Hussman Institute Leads Kids in Fun Scientific Experiments for National DNA Day
Researchers from the Miller School’s John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics taught the wonders of DNA to children at the Miami Children’s Museum.
It took two red Twizzlers, some toothpicks and a handful of gumdrops to get Stevie Davenport excited about nucleic acid.
Holding up her colorful creation that resembled the double helix, the 7-year-old visiting from Cleveland exclaimed, “I did it!”
Her mother, Kelsi, nodded.
“It’s DNA, and it describes the color of your eyes and what makes you sneeze,” she said. “It’s what makes us who we are.”
From National DNA Day
DNA Teaching Stations
Similar lessons played out again and again as children experienced wonderment at more than a half-dozen DNA-themed stations set up by the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics in celebration of National DNA Day at the Miami Children’s Museum.
• At the Codebreaker table, children strung beads to decipher a message, learning how DNA encodes for amino acids.
• At the Strawberry Patch, they extracted DNA from strawberries using dish soap, salt and rubbing alcohol, walking away with a test tube necklace holding the strawberry DNA.
• Over at the Tree of Traits, meantime, kids created their own leaf of genetic traits, even tasting the chemical PTC to see if their genetics make them one of the 75 percent who find it bitter.
Kids delighted in stamping a “passport booklet” at each station so they could present it for a certificate and prizes at the end.
“It’s a wonderful way for us to introduce genetics to the community in a fun and engaging way,” said lead event organizer Holly Cukier, Ph.D., research assistant professor in the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation of Department of Human Genetics and the Hussman Institute at the Miller School. “Genetics isn’t necessarily something young kids are exposed to, and we like to make science and learning about DNA fun and interesting.”
Celebrating the Discovery of DNA
Dr. Cukier led 30 colleagues, from the Hussman Institute and across the University of Miami, in organizing the day’s hands-on activities. It was the third consecutive year they taught local children about the mysteries of their genes for National DNA Day, established by Congress in 2003 to commemorate the completion of the Human Genome Project that year and the discovery of DNA’s double helix in 1953. For the first time, the Hussman Institute joined forces with the Miami Children’s Museum, a partnership delighting museum officials.
“People have the misconception that DNA is too hard and too complicated for little kids, but we’ve been so excited because the way the Hussman Institute does these activities aligns perfectly with our mission, which is learn through play,” said John Settles, associate director of museum experiences. “Kids are pretending, interacting, doing fun things, and we are not just giving them information but inspiration to spark curiosity and joy. We hope this is something we will now do every year!”
That’s the plan, said Jeffery Vance, M.D., Ph.D., professor and founding chair of the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation of Department of Human Genetics and director of the Genomic Education and Outreach Center at the Hussman Institute. “DNA is what makes us all ourselves, so it’s important for people to understand it,” Dr. Vance said. “We want kids to get excited about science and genetics, and the way they teach it in schools is pretty dry. It also gives folks who work at the Hussman Institute the opportunity to give back.”
Dr. Vance’s favorite station? Like little Stevie Davenport, he likes the double helix made from candy.
“Except I usually eat the candy so it doesn’t work too well for me!” he said.
Tags: Dr. Holly Cukier, Dr. Jeffery Vance, Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics, genetics, genomics, John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics