HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS TO LEARN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AT UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

PITTSBURGH, August 7—Fifteen Western Pennsylvania teachers will be back in school from August 7-13, learning DNA techniques through the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Biological Sciences.

"This course will help keep teachers abreast of ways to incorporate DNA research techniques into the high school curriculum," said Douglas Chew, instructor in the Department of Biological Sciences and program director.

The DNA Techniques Workshop, sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, exposes teachers to the technology used in molecular biology and genetics. Teachers will construct a recombinant plasmid, a process involving cutting and recombining fragments of DNA, then inspect the DNA to ensure successful recombination. Manipulating DNA allows researchers to isolate genes or alter their structure and function for laboratory study.

Through the use of DNA kits available from the Department of Biological Sciences during the school year, the experiments the teachers will learn can easily be incorporated into any high school biology laboratory curriculum, exposing students to the powerful techniques behind molecular biology. Lectures on current topics and areas of research in molecular biology will also be an integral part of this workshop.