Spotlight on Instructional Excellence
Students in Karen Krichbaum-Stenger’s Advanced Placement Biology class have been doing some cutting edge science. This is the first year that the JSHS has offered the biology class in the AP format. It is one of several new AP offerings the JSHS is running this year.
In this lab, students made their own “gels” which needed to meet basic lab-quality specifications in order to serve as an acceptable medium for DNA analysis. Once the gels were formed, students injected different samples of DNA material and used electrophoresis to force the genetic material to travel through the gel.
 The “bands” of DNA material are created by their ability to travel different distances through the gel. It is the pattern of banding that illustrates the uniqueness of DNA to each donor. Once the samples were stratified, students had to measure the distances between bands, compare these analyses to samples and identify a “match” from multiple samples.
Doing this level of technical DNA analysis used to be exclusively the work of lab technicians in professional settings. However, the advancement of technology, and student expertise allows advanced high school students to learn the ins and outs of the process.
Students who are successful on the Advanced Placement Biology Exam at the end of the year can receive college credit from the university they attend.
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