Authors: Emily S. Boward - Science Lab Technician & Master's Student Hood College Dr. Judy Staveley Professor and Program Manager of Biotechnology Dr. Debra Ellis Professor of Chemistry Elizabeth Alexander FCC Honors Student December 2, 2016 7th Annual MACC Summit on Completion Frederick Community College Maryland Advancement of Community Colleges

1. Promoting Student Engagement
in Science Curriculum
Emily S. Boward, Science Lab Technician & Hood College Master’s Student
Judy Staveley, Ph.D., Professor of Bioprocessing Technology and Program Manager
Debra Ellis, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Chemistry
Elizabeth Alexander, FCC Honors Student
December 2, 2016
7th Annual MACC Summit on Completion

2. Goals of Our Collaboration
• Interest Students in Scientific Topics
 STEM Majors
 Non-STEM Majors
 Prospective Students
 Community Members
• Promote FCC’s Science Department
• Highlight Specific Programs: Biotechnology & Engineering
• Increase Interest in STEM Pathways: Biology, Chemistry & Physics

3. Objectives
• Provide simple and efficient protocols for student activities
 Making Slime
 Collecting Fingerprints
 Dye Separation Using Chromatography
 Extracting DNA from Plants
• Useful for Demonstrations,
Recruiting, Community Outreach
and Science Lab Courses

4. Safety First
• Gloves and Safety Glasses
• Although these experiments
are low-risk and use house-
hold chemicals, we advocate
the use of PPE
• Can be purchased in bulk to
provide during activities

5. FCC Campus Events
• Science Student Success Day
• Part of a series of week-long events designed to
engage students and promote their success at FCC
• FCC Fest
• A free Frederick County community celebration and
FCC showcase held in the Fall

6. Science Student Success Day Event
• Hour-Long Event: “Hands On Scientific Exploration”
• One of several Science Student Success Day events
• Open to all FCC students
• Student activities included:
Fingerprint collection
 Making slime
• Approximately 20 STEM major and
non-major students attended

7. Latent Fingerprint Collection
• Purpose:
 Students will collect latent
fingerprints from a variety of non-
porous substrates, using black and
white fingerprint powder.
• Learning Outcomes:
 Understanding of fingerprint
collection procedure.
 Understanding of how fingerprint
collection is related to forensic science
and crime scene investigation.
Science Student
Success Day
2016

8. Latent Fingerprint Collection
Elizabeth Alexander,
FCC Honors Student

9. Polymer Synthesis of Slime
• Purpose:
 Using common measurements
and laboratory methods, students
will create colored “slime” using
borax, water and white glue
• Learning Outcomes:
 Understanding of how
compounds can interact to create
structurally different products

10. Polymer Synthesis of Slime
Polyvinyl acetate
Sodium tetraborate
decahydrate

11. Science Student Success Day 2016

12. FCC Bioprocessing Technology Program
• Students majoring in Biotechnology engage in a FCC Club program to
help engage K-12 students
• Students mentor and promote the program with basic laboratory
methods for biotechnology in several community events on and off
campus
• The program entails the foundation of working in the Biotechnology /
Pharma & Research fields
• The Modern Biotechnology industry transforms biological knowledge
into a variety of products ranging from cancer therapeutics to DNA
Fingerprints to making fermentations products and solutions.
• Field Trips – NIH, NCI, Medigen, Astra Zeneca, & ThermoFisher

13. FCC Fest 2016
• A Community Outreach
event
• Open to the Public
• The Biotechnology
Program students worked
and educated event
guests on how to make
slime

14. FCC Fest 2016

15. FCC Fest 2016

16. FCC STEM Majors
Organic Chemistry I
• Students face challenge of relating course material to real-life
applications
• Can negatively impact student engagement and success
• Organic materials and protocols are often so unfamiliar that students
disconnect from understanding lab activities; simply perform them
• Proposed experiment is simple, so a version of it can be utilized in
community outreach events as well as in the STEM classroom

17. Simple Extractions

18. Common Food Dyes

19. Simple Extractions – with a Food Dye

20. Thin Layer Chromatography of Food Dyes
• Purpose:
 Food dyes separated using
thin layer chromatography (TLC).
• Learning Outcomes:
 Visual - can see how dyes are
separated by TLC.
 Learn how to calculate Rf = a/b
 Visually compare effectiveness/
differences of various liquids
a b
b
b

21. • Spot food dyes onto TLC plate or paper
• Pour liquid (2% NaCl in water) into container
to appropriate level
• Carefully insert plate or paper
• Allow liquid and food dyes to travel up
and separate over time
• Calculate Rf values
TLC Procedure

22. TLC of Food Dyes

23. Chromatography of Food Dyes
FCC Organic Chemistry 1 Laboratory

24. Community Engagement Activity
Chromatography; or, A treatise on colours and pigments: and
of their powers in painting by George Field, London, 1841.

25. General Biology I
• Great experiment for introducing the concept of DNA and
molecular biology
 Hands-On!
 Relate course concepts to real world laboratory applications
 Methodology is simple, so it can be utilized in community
outreach events as well as in the classroom
FCC STEM Majors

26. DNA Extraction from Wheat Germ
• Purpose:
 Using a simple organic
method, DNA will be extracted
from wheat germ.
• Learning Outcomes:
 Understanding of techniques
and reagents used to extract
DNA from cells and the
underlying biochemistry of the
extraction process.

27. • Weigh out .75g of wheat germ into large test
tube.
• Add warm water, and invert for 3 minutes.
• Add liquid detergent, and invert for 3
minutes.
• Carefully pour isopropanol into to tube to
layer on top of the mixture.
• Spool out DNA where two layers meet!
DNA Extraction from Wheat Germ

28. DNA Extraction from Wheat Germ
Reagents:
• Warm Water
o Helps dissolves plant tissues.
• 25% Liquid Detergent
o Breaks apart cells and unfolds some protein
structures.
• 91% Isopropyl Alcohol
o Precipitates DNA out of solution.
o The volume of alcohol lowers the effective water
concentration and allows the DNA molecules to
aggregate.

29. DNA Extraction from Wheat Germ
FCC BI 101 Laboratory Class 2016

30. DNA Extraction from Wheat Germ
FCC BI 101
Laboratory Class
2016

31. DNA Extraction from Fruit
Alternate Protocol:
Cut a small piece of
banana or one
strawberry into small
pieces
Mash with mortar and
pestle, until emulsified

32. Recommendations for Source of DNA
Fruit DNA gave a higher yield when it came to raw DNA
Using a food product with which students can make a real world
connection
More fun for middle or high school classes
Wheat Germ DNA may be more useful when using restriction enzymes for
running electrophoresis gels
Wheat Germ and other similar plant products break apart more easily,
leading to easier raw extractions

33. Tips and Tricks for All Activities
• Prepare supplies beforehand, and
have extras!
• Pre-measure certain reagents (i.e.
borax, wheat germ) into individual
tubes, so students can “grab and go”
• Disposables and plastic tablecloths –
great for fast clean-up!
• Have sign-in sheets available

34. Exposure to Science
• Protocols are simple and straightforward, but
also interactive.
• Allows scientific concepts to be presented, at
an appropriate level for all students (not just
STEM majors).
• Students learn basic principles of working in a
lab setting and following a standard protocol.
• Can be used at middle or high school events.

35. Acknowledgements
• Teresa Calzonetti, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, FCC
• Edith Hillard, Science Lab Manager, FCC
• Marc Frankenberry, Ph.D., Science Department Chair, FCC
• Wen Nellis, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemistry, FCC

36. Contact Us:
• Emily Boward Eboward@frederick.edu
• Dr. Judy Staveley Jstaveley@frederick.edu
• Dr. Debra Ellis Dellis@frederick.edu
THANK YOU! 