Advanced Placement (AP) Biology students at Mars Area High School will learn about DNA Fingerprinting as part on a Molecular Biology Workshop from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Dec. 18, at the University of Pittsburgh’s Crawford Hall.

The workshop, which will be conducted by a university professor and a graduate assistant, will offer hands-on experience in real life crime investigation techniques. The same activity is offered for biology majors in their junior year at the college.

Through the activity, the students will isolate DNA from their own cheek cells and will amplify the DNA through PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). The students will also use Gel Electrophoresis to analyze and compare their DNA fingerprints

In class at Mars Area High School, AP Biology students are learning about basic DNA structure and function as well as how DNA techniques can improve daily life, says Bill Wesley, biology teacher. Topics of study include PCR; DNA fingerprinting for CSI applications and identifying genetic diseases; and bacterial and cellular transformations such as manipulating bacterial DNA to create insulin for diabetics and develop pest-resistant plants or changing cellular DNA for cancer studies, treatments and cures.

The Molecular Biology Workshop is a unique opportunity for the students to study their own DNA in a real college laboratory, under the guidance of an experienced college professor.

For more information, call (724) 625-1581.