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Goal

For my students to take a minute quantity of dna material and have the opportunity to multiply the quanitity of sample material available for analysis. 

What will be done with my students

Students will collect samples and process them (purifying the DNA). The PCR machine takes the small DNA found in the samples and makes many copies of it. We WILL NOT BE USING HUMAN DNA.

These copies can then be sent out for sequencing. The PCR machine allows students to identify samples of animals, plants, and fungi using DNA barcoding.

Through this project, they learn about DNA and how scientists can use it and manipulate it to solve real world investigative problems. 

Benefits to my students

Sometimes called "molecular photocopying," the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a fast and inexpensive technique used to "amplify" - copy - small segments of DNA. Because significant amounts of a sample of DNA are necessary for molecular and genetic analyses, studies of isolated pieces of DNA are nearly impossible without PCR amplification.

Often heralded as one of the most important scientific advances in molecular biology, PCR revolutionized the study of DNA to such an extent that its creator, Kary B. Mullis, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1993 

Budget Narrative

Compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, iPhones, and iPads — straight out of the box
Bluetooth and USB connectivity — your choice
Simple — no breakable Peltier elements
Durable — withstands classroom and field use, space travel too!
Transparent – not a black box 

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