This summer's interns will be introduced to some basic skills used all the time in biotechnology and bioinformatics experiments. Since this is their first exposure to the tools of a modern molecular biology lab, we will spend time becoming familiar with pipetting, using spectrophotometers, and running agarose and acrylamide gels. We will extract DNA from samples of leaves we collect from Chestnut trees growing around Charlotte, and then perform polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays that yield DNA fingerprints on those samples. The interns will learn how to perform a BLAST search and design PCR primers with bioinformatics tools.

By the end of the course the interns will be able to understand and follow the directions in a protocol that yields purified DNA, determine the concentration and integrity of the DNA, design and perform specific PCR assays, perform and analyze the resulting patterns.

It is with pleasure that we welcome this years interns from Olympic Highschool, Richard Wilson, Porsha Tate and Ngan Truong, and their Chemistry teacher, Ms. Jeanne Smith. We also acknowledge the assistance, with copious enthusiasm and energy thrown in, of Mr. Steve Barilovits, our ACF guru.

This camp provides hands-on experience; there will be seminars and discussions, as well as enrichment materials to put the lab experience in context.