Back to school with Biotech in a Box

A group of educators pose together indoors next to a banner titled "Biotech in a Box." Most members of the group wear bright blue T-shirts that read "STUDY. DO. TEACH." while kneeling in the front row and standing in two rows behind. — Twenty science middle and high school teachers from across Virginia participated in the Fralin LIfe Sciences Institute's Biotech in a Box three-day workshops this summer.. Photo by Felicia Spencer of Virginia Tech.

For the love of science! 🧬🥼🔬

For the fourth year, middle and high school science teachers across Virginia converged on the Virginia Tech campus to explore the Fralin Life Sciences Institute Biotech in a Box kits, along with the other sessions dedicated to nanoscience and Earth science sponsored by the Virginia Tech College of Science. The workshops are free with lunch provided and a $250 honorarium.

In the three-day "Biotech in a Box Kits plus PCR" workshop, science teachers from across Virginia were shown five kits that are offered through the Fralin Life Sciences Institute's outreach program, including a PCR experiment.

The workshop provided an opportunity for teachers new to the program to learn how the Biotech in a Box loan program works, how to incorporate the science kits into their curriculum, perform the hands-on experiments, and network with other teachers.

Workshop Schedule Overview

Tuesday, June 23: Morning:

Introduction to Biotech in a Box
Caging the Blob/Slime Mold Kit (Day 1)
LEGO Documentation Activity (new!)

Afternoon:

Protein Electrophoresis Kit (Day 1)

Wednesday, June 24: Morning:

Caging the Blob/Slime Mold Kit (Day 2)
Column Chromatography Kit
Protein Electrophoresis Kit (Day 2)

Afternoon:

DNA Biotechnology Kit

Thursday, June 25: Morning:

PCR Experiment

Afternoon:

ELISA Assay: Immunology Kit
Caging the Blob/Slime Mold Kit (Day 3)

A close-up shot of a woman with curly blonde hair and a light blue t-shirt using a micropipette with blue-gloved hands in a laboratory setting. She is holding a microcentrifuge tube in one hand and carefully dispensing liquid with the pipette using the other. In the background, a man with dark curly hair in a matching blue shirt is also working with a micropipette, and another woman sits further back at the lab table.

A close-up shot of a man with dark hair and a beard wearing a blue striped polo shirt and blue nitrile gloves, carefully using a micropipette at a lab table. In the background, another person wearing a baseball cap, bright blue t-shirt, and blue gloves works with laboratory equipment.

A man with dark, curly hair and glasses, wearing a light blue t-shirt and blue gloves, carefully works on a gel electrophoresis setup at a laboratory workbench. Standing beside him, an older woman with short gray hair and glasses in a pink cardigan observes his work. In the background, other people sit and collaborate at lab tables.