With a background in toxicology, I felt that I had a good grasp of current biotechnology methods, how they work and their applications. But teaching my AP biology students about biotechnology had always seemed rather… disconnected.

In previous years, I felt that students were exposed to a smattering of methods at random and did not have a good vision of how these techniques are used in the real world to actually accomplish anything.

What I did…

In June 2013, I had the honor and privilege of working with industry scientists at BASF in RTP. I was able to follow BASF’s entire project development of new genetically modified (GMO) crops from identifying a gene of interest to harvesting the seeds for sale to farmers. It was a revelatory experience for me because I was able to see how the techniques that I’ve taught to my students for years actually fit together to produce something worthwhile.

What I did with it…

In fact, the continuity of the process was what I felt was the most important message to convey to my students. In an effort to present this to them, I completely changed the way I taught them about biotechnology. I turned my classroom into its own miniature biotech company, modeled after the infrastructure of BASF. Each lab group became one of the specialized lab groups that one would find within a research company. For example, one group chose the gene to be added, the next manipulated a bacterial genome to insert the gene into a plant, and other groups worked to ensure quality control and verify that the gene was actually inserted. This was all theoretical, but I believe that it gave students valuable insight into how GMOs are produced by the industry.

Why I’ll do it again…

Most importantly, I believe it had a great impact on my students. In the immediate aftermath, my students were divided on how helpful the unit was in teaching them these methods (based on survey results). However, I was surprised by how often students would bring up their experiences during that unit in class, sometimes months later and many of them in their final course reflections. It demonstrated that it was a truly memorable experience for them, and, as their teacher, what more could I ask?

If you are interested in more detail about my unit design or a bit of student feedback (towards the end), here’s the “Thank You” video that I created to share with the scientists I met at BASF. Disclaimer: It’s rather scientifically technical and uses a lot of terminology.

Finally, please feel free to leave me a comment below if you want further information regarding biotechnology or the actual implementation of this unit.

Abbey Wood teaches AP biology and chemistry at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh, NC. She completed a bachelor’s degree in biology with a chemistry minor at UNC-Wilmington, followed by a master of toxicology from NC State University while working for six years in the microscopy lab at the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine. After completing the NC Teach program, she transitioned to a career as a science teacher and is starting her fifth year of teaching.