FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 12, 2021
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Adriana Rodriguez
646-241-9805
arodriguez@desalesmedia.org
John Quaglione
718-576-9180
jquaglione@desalesmedia.org
***MEDIA ADVISORY***
NEW CURRICULUM LESSON CHALLENGES CATHOLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS TO EXTRACT THEIR OWN DNA
The students at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy, located at 111-10 115th Street in the South Ozone Park section of Queens, will have a chance to extract their own DNA as part of a hands-on lesson and activity, this Wednesday, April 14, 2021, at 12:45 p.m.
Students will use soap to help dissolve the cell membrane and use salt to break up protein chains that hold nucleic acids together, thus releasing the DNA strands. The challenge is for the students to extract their own DNA which will be floating on top of the solution. The students have already been introduced to Captain Barrington Irving’s Regenerative Medicine Expedition, to the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he learned about the role of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).
Students of grades 3, 4, and 5 will be participating in the hands-on activity. The materials to be used as part of this experiment include dish detergent, table salt, rubbing alcohol, food coloring, and plastic cups, along with a number of tools including gloves, a magnifying glass, a wooden craft stick, and a measuring cup.
The lesson is part of The Flying Classroom STEM supplemental curriculum recently incorporated in schools within the Diocese of Brooklyn. Captain Irving, the first Black person to pilot a plane around the world solo, and at the time the youngest, is the founder of The Flying Classroom program.
Members of the media are invited to attend and asked to notify the Diocesan Press Office of their attendance.
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