Hands-on DNA: Bacterial evolution
The continual struggle between bacterial pathogens and their hosts is an excellent illustration of evolution in action, driven by changes in the bacterial DNA.
View the workshop's flyer.
'Hands-on DNA: Bacterial Evolution' allows KS4 students to step into the role of a clinical bacteriologist and use research-grade laboratory equipment to investigate DNA samples from new outbreaks of a bacterial disease. Will the Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria in question cause a mild case of strep throat or a potentially deadly episode of necrotising fasciitis?
The workshops includes:
- use of micropipettes
- restriction enzymes
- gel electrophoresis
- analysis of 'bacterial' DNA
- additional activities to reinforce learning about DNA, restriction enzymes and evolution.
At the end of the workshop students look at the DNA evidence, and decide what advice to give their colleagues at the scene of the outbreak and whether their outbreak samples need further investigation.
Flexible format
The workshop can be delivered in two formats:
- a 2.5 hour workshop, starting at 10am or at 1pm, or
- a whole day workshop that runs between 10am and 3pm, and includes an hour for lunch.
If run as a whole day workshop, the day also includes bioinformatics activities in Nowgen's cutting-edge bioinformatics suite. Bioinformatics is an important area of contemporary bioscience that fuses the disciplines of maths, computing and biology.
Pricing
- The 2.5h workshop costs £150, for a maximum of 25 students
- The whole day workshop costs £300, also for a maximum of 25 students
More information
For more information regarding this workshop or to book onto the workshop, please contact the Nowgen's Education Project Manager, Dr Matthew Hickman:
Phone: + 44 (0)161 276 8947
Email: mat.hickman@nowgen.org.uk
This workshop was developed at the Centre for Life, Newcastle, in collaboration with Nowgen and At-Bristol, as part of the Hands-on DNA project, kindly supported by the Wellcome Trust.
