Creating a Genetics Science Fair Project
In a couple of interviews I did recently, I mentioned my sixth grade science fair project that was called something like Heredity, Genetics, and You. Back in 1983, the Human Genome Project hadn’t been launched yet and it was the year Kary Mullis invented PCR (according to the Genome News Network, although other sources point to 1980). My elementary school didn’t have much of a science education curriculum let alone labs where we could try to extract DNA or practice RFLP DNA fingerprinting. So I was left to my own devices without even the Internet to help me do research! *GASP*
My genetics science project was not experimental but explanatory* with a three part display board. On one section, I had diagrammed Mendel’s pea experiment and on another section, I created a family tree showing pictures of my mother and father plus baby pictures of my sister and me. The most difficult part of the project was creating the DNA helices out of pipe cleaners for the sides and rungs of the “ladder” and construction paper for the bases**. Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Can’t believe I actually won a prize for it.
Nowadays, I’d probably be laughed out of school for creating a science fair project that was so rudimentary. A glimpse of genetics projects listed at All Science Fair Projects*** is both intimidating and impressive. Later on in eighth grade, our science teacher allowed my lab partner and I to experiment with Drosophila melanogaster (most of which we drowned with ether) but it was nothing compared to the project listed at California Science Fair 2006 – The Effects of Intermittent and Constant EMFs on Drosophila.
What was your science fair project(s)?
For more info on science fairs, start here. Elmers.com also has a list of supplies.
*There are apparently five types of science fair projects. Mine would be classified as Research and Poster.
**Of course, instructions for creating DNA helices out of pipe cleaners are now available everywhere online, including the National Human Genome Research Institute.
***Warning: some annoying pop-up ads and other talking ads.
Photo: Jeffrey Putman at the Bronx Borough Science Fair (not sure what year)
Tags: science fair, science fair projects, genetics, genes, dna, diseases, illness, health, school
Hsien, your story is too funny! And very familiar. For my sixth grade science fair, we had to do a research paper with a visual demonstration. I cholde to explain DNA and profiled three conditions, autosomal dominant (HD), autosomal recessive (CF, I think), and chromosome abnormality (Down’s). The visual demonstration was “killer” in sixth grade lexicon: with colored clay I made a 3-D model of the helix. Pipe-cleaners, play-doh…we can tell our kids all about the dark ages when they’re running microarrays for THEIR sixth grade science fairs
Lisa: Your DNA model sounds way more advanced than mine! Look where we ended up. So funny.
Everyone must have fond memories of their science fair projects because I did a quick search in Flickr and all sorts of old pictures popped up!
It’s so funny that I find this blog with a picture of… well… me… Of course, my project was not nearly as complicated as yours… it was simply a study of whether different bacteria grew in the soil in different states. Back in 7th and 8th grade when I conducted these “experiements”, I twice got submitted for the Bronx Borough Science Fair and received honorable mention for it. I believe that was my 7th grade project produced when I was a student at JHS 141, Bronx (now The Riverdale-Kingsbridge Academy), which would make it 1987.
Jeffrey!! So nice to see you here and thank you for letting me use your adorable picture. Mine is at my parents’ and I hope to dig it out next time I visit.
I think your science fair project was far more sophisticated than mine. Well done!
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