Henry using a pipette to experiment with mouse DNA.
Yesterday, we brought the students from Cody out to Ann Arbor for a visit to the University of Michigan. Deb Berman (Customer Experience Manager at DE) lined up an action packed day for the kids where they would get to meet up with a familiar face, Brandon Lucas, and make some new friends as well.
We started at Dr. Shannon Davis’ lab for a hands-on lesson on genetics. Dr. Davis works with mice to isolate and identify genes that cause developmental deformities. His studies can then be used to help recognize and prevent those same deformities in humans.
The kids started out in the lab. They learned to use pipettes to measure precise amounts of liquid down to the micro liter. Then they each got to “pipette” small amounts of mouse DNA into a gel solution for an experiment. After each “well” was filled with DNA, the container was closed and an electric current was run through the gel. Dr. Davis explained how the current would pull the DNA a certain distance through the gel depending on which dominant and recessive genes were present. The goal was to identify the gene for dwarfism.
The experiment takes an hour to run, so Shannon took the group into a lecture hall with a microscope hooked up to a projector. Here Shannon took out some of the mice he was working with. There were three mice in the cage; two normal sized mice, one tiny one. He asked the students to guess how the mice were related. Then Shannon told the students they were actually all brothers, and were all exactly the same age. The tiny one had a pairing of recessive genes for dwarfism. Shannon explained how a defective pituitary gland is what causes dwarfism because the brain doesn’t produce enough growth hormone.
Next, the students got to see unborn mice under the microscope at all different stages in development. Dr. Davis explained that in these early stages, mice and humans look very similar, and develop in similar ways. This is why all the research they do on mice can be directly related to work on humans.
After the lecture hall, we headed back in the lab to find out the results of the experiment. The DNA had formed colored bands in the gel. Shannon held up the gel and explained which genes were in which colored bands and why.
Dr. Davis showing the students the results of the experiment.
The students had effectively helped identify some DNA that was positive for the dwarfism trait. Shannon gave all the students a parting gift of a microscope slide containing a cross section of a mouse fetus!
After thank-yous and some fancy handshakes, we were on our way to the least educational part of the trip; New York Pizza Depot for some lunch. Find out about the second leg of the field trip in Part 2.
-Bryan
