St. Frances Academy Students Attend Special Biotech Class at UMBI

 
(1st photo: [from left-Row 1] Jennie Queen-Baker, Lauren Claudle, Jaleesa Gregg, Denita Hill, Taja Alston, Melanie Folks. [Row 2] Shamira Franklin, Richard Bailey, Athena Jomo, Imani Martin, Peg Prentice. [Row 3] James Boyd, Dishwan Bradshaw, Justin Maddox, Michael Georges, Kevin Mickey, Jordan Lambert, Ryan Giles, and LeShaunta Clark)

Baltimore, MD - This week 20 students from Baltimore’s St. Frances Academy Biotechnology Class came to UMBI’s Columbus Center to participate in a hands-on “Bacterial Transformation” lab. This is the sixth biotech lab program to be presented to the students as part of a special collaboration between UMBI and the St. Frances Academy. Other programs included DNA extraction, a sickle cell anemia gel electrophoresis lab, an enzyme function lab, DNA fingerprinting and a spectrophotometric analysis lab. The class will come back in April to participate in an Environmental lab.

“We are an underserved school, in an underserved area,” says St. Frances Academy Teacher Peg Prentice, a former cancer researcher at the National Cancer Institute which is part of the National Institute of Health who left to begin her career as a “biologist who teaches.” “Given the area in which we live and the employment potential in biotechnology, I wanted to expose my students to this possibility,” said Ms. Prentice. “I met UMBI’s education and outreach coordinators at a loaner lab training session and that is when I formulated the idea to create a top program in the country for biotechnology. UMBI has been great to work with and we could not present this science to our students without the use of their equipment and the help of their talented staff. “

The seniors participating in this special biotechnology program also received chemistry and forensic science training in previous school years. Several of the seniors in the special St. Frances Academy biotechnology class have already decided to pursue careers in nursing, forensic science and biotechnology as a result of their interactive course studies and exposure to hands-on science learning.

UMBI’s Education and Outreach Program curriculum development specialist Jennie Queen-Baker worked with Peg Prentice and the Academy to foster this monthly lab program at the Columbus Center. The March 2006 program was an introduction to genetic engineering. “Each student is provided with a laboratory protocol sheet with instructions and a series of questions to answer as part of the lab,” says Ms. Queen-Baker who has over 12 years working experience in various molecular biology research labs. “In this particular lab students alter the genetics of bacteria by inserting genes called Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) and AMPR which provides resistance to the antibiotic ampicillin. By doing this, it both produces a green fluorescent color in the bacteria under ultra violet light and allows the bacteria to grow in the presence of ampicillin. This particular lab procedure is intended to introduce students to the concepts of genetic engineering and the potential uses within the numerous fields of biotechnology including medical, environmental, and agricultural applications,” says Jennie Queen-Baker. “This lab also actually carries over into their classroom as the agar plates they inoculated at UMBI are taken to their school and reviewed in two days time.”

During the lab, students get to use a water bath to heat shock the bacteria, an incubator to grow the bacteria, and ultra violet lamps so that they can see what these cultures will look like in two days time. Students attempt to transform a strain of E. coli by inserting plasmid DNA which contains the two genes of interest. The equipment used by the students includes micropipettes, vortexers, sterile loops and other pieces of equipment and compounds commonly used in a biotech labs. The students also collect data and write down observations during the experiment as one would do in a commercial lab. Also as part of the UMBI and St. Frances collaboration, students from the Academy have attended research lab tours and presentations from UMBI faculty and graduate students regarding their research following these monthly lab sessions.

“This is just one of many education and outreach activities performed by UMBI to spur interest in science in middle and high school students, as well as inform them about community college and other four-year degree programs out there that can lead them to a wonderful career opportunity,” said Dr. Jennie Hunter-Cevera, President of UMBI. “Between the Maryland Loaner Lab program, the SciTech program, our participation in the MdBiolab the mobile laboratory, our Teacher Training and Expert programs we are touching the lives of hundreds of thousands of students all across the State, including a number of minority student populations. We hope their experiences with UMBI will lead them into a science learning track and a biotech career opportunity.”

Friday, March 31st UMBI will host the second in a series of 20th anniversary education programs which highlights the various learning and professional development opportunities UMBI has to offer teachers and students. The program will be held from 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and includes live SciTech sessions and other hands-on training opportunities. For more information about the UMBI science education programs, visit http://www.umbi.umd.edu/educ/.

In April 2006, Peg Prentice will attend the Biotech Institute’s teacher leadership program. She was one of just 100 teachers selected from across the country to participate in this four-day conference.

To see more pictures, visit www.umbi.umd.edu/nande/gallery

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The St. Frances Academy (SFA), established in 1828, is a private Catholic school located in Baltimore City with African-American roots. The school has operated for over 175 years under the Oblate Sisters of Providence and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools. To learn more about the academy visit www.sfacademy.org.

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Celebrating our 20th anniversary year, UMBI is Maryland's premier biotechnology research institute within the University System of Maryland and was established in 1985. The University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) consists of five major research and education centers and is dedicated to advancing the frontiers of biotechnology. UMBI’s centers of research include: CARB, the Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology located in Rockville; CBR, the Center for Biosystems Research located in College Park; and COMB, the Center of Marine Biotechnology, MBC, the Medical Biotechnology Center, and IHV, the Institute of Human Virology, all located in Baltimore. For more information, visit www.umbi.umd.edu