We caught up with Dr. Alex Brown, Biology teacher at Kings, as he described how Kings Oxford Biology and Chemistry students were recently treated to an exciting Forensics lab science workshop run by Baylab, at Bayer UK’s offices in Reading. Baylab is an educational wing of the pharmaceutical giant Bayer, offering free state-of-the-art lab sessions to schools and highlighting the links between education and careers in industry.
Baylab manager Emma Schierbaum, ably assisted by industry placement student Reva, helped our students understand and carry out DNA amplification and profiling techniques. Using a missing person case scenario – a missing person eaten by a shark off the coast of Cornwall! – the students were given multiple DNA samples to see which one matched the victim. They first had to understand the concept of short tandem repeats, or STRs, which vary among humans and can therefore be used to identify individuals. The students then carried out the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, which amplifies specific sections of DNA into the vast amounts needed to analyse it using a heat-resistant DNA polymerase enzyme, a method used in labs across the world.
Lastly, after a lunch break the students returned to perform the gel electrophoresis method, which uses the negative electric charge of DNA to “pull” it through a gel and separate the different lengths of the DNA by size. They the observed and compared the pattern of DNA bands under UV light, and confirmed the sample that matched the victim. It was very pleasing to see all of our students get the correct result! In addition to helping students understand PCR and gel electrophoresis, which are on the A-level syllabus. But perhaps even more importantly, the chance to work with cutting edge equipment in an industry setting engaged their minds, made them think outside the box and gave them a true glimpse of what a career in lab science would be like. All in all the students found it to be a hugely enjoyable and inspiring day, thank you to everyone who made the trip possible.
