Saturday DNA! Sessions

Our world is teeming with life, some of it is visible but much of it is too small to see without a microscope. Have you ever wondered what your own cells look like, or what’s really swimming in the waters around NYC? Join us for an exciting workshop, where you can peek into the microscopic world around you. Get ready to find science, surprises, and maybe even some squirmy creatures! Perfect for curious minds, future biologists, and anyone who’s ever asked, “What’s REALLY in water?”

In this session, participants will:

• Learn how to use a light microscope
• Prepare and stain a slide of their cheek cells to observe the nucleus and overall shape and size of the cells
• Examine living plant cells to observe the cell wall, central vacuole, chloroplasts, and cytoplasmic streaming.
• Observe what happens to cells when a freshwater plant is soaked in salt water
• Search for microscopic organisms in water samples collected from ponds and rivers around NYC

Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids are all around us and inside every cell in your body. But what exactly do these molecules do, and how can scientists tell them apart? Join us for a hands-on investigation into the building blocks of life as we test foods, explore enzyme activity, extract DNA, and investigate why oil and water don’t mix! 

 Participants will: 

• use iodine to test different foods for starch; 

• investigate how temperature and pH affect enzyme activity using potato and hydrogen peroxide;

• extract DNA from wheat germ and observe the genetic material found inside cells; and 

• investigate the properties of lipids by exploring how oil and water interact 

Ages 12-15. Chaperone participation is welcome (chaperones must purchase their own ticket), but not required.

Our grocery stores are filled with products to fill the needs and wants of all consumers, which is awesome! But do you really know what it means for a food to be "organic?" How are your "cage-free" chicken eggs different from "free-range?" Why do many foods contain "bioengineered ingredients?" Join us as we dive into the nuances between these different terms and explore the molecular biology behind Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). We’ll also test snack foods for the presence of GMOs by extracting their DNA.

In this session, participants will:

• Learn what common grocery store terms like "organic," "all natural," "GMO," etc. really mean from a labeling standpoint;
• Discuss the Green Revolution and how it led to the development of GMOs;
• Conduct agarose gel electrophoresis to determine if foods are genetically modified; and
• Extract DNA from snack foods to determine if they contain GMOs or not. Participants are encouraged to bring their own crunchy snack food for analysis, and results will be shared the week after the session.

Did you know there are tiny protein machines inside your body — and even in your food — that make chemical reactions happen faster than lightning? They're called enzymes, and they're the secret superheroes behind everything from fresh apple cider to lactose-free eggnog! 

In this hands-on lab, you'll become a holiday food scientist. Put different types of milk — whole milk, eggnog, Lactaid, and oat milk — to the test to see how they react differently to the enzyme lactase, then use different enzymes to mash and extract juice from apples! 

Participants will: 

• Use enzymes to mash apples and extract fresh juice, watching enzymes speed up the process in real time 

• Test and compare how whole milk, eggnog, Lactaid, and oat milk respond to the enzyme lactase 

• Discover how the enzyme lactase helps people who are lactose intolerant 

• Explore how lactose intolerance changed over time in different parts of the world 

Ages 10 to 13. Chaperone participation is welcome (chaperones must purchase their own ticket), but not required. 

Step into the role of a DNA detective and crack a real-world wildlife mystery! Participants will explore how scientists use DNA barcoding to investigate leather goods from a suspicious vendor accused of breaking animal protection laws. Are the handbags made from a protected species? It’s up to you to find out.

Through hands-on investigation, you’ll discover how conservation biologists use cutting-edge molecular techniques to combat the illegal wildlife trade and safeguard endangered animals. By the end of the session you’ll be equipped with the knowledge and scientific tools needed to help protect some of the planet’s most vulnerable species.

Participants will:

• identify the animal origins of “leather” samples by matching DNA sequences to specific species;
• analyze real-world case study data to determine whether products come from endangered animals;
• explore how DNA technology is applied in conservation efforts around the world.