Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DNA Learning Center

It’s Saturday, which means we have a small group of students doing hands-on science at the DNALC! Registration is open for In-person AP bio enrichment on six consecutive Saturdays starting March 27. You can also read more about our COVID-19 safety net protocols on our website. https://summercamps.dnalc.org/camps/ap-biology-course.html ... Anyone else having a science-y weekend?

Choose a research topic you're actually interested in! This advice was given by previous DNA barcoding student research teams, and we agree! Research takes a long time, and it will be much more fun if you're spending that time doing something you're interested in. What other advice do you have for students who are starting spring or summer research projects?

Forest loss, degradation and, fragmentation accelerate climate breakdown and biodiversity loss. This threatens global food and water security and it imperils the safety and the livelihoods of millions of people. World Wildlife Day is being celebrated in 2021 with the theme "Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet", as a way to highlight the central role of forests, forest species, and ecosystems in sustaining the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people gl...obally, and particularly of Indigenous and local communities with historic ties to forested and forest-adjacent areas. We biodiversity! Learn more: https://www.wildlifeday.org/ #ForestsPeoplePlanet #WWD2021

We are excited to welcome small numbers of students back into the DNA Learning Center in Cold Spring Harbor! One of our safety measures is limiting the number of students in the lab, but we are happy to have students back for the first time since last March. This group of students is taking our Green Genes camp on Saturdays. In this camp, students clone and express the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene. Their final goal is to extract and purify this jellyfish protein from... genetically engineered bacteria! (Maybe we'll have a future fluorescent Friday post featuring their results... ) If you live far away from the DNALC or aren't ready to return to in-person programs yet, we also have options for you! "Meet a Scientist" webinars, Virtual Saturday & Wednesday DNA sessions, Virtual Field Trips, and Virtual On-demand camps are all still happening. Visit dnalc.cshl.edu for more details, or leave your questions in the comments!

Up next in the Meet a Scientist webinar series: Miriam Ferrer Gonzalez! On Thursday, March 11, Miriam will present "The whole-body response to cancer" at 4:00 pm EST. Learn more and register for this free webinar: https://dnalc.cshl.edu/programs/meet-a-scientist.html

***Cancelled*** Unfortunately we have to cancel the February Meet a Scientist session - we'll be back in March and hope to see you then! On Thursday, February 11 at 4pm ET, Dr. Zador will present NeuroAI: From Connectome to Computation. Meet a Scientist talks are free and open to high school audiences and the public! These webinars are a chance to learn about research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and about the career paths of scientists, who will answer questions like: ...What got you interested in science? What are the most exciting things you are working on? What challenges did you overcome to achieve a career in research? Register here: https://cshl-dnalc.zoom.us/.../WN_vx60xP7sRRmkEG-4evbuZQ - you'll receive a Zoom link upon registration. Recordings of past webinars are also available on the Meet a Scientist website - https://dnalc.cshl.edu/programs/meet-a-scientist.html See more

DNA first formed on Earth billions of years ago, and all life on Earth since has been constantly evolving to keep up with the ever-changing planet. What are some of the forces driving these changes? Join us to explore evolution by natural selection and learn how organisms evolved and survived! In this activity, you will: demonstrate how natural selection and different selective pressures can drive evolution "become" a predator to understand the role of prey selection in evo...lution discuss theories about the evolution of the human branch of the "tree of life." Learn more and register (Zoom links are provided after registration) https://dnalc.cshl.edu/programs/saturdaydna.html

Have you ever wondered how gel electrophoresis works? Do you want to try it out at home? Gel electrophoresis is a common laboratory technique used to separate charged molecules like DNA according to size. Join us to learn about the basic principles and applications of this procedure, then build your own gel electrophoresis device out of household materials and use it at home! Learn more and register for Saturday (or Wednesday) DNA: https://dnalc.cshl.edu/programs/saturdaydna.html

Up next in the Meet a Scientist webinar series: Dr. Anthony Zador! ***The date for this event has been updated to Thursday, February 11*** On Thursday, February 11 at 4pm ET, Dr. Zador will present NeuroAI: From Connectome to Computation. Meet a Scientist talks are free and open to high school audiences and the public! These webinars are a chance to learn about research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and about the career paths of scientists, who will answer questions like:... What got you interested in science? What are the most exciting things you are working on? What challenges did you overcome to achieve a career in research? Register here: https://cshl-dnalc.zoom.us//regi/WN_vx60xP7sRRmkEG-4evbuZQ - you'll receive a Zoom link upon registration. Recordings of past webinars are also available on the Meet a Scientist website - https://dnalc.cshl.edu/programs/meet-a-scientist.html

We are excited to welcome a limited number of students to the DNALC for in-person programs during the February winter break! Sessions are independent, so you can pick one session or sign up for all of the sessions for your (student's) grade. For 5th - 8th graders: Tuesday, February 16: DNA 101 Wednesday, February 17: Got Lactase?... Thursday, February 18: DNA Fingerprinting Friday, February 19: Gene Therapy For 9th - 12th graders: Tuesday, February 16: Bacterial Transformation Wednesday, February 17: Forensics - Trace Evidence Thursday, February 18: Detecting Genetically Modified Foods Friday, February 19: Restriction Analysis Sessions for students in grades 58 are scheduled in the mornings and grades 912 in the afternoons. Visit https://dnalc.cshl.edu/programs/winter-break-2021.html for more information about each session, our COVID safety procedures, and links to register for each session!

The DNA Learning Center wants to ignite your love of science! Visit dnalc.cshl.edu for information about virtual field trips, courses, clubs, and more. #VirtualFieldTrip #ScienceCamp

Up next in the Meet a Scientist webinar series: Dr. Camila dos Santos! On Thursday, December 10 at 4pm EST, Dr. dos Santos will present "The impact of pregnancy on breast cancer risk". Meet a Scientist talks are free and open to high school audiences and the public! These webinars are a chance to learn about research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and about the career paths of scientists, who will answer questions like:... What got you interested in science? What are the most exciting things you are working on? What challenges did you overcome to achieve a career in research? Learn more and register: https://dnalc.cshl.edu/programs/meet-a-scientist.html Recordings of past webinars are also available on the Meet a Scientist website.

Are you interested in fingerprints? We have forensic science activities looking at fingerprints from our hands and our DNA! Visit dnalc.cshl.edu for information about virtual field trips, courses, clubs, and more. #VirtualFieldTrip #ForensicScience

We're excited to announce that "DNALC Meet a Scientist" is now a (free) monthly webinar series! Each month, we'll host short virtual lectures for high school and public audiences. These are a chance to learn about research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory! These virtual events will be 30 minutes with time for your questions. Each month we will feature CSHL scientists who will share their stories with you, including:... What got them interested in science? What are the most exciting things they are working on? What challenges did they overcome to achieve a career in research? The November webinar will be held on Thursday, November 19, 2020, at 4:00 pm EST. Our guest scientist is Dr. David Jackson: How studying stem cells in plants can improve crop yields. Register here for November: https://cshl-dnalc.zoom.us//regi/WN_Pt2OXqC0Td-Q1kEDuycqJA Learn more about the series here: https://dnalc.cshl.edu/programs/meet-a-scientist.html

For #GeneticCounselorAwarenessDay, we're re-sharing this Meet the Scientist session from #DNALClive with Kimberly Kudlack, MS, CGC, Genetic Counselor for Maternal Fetal Medicine at Northwell Health, and former educator at the DNA Learning Center! https://dnalc.cshl.edu//20200529-meet-the-scientist-kimber