On Thursday, March 20th, MassBioEd came to Malden High School and held an open lab in which students of all grades could participate. The lab attracted students passionate about getting an opportunity to engage in an activity about biotechnology. Sandra Luikenhuis, the assistant director of Biotechnology Education Programs, shared some insight in regards to MassBioEd and how they operate.
“MassBioEd does workforce development and education to increase the diversity in the biotech workforce to build a sustainable future for people coming through the pipeline,” stated Luikenhuis.
Luikenhuis holds a PhD in Molecular Biology and Genetics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and hopes to use her achievements to help bring out the scientific passion of all students interested in enhancing their STEM skills.
“I hope to get students interested in biotech and in science. I hope to teach them that science is not sitting in a classroom and listening to your teacher, and learning a bunch of facts. There’s some of that, but once you get into the life sciences, there’s a lot to do; it’s what we’re gonna do today, and I’m also hoping to make some connections with the students so we can mentor them if they’re interested,” expressed Luikenhuis.
“I hope to teach them that science is not sitting in a classroom and listening to your teacher, and learning a bunch of facts.”
Freshman Aya Bihi, a student who took part in this lab, shared her experience and what she learned by taking part in this lab.
“It was a very educational and fun experience. We got to do gel electrophoresis on different cows,” claimed Bihi.
Gel electrophoresis is a form of bacterial transformation and laboratory technique that separates DNA and RNA fragments from genetic material. The students first prepare the gel, which is used to help sort the material, then load the sample (which in this case was different cow material), then the electrophoresis, which uses an electrical charge to separate the genetic particles and distinguish them.
“I learned how to differentiate between different alleles of a gene,” stated Bihi.
MassBioEd did not just randomly come to Malden High School. MHS is one of the access districts in which scientific resources are abundant, which is a great opportunity for students to explore these resources and take advantage of the opportunities provided.
“We run the ACCESS program, and the Malden School District is one of our ACCESS districts,” explained Luikenhuis. “We also, in several other districts where we partner with schools, apply for grants together and help them purchase equipment.” In addition, they “come in and help the teachers teach laboratory signs to their students with the idea that after three years they can then be self-sustainable.”
Opportunities like these are always available at Malden High School. This MassBioEd lab is one of the many examples of useful resources here at the school, where students who have not had enough learning from the school day can further train their brains during after-school time.
