Mars High students study DNA at Pitt
PITTSBURGH — The fingerprints of 31 Mars High School students are all over the University of Pittsburgh's microbiology lab.
The advanced-placement biology students recently traveled to Pitt to participate in a molecular biology workshop offering hands-on experience in crime investigation techniques.
Kalei Tacik, a Mars junior, enjoyed using the same equipment as police use in investigating a crime. She said the exercise expanded her knowledge of DNA fingerprinting.
“I plan to pursue some science-related field, so it definitely helped me learn more,” Kalei said.
Mark Wesley, also a junior and the son of biology teacher Bill Wesley, agreed with his classmate.
“It's good to do it hands-on as opposed to learning from a book,” Mark said.
Karim Lahlou, also a junior, said while he plans to pursue a business career after high school, he appreciates the opportunity to deepen his level of learning in any field.
“It's so interesting,” Karim said of the DNA fingerprinting. “It's definitely a good experience to be able to come and do this.”
Bill Wesley said the trip to Pitt reinforces the concepts in his biology curriculum, allows students access to professional equipment and provides a real-life science application.
He said the trip also shows the high school students college is not the grand, scary institution they imagine.
“It may help negate those fears,” Wesley said.
He said one student who is an identical twin and another whose mother and aunt are identical twins brought swabs from home to demonstrate the exact DNA match of twins.
Wesley said student feedback on the trip has been positive, especially because most of the students plan to pursue a career in the sciences after high school.
“The rest of the school year, they'll come up to me and say, 'I saw this on CSI, and I understood it!'” Wesley said.
He has been taking students to the Pitt labs annually for 16 years.
The DNA fingerprinting process, taught by the Pitt biology department's outreach coordinator Becky Gonda, involved the students swabbing the inside of their mouths for a cell sample, isolating their DNA by adding chemicals to a test tube containing the cells, adding a series of solutions to copy and amplify the DNA, placing the test tubes into a machine that makes multiple copies of the DNA, then loading the DNA into a gel that is cooled through an electrical current.
Students then stained the result to view the tiny line sequence that would become their own DNA fingerprint.Gonda guided the students through each step of the process, educating them on exactly what happens to the DNA on a molecular level. The students were comfortable with the college-level lesson because they have been studying DNA principles in their AP biology classes at Mars.“They're fantastic,” Gonda said of the group. “This is my third year working with the Mars students, and they're very knowledgeable and their techniques are great. They are up there with the undergrads.”She said the students also benefited from seeing the DNA fingerprinting process carried out in a real research setting, as opposed to the flashy set of a TV forensics drama.“The stuff they do on CSI? It's not as glamorous here, or as quick,” Gonda said.Mark Wesley summed up the feelings of all the students who came to the molecular lab at Pitt's Langley Hall.“DNA is cool.”They are up there with the undergrads.”She said the students also benefited from seeing the DNA fingerprinting process carried out in a real research setting, as opposed to the flashy set of a TV forensics drama.“The stuff they do on CSI? It's not as glamorous here, or as quick,” Gonda said.Mark Wesley summed up the feelings of all the students who came to the molecular lab at Pitt's Langley Hall.“DNA is cool.”
