Friday Headlines
the weekly newsletter from EHS
Junior genetic engineers
11 January 2019
Genetics is not something usually offered in Year 6 extracurricular activities at Edgbaston High School for Girls, but for the Genetic Engineering Challenge, we made an exception.
At the end of last term twelve Year 6 volunteers dedicated themselves to learning and mastering completely new concepts. After just one week, the girls applied their new found knowledge to create interactive activities for the rest of school to enjoy. Many a playtime was spent developing these.
The team’s efforts culminated in an outdoor ‘Genetics Fair’ held during playtime. Alice and Anfisa controlled the crowds, giving them a brief overview of some basic key terms and explaining what genetic modification means.
The girls then directed our eager visitors to our stalls:
- The Base Pair Race to build a DNA molecule and learn about its structure;
- Build an origami model of DNA while learning how its structure was discovered;
- Choose the best Mummy and Daddy dogs to make the perfect Dalmatian puppies whilst learning about selective breeding;
- Be amazed about the history of the humble carrot;
- Pin the plasmid in the bacterial cell while learning how insulin is made
We had 63 visitors ranging in age from 5 to 59, each coming away having learned something new.
We are very proud of our scientists and are eagerly awaiting the results of the challenge.
Genetic engineers
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