Biotechnology Advisory Committee
Minutes: 3/2/2010
In Attendance: Jeanne Chowning, Adrienne Houck, Maureen Munn, Kristi Martinez, Susan Russell, Brett
Sarver, Michelle Wolski, Connie Kelly; Dina Kolvarik; Nona Clifton, Tami Caraballo, Jeanne Chowning;
Darren Linker
Approval of minutes
Industry Reports
Jeanne Chowning, NWABR—BioITEST program; initial workshop offered in early February. DNA LEAP
day at Amgen. Presented overview of summer programs offered by NWABR, SEP, Seattle Biomedical, and
Genome Sciences Education Outereach. NWABR will also be at WSTA in Everett in March; EXPO and
fundraiser will be at same time-Luncheon downstairs and students up; NIH research grant for research fellows
for students (rising sophomores and juniors) meeting specific demographics requirements. Ethics summer
workshop at PAC forest (7/12-7/23); BioITEST Advanced Workshop(August 2-14). Re-doing NWABR
website.
Adrianne Houck, SCC- Funding by Amgen; Bruce Wallace workshop in August 19-21st; 16 spaces with more
possible.
Nona Clifton-WA Global Health Alliance; (Representing 11 biomed companies); Piloting 11th grade
curriculum- interdisciplinary US history, chemistry, and math. This is the 2nd year pilot. Curriculum includes
38 lesson plans; will publish next year on the web. Curriculum will be presented at summer conferences;
WSTA in Everett in March; and Social Studies Conference in Chelan. (March 13-14) Curriculum will be freely
available-details still to be worked out.
Maureen Munn- Summer workshop Exploring Databases July 26-29; did not get NIDA grant so no
genotyping next year.
Darren Linker: In process of getting a new job.
Education Reports
Kristi Martinez; Eastlake High School Lake Washington School District: currently registering; not sure
what will happen next year. DNA bootcamp coming up. 8 students doing research for Biotech Expo.
Tami Caraballo, Snohomish School District- continuing with 3-d modeling; will display models as exhibition
at Biotech Expo.
Connie Kelly, Shoreline- waiting for registration numbers; preparing for expo
Susan Russell, Lynnwood High School, Edmonds School District- Has one section of biotech with a few
students participating in this year’s EXPO. Will take a break from biotech next year-course needs to be
reworked. Prereqs need to be higher to support the rigor.
Brett Sarver & Michele Wolski, Arlington H.S. Arlington S.D, - one year biotech adoption; CTE and
science offering. ; BSCS workshop-evolution of medicine
Action Items:
Jeanne Chowning: Bio-ITEST
Overview: NSF funded project; encourages students to learn about data bases and how data driven
biology is becoming. Two strands-intro to help students understand central dogma using new tools; broad bases;
Advanced –research based curriculum. Authentic research in sequencing. Focus on careers. 3 year grant- last
summer was intensive curriculum development; In collaboration with shoreline community college 1st
workshop ran in early February.
Advanced strand: 2 week workshop this summer; working on wrapping up the advanced strand curriculum.
Dina- handed out overview for intro strand; Using bioinformatics and susceptibility; Ethical and
technology component all the way through as well as the career component (imp to funding agency) Start with
general intro to bioinformatics and genetic testing (NCBI & Itunes). Play-Inside the Gene Machine; 23 and me
online personal genomics company; lesson 3-case study; lesson 4-BLAST intro (collection of tools that aligns
DNA and protein sequences) lesson 5-Learning to use Cn3D to look at a part of the BRCA1 protein; lesson 6ethics and Socratic seminar; lesson 7 revisit different careers.
Advanced-students will have seen NCBI and BLAST; Begins with ACBP –how it plays into
metabolism; Open reading frames; Look at short sequences on to entire gene. Lesson 3-look at other tools.
Lesson 4-multiple sequence DNA. Lesson 5-Cn3D and mutations and how they affect ACBP. Lesson 6annotate DNA sequences; woodland park zoo samples are available.
OR DNA barcoding-identified one gene that can be used to ID an animal. Sequence Cox gene and determine
what the species is. Would take a few years to sequence the ACBPgene. Would go from one year to the next.
 Overarching idea –evolution
 Sandy Porter =co-PI on this grant.
Questions: DNA Barcoding vs ACBP protein work?
Pro DNA Barcoding
Con DNA Barcoding Pro ACBP
(cox1 gene)smaller
no introns-not good
very few work on this
gene
for enforcing concepts gene therefore unique
opportunities for
discovery for students
to make; true
authentic research!
single sequence run
lots of people doing it; ACBP related to
gets you entire gene
want authentic
mental illness
(650pb)
research project
Universal primers
could be used
sequences would be
submitted to NCBIone gene for animals
two for plants
Con ACBP
many thousands of
base pairs long
Discussion regarding using Cox 1(mitochondrial gene) or ACBP(nuclear gene).
Emphasis on bioinformatics component; offer sequencing to classes that don’t have wetlab facilities
Careers-emphasis on bioinformatics careers; Biology is increasingly using bioinformatics; each lesson is
focusing on a career What is a good way to weave careers into this curriculum?–
students do jigsaw career information;
Blueprint 2015 forecasts employment opportunities in the future in Snohomish County;
Career fair practice with job interviews; career counselors –involve counselors
Frameworks: Kristi Martinez
Reformatting the frameworks and rewriting for OSPI approval; relevance to work not explicit in new format
needs to come somewhere else. Modifications to standards and competencies?
Ideas for performance assessments?
Brett will send out his copy that he has been working on
Other Business
I. June meeting date June 1st (4:30-6:00pm)
II. WikiLink-coming
Habar-movie how the father of moderN agriculture became the father of chemical warfare(34 minutes)
Action Items
1. Should the CTE biotech classes be tech prep or college in the high school?
2. Do biotech courses meet the NCAA science standards for college applications? (Brett Sarver knows
more about this topic).