TMU hosts Ontario Science Centre class for high school students
At front, right, Adam Lawson, science educator with the Ontario Science Centre, helps a student load a gel to complete part of their work in a special DNA Fingerprinting class that recently moved to TMU. Behind them, TMU 3rd-year science students Xia Huynh, left, and Chandrima Bhowmick, right, who are volunteering to help in the lab, look on. (Photo: Sarah McIntyre)
When Leigh Paulseth saw an opportunity to support the Ontario Science Centre's special high school lab, she sprang into action.
“I noticed that we started getting a number of requests for biology labs– specifically DNA fingerprinting,” said Paulseth, science outreach and enrichment coordinator at SciXchange, the TMU Faculty of Science outreach office that runs community programs.
“When I inquired a bit further, I found out that high school teachers were very sad that they weren’t able to go to the science centre this school year to complete that lab,” she explained.
New home for lab needed
Hundreds of high school students had taken the biology lab, DNA Fingerprinting, at the Ontario Science Centre for many years.
The centre’s closure prompted teachers and organizers to seek another home for the course, creating the sudden spike in requests for SciXchange to offer the class.
Paulseth says the lab is similar to chemistry and physics labs for high school students that SciXchange was already offering.
“I could see that it would be a really great fit,” Paulseth said, noting that the science centre’s DNA fingerprinting class is the first biology-based lab at this level as part of the SciXchange program.
Jennifer O’Leary, Team Lead, School Programs, Ontario Science Centre, left, and Leigh Paulseth, science outreach and enrichment coordinator at TMU’s SciXchange, pose in the new lab at TMU for the grade 12 biology class, DNA Fingerprinting. (Photo: Sarah McIntrye)
“So, I thought, instead of reinventing the wheel, maybe I would reach out to the science centre and see whether they had capacity to run some of these labs from TMU, as it turned out that we had some lab space available,” she explained.
Ontario Science Centre staff were thrilled with the idea.
“The Ontario Science Centre’s DNA Fingerprinting workshop has been a popular and in-demand program for many years, engaging thousands of students from across the province in real-world biotechnology,” said Lorrie Ann Smith, VP, learning and engagement, Ontario Science Centre.
“We’re proud to partner with TMU’s SciXchange to bring this exciting experience to even more students, strengthening our shared commitment to science education, communication, and community engagement," she continued.
Emily Agard, director of SciXchange, is equally as pleased.
"We are thrilled to be able to help this lab continue. SciXchange has enjoyed collaborating with the Ontario Science Centre over the years. Their work is so important for the community and aligns with our mission to make science engaging and accessible," she said.
Third-year TMU science students Xia Huynh, left, and Chandrima Bhowmick, right, say that volunteering to help in the Ontario Science Centre course at TMU is a special way to give back and inspire future generations in STEM. (Photo: Sarah McIntyre)
DNA Fingerprinting
The interactive lab, DNA Fingerprinting (external link) , is open to grade 12 high school students from across Ontario. It kicked-off at TMU mid-March and will continue to run in Kerr Hall until the end of June, with plans for additional classes throughout the summer.
Ontario Science Centre educators will deliver the full-day workshop at TMU.
In the course, students use biotechnology techniques and equipment to extract and amplify DNA using the polymerase chain reaction. Then students use gel electrophoresis to separate their DNA fragments and analyze their data to determine one's genotype and the genotypic frequency of inherited alleles.
The program has always offered students an opportunity to use university-level equipment. Bringing the workshop to TMU allows students to use the specialized resources available there.
Above, at the first DNA Fingerprinting lab at TMU on March 17, in white lab coats, TMU science student volunteers Xia Huynh and Chandrima Bhowmick at far left and far right. Joining them are students from Toronto high school St. Joseph’s College, from left to right, Juliane-Marie Lopez, Mia Maningo, Bianka Descartes, Chloe Jin, Yoonsuh Kang, Kera Alforque, Jayda Lozano, Lyca Panaga, Kayla Caputo. (Photo: Sarah McIntyre)
TMU science students volunteering in lab
TMU science students also have the opportunity to volunteer and help teach the class.
Chandrima Bhowmick, a third-year TMU biomedical sciences student, volunteered in the first DNA Fingerprinting class that took place at TMU on March 17.
“It’s such a great opportunity for these students. You’re not just watching someone else do the experiment for you - you're putting on a lab coat and actually doing the experiment yourself. In all of that excitement, this class could spark or enhance a student’s interest in pursuing science. And that's what we kind of want to do,” she said.
Xia Huynh, a third year biology student, is also volunteering to help in the lab.
“I think it's it's great to be able to help foster this interest in sciences, especially
to groups that may not grow up with that kind of encouragement, especially, like, women in STEM,” she said.
“That's a big thing. We’re also women in STEM, and I think it's amazing to be able to give back and encourage these young girls to look at possible career paths in this field,” she said.
Huynh added that students being able to work with their own DNA in the class made it even more engaging. “That extra personalization is awesome,” she said.
Paulseth says the partnership is a perfect alignment for SciXchange as well.
“Part of what SciXchange does is create opportunities for science students to build transferable skills as well as lab skills. So, this was a really ideal opportunity for our TMU science students to be able to volunteer and get more hands-on experience in the lab, as well as supporting the next generation of scientists,” she said.
