmouth Medical School for discussion and demonstrations by medical school professors. More than 50 biology students and teacher Mary Maxfield participated in a pilot program spearheaded by Associate Dean for Medical Education David Nierenberg, MD, to help supplement the high school science curriculum.

Nierenberg said he became interested in building a relationship between Lebanon High School and DMS when his children took science courses there. "Public high schools with tight budgets encounter severe constraints developing laboratories to go with their science classes. It's the laboratory exercises that make science come alive for students. Gifted teachers like Ms.Maxfield are always looking for new ways to stimulate their students,while the medical school has superb teaching lab facilities that are not always in use,and superb faculty who love to teach," he said.

The visitors heard about DNA sequences, gel electrophoresis, restriction enzymes to cleave long DNA molecules into smaller pieces, and antibiotic resistance genes, topics that dovetailed with their high school biology curriculum on DNA. Connie Brinckerhof, PhD, professor of medicine and of biochemistry, began with a review of DNA structure and biochemistry, highlighting how gels and probes work to separate and identify DNA sequences. She showed an excerpt from the popular television series, X-Files, where the star agent suspected she had been infected by a virus from an alien culture. The FBI agent-scientist used a common research technique called a Southern Blot analysis to test if her cleaved DNA matched fragments prepared from the alien viral DNA.

Ronald K. Taylor, PhD, DMS professor of microbiology & immunology
Photo courtesy of Lisa S. Bertrand

Then Ronald Taylor, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology, discussed bacteria and the challenge of antibiotic resistance, explaining how scientists can search for markers that indicate bacteria have integrated genes to become resistant to common antibiotics. Students moved to the teaching laboratory to observe and participate in experiments. Properly attired with safety goggles (to protect eyes against UV light) and latex gloves (to protect against lab chemicals and pathogens), they helped pour an agar gel, loaded the gel with different digests of viral DNA, ran the gel, stained the DNA fragments of interest with an appropriate DNA probe, and looked for differences in the DNA fragments under UV light.

Assistant Superintendent Jacqui Guillette, who also accompanied the group, expressed appreciation for the opportunity DMS afforded to enrich the students' science foundation, noting that high school facilities are limited. Biology teacher Maxfield added,"This is an important component for us; students get to see state-of-the-art technology. It is extremely difficult to offer a similar experience to classes that meet for only 50 minutes each day."

Nierenberg hopes this pilot project will grow into a more substantial relationship between DMS and the science program at Lebanon High School next year, and perhaps begin to involve other neighboring school districts as well.

Hali Wickner

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