NLN Event - DNA Barcoding: A powerful new tool to engage students in deep explorations of nature and science
DNA Barcoding: A powerful new tool to engage students in deep explorations of nature and science
Hosted by
Coastal Marine Biolabs Integrative Biosciences Program
Event Type
Other
Location
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Farrand Hall, 2559 Puesta del Sol
Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Barbara, CA
Description
Would you like to guide your students through an innovative, hi-tech, real-world scientific project of global significance within your
own science classrooms? If so, Coastal Marine Biolabs is currently recruiting high school science teachers to participate in an in-depth
professional development workshop series that will equip them with the scientific training, instructional
materials, and physical resources needed to engage their students in the International Barcode of Life (iBOL)
Project – the largest biodiversity genomics project ever undertaken.
Of the estimated 10 million species on the planet, fewer than two million have been named. In fact, our current
knowledge of biological diversity is so incomplete that we risk losing species before they can even be discovered.
To better catalog biodiversity, scientists within an emerging global community are now creating a digital
genetic registry of Earth’s plants, animals, protists, and fungi using short DNA sequences (DNA barcodes) that
uniquely identify species groups in much the same way that supermarket scanners use
black and white Universal Product Codes to identify grocery products. In addition to
advancing species identification and discovery, the genetic information generated by
this international scientific initiative holds significant promise for addressing a variety
of important environmental problems, including protecting endangered species, controlling agricultural
pests, sustaining natural resources, stopping disease vectors, managing our coastal marine resources,
and monitoring ecosystem change through time.
Coastal Marine Biolabs (CMB) is a pioneering leader in recruiting student participation in this landmark international project. Over
the last several years, teachers and students representing 50 California cities and five states have created a DNA barcode library
for ecologically and commercially important fish and invertebrate species that inhabit the waters of the Channel Islands National
Park and Marine Sanctuary. We enthusiastically invite high school science teachers to explore the unique educational merits of DNA
barcoding as a STEM-based teaching and learning tool.
Please RSVP by March 5
RSVP LInda Santschi, Ph.D. (santschi@coastalmarinebiolabs.org)
Help Needed
Teacher recruitment
Invited to Attend
Teachers, STEM Professionals
Start Time
09:30 AM, March 10, 2012
End Time
11:30 AM, March 10, 2012