Virtual On-Demand Field Trips

Pre-recorded lab instruction with student kits offers flexibility in the timing and location of lab instruction.  Each On-Demand field trip includes 1-3 hours of video instruction and individual student kits to complete a lab independently, or together as a class. Teachers can use videos during class or as assignments, while still providing a hands-on lab experience. 

Purchase of On-Demand lab field trips must be made at least 3 weeks prior to planned instruction, to allow time for student kit prep and delivery. Kits can be picked up at the Dolan DNALC in Cold Spring Harbor, or shipped to your school—anywhere in the country! Each class set will contain up to 35 individually packed student kits. Teachers will be responsible for distribution of kits.

After purchase, instructions for password protected video access will be emailed. Videos will be available for 4 weeks from the time they are first opened.

Middle School (grades 5-8)

Lab Fee:

2023-24: $14/student (20 students minimum, $280)

Lab Length:

On-Demand middle school lab videos are approximately 45-60 minutes long, with the exception of Dust Away Crime, which is 2 hours.

High School (grades 9-12)

Lab Fee:

2023-24: $22/student (20 students minimum, $420)

Lab Length:

On-Demand high school lab videos are all approximately 2-3 hours long, and can be viewed in 3 parts: wet lab, concepts and techniques, and analysis. Student kits will contain consumable materials to perform a DNA isolation* (35 students max per class.) DNA samples will be batched by the teacher, and returned to the DNALC in person or by mail (at teacher’s cost) for processing. Teachers will be notified by email when student results have been processed and are available for analysis.

*Please be aware that our current protocol for DNA isolation from human cells requires collection of epithelial cells from the inside lining of the cheek. For safety reasons, we recommend that students perform this part of the lab from home. We are in the process of developing an alternate protocol for isolation from hair follicles, which will replace cheek cells for students who are in school full time.