Team:CIDEB-UANL Mexico/HP-SchoolDiffusion-SchoolTalks

Institute Francisco Javier Mina - Institute Independence - Junior High #72 "Emma Godoy" - Junior High #76

Institute Francisco Javier Mina (Date: March 19, 2013) - Return

Description:For this contest, this was the first school visited for IGEM CIDEB 2013´s Human Practices Team; the school was the Instituto Francisco Javier Mina which is a junior high. We visited both groups of 9th grade, in total It were approximately 60 students. The didactic was exposing them in their classroom for not join both groups. Within the class topics were basic concepts about DNA, Proteins, Genetic Engineering, Biobricks and Synthetic Biology, Ethics and finally obviously what Igem is and means. Most of the students were very interested although the explanation was just in theory. Even some of the students participated asking questions about the ethics and its role here, the principal of this school was very happy because we cared teach them this topics.

Activity: You own DNA extraction.
Objective:To show the students how easy is to extract DNA explaining with details the causes of using each ingredient.
Materials: - Water - Transparent Soap - Food Coloring - Salt - Isopropyl Alcohol 70% - 5 transparent beakers - Spoon - Agitator - Measuring Cup
Procedure:
Step 1: Mix 500 ml of water with 1/8 cup of salt. Move the water with a spoon until the salt dissolves.
Step 2: Transfer 3 cups of salted water to a beaker.
Step 3: Rinse your mouth with salted water for 1 minute.
Step 4: Spit the water into another beaker (At this point of your cheek cells are suspended in salt water).
Step 5: Pour a little washing in a glass transparent avoiding bubbles. Mixing with a stirrer the soap with saltwater. (This breaks down cell membranes liberating DNA).
Step 6: In another beaker mix 100ml of isopropyl alcohol and 3 drops of food coloring.
Step 7: Tilt the glass of salt water and poured alcohol dye forming a top layer.
Step 8: Wait 3 minutes and start to see little white lumps that's your DNA.

Institute Independence (Date: March 15, 2013) - Return

Description:This was the second day of action of human practices CIDEB-IGEM´s team. With the intention of spreading iGEM and synthetic biology we went to Institute Independence located in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. When we arrived we met Professor Martha Alejandra Hernandez Del Valle who kindly lent us her two groups of ninth grade to talk about iGEM and synthetic biology, the groups were composed of 20 students. We set out to provide the first class where we met the students, arriving we discussed in the presentation, a brief introduction about everything we do, which is Synthetic biology and iGEM. The students were very interested that they began to ask questions. We caused great impact on this visit, as some students to ask more about iGEM and how could they join it, other noticed that biology is very fun.

Activity: Extract DNA from a banana.
Objective:To attract students to the fascinating world of Synthetic Biology with a simple practice.
Materials: - Glass - Fork - Dish - Strainer or paper napkin - Banana - Liquid Soap - Salt - Pineapple Natural Juice - Alcohol
Procedure:
Step 1: Grind the banana with a fork until it is a slurry.
Step 2: Meets the resultant banana porridge and add a teaspoon of liquid soap and stir.
Step 3: It adds a pinch of salt and stir again.
Step 4: Then all together and add few pineapple juice.
Step 5: Napkin With filtered through the spleen napkin.
Step 6: Alcohol is added to the vessel with the cast and banana slurry.
Step 7: Ready is time to enjoy our banana DNA.

Junior High #72 "Emma Godoy" (Date: May 24, 2013) - Return

Description:This time we attended Junior High # 72 Emma Godoy, located in Pico de Orizaba no. 140 at Monterrey Nuevo Leon. For this talk we were working with first-year students, who were divided into 4 meeting 40 children each. The exposure of the subjects got easier because the students had attended the Tunnel of Synthetic Biology which was held last year by the members of IGEM UANL. We were dedicated to explain subjects so a little deeper because they already had prior information; at the end of the talk they had the chance to clarify their doubts more openly. Many of them showed great enthusiasm wondering about the techniques that we use in the lab or in the resolution of certain problems, including lost of their rest time. Other things that caught their attention were the extraction of DNA from the banana and the activity in which they could make their own saliva extraction realizing that they do not need a large laboratory in order to do what they like.

Junior High #76 (Date: June 10, 2013) - Return

Description:Today we visited a Junior high #76 located in the city of Garcia, Nuevo León. We exposed to three groups of 7th grade the topics of DNA, proteins, genetic engineering, synthetic biology, iGEM and our project of the bioinsecticide.

The first group in which we give the talk was peaceful and they showed a little of curiosity about the topics, at the end of this talk two students come with us to ask us if there were some link in which they could find more information about the team and the project, so we give they the Facebook page of our team: iGEM CIDEB 2013. The second group of students was impatient and very actives because they were coming from the break and them couldn´t concentrate good in our explanation but the example of the cat with the fluorescent protein get their attention at the end.

The least group we had was interested in the topics and after we finish the presentation they ask us a lot of questions about the project and our high school. Students ask us information about CIDEB and the requirements that they need to enter at the school. We observed that students at this junior high didn’t know about the news applications that biology has and the advances and projects that can be created with synthetic biology. At the end of our visit one teacher grateful for visit the school and for inform students about the school and this kind of projects in which they can approach theirs abilities.