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ABLE 2007: University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY June 5-9. Host: Ruth Beattie
E-mail: rebeat1@uky.edu
Major Workshops
Thursday June 8
Peggy Brickman and Cara Gormally University of Georgia
The Creature from Beneath: An Inquiry Genetics Exercise for Introductory
Non-science Majors
This lab provides non-science majors taking an introductory Biology course
with an opportunity to enjoy genetics in a way that they are rarely afforded –through
self-guided discovery using live organisms. The challenge and mystery
that engages the students in this exercise is to discover the genotype of prepared C.
elegans worms that have a normal phenotype, called “mystery mutants”.
The possibility to both self and cross-fertilize worms is just one of the benefits
of using C elegans. There is also an abundance of easily distinguishable
mutant phenotypes (long, thin, slimy ones; short fat juicy ones, just as the
saying goes), and the worms are low maintenance: A complete generation of C.
elegans can be raised in as little as 2 days to as many as 7 days on simple
agar plates seeded with E. coli. In the first week of this two-week
lab, students observe several different mutant strains and compare them to
normal males and hermaphrodites. They then choose one of four different mystery
mutants and plan the genetic crosses they will perform to uncover the hidden
mutation. The mutations include an incompletely dominant allele, a simple
autosomal recessive allele, an X-linked recessive allele, as well as a strain
carrying two different mutations. Students must explain the rationale for performing
the crosses and make predictions for the expected results in both the F1 and
F2. The F2 generation can be observed in week 3 of the lab if time
permits. The assessment for this lab includes a genetics problem set
and a final written report where students summarize their findings in light
of their initial predictions and the observations made by their lab mates.
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