The Framingham State University BioTeach program will host a two day winter workshop in February. The BioTeach program, with funding from Mass Bio Ed, is dedicated to promoting the teaching of biotechnology in high school biology classes throughout Massachusetts. The 65 biology teachers from around the state will receive hands on biotechnology training and skills that can be brought back to their classrooms. Mass Bio Ed will continue to support the biology teachers, providing their schools with materials and equipment needed to perform the biotechnology labs.
Framingham State University BioTeach Coordinator Paul Thorp has stated that this year the Framingham team of Drs. Gene Muller, Charlotte Zampini and Steve Cok will be working with a team of scientists from The Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole. The Woods Hole group has been exploring and recording the presence of a bacterium called Wolbachia pinientis which is infecting insects in our area. DNA will be extracted from insects collected around Framingham State by VL Dr. Andrea Kozol. After the DNA is extracted, it will be amplified using a technique called Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and then identified by a procedure called Gel Electrophoresis.
The data collected and identified by the teacher attendees at the winter workshop will be entered into a national data base that is tracking the infection as a part of “The Wolbachia Project”. The Mass Bio Ed BioTeach Labs coupled with the Wolbachia Project Labs are designed to provide an outstanding biotechnology experience for high school students.
