St. Oscar Romero's Grade 12 Biology University Prep students, accompanied by their teacher Ms. Ricitano, participated in the nextGEN Outreach Science Workshop organized by the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto. This valuable experience connected the Grade 12 biology curriculum to real-life research in a university setting.
The immersive day began at the David Naylor Building with an introductory lecture by Dr. Martina Steiner, who discussed the basics of molecular genetics, provided background on sickle cell disease, and introduced the Sickle Cell Genotyping Lab that students would later take part in.
At the Medical Sciences Building, the interactive portion of the workshop was led by graduate students C’airah and Lauren. Students reviewed lab safety, practiced techniques such as pipetting, carefully loaded DNA samples onto an agarose gel, and analyzed red blood cell samples from both healthy individuals and those with sickle cell disease under a microscope.
Highlights of the day included viewing, analyzing, and discussing experimental results, as well as determining which individuals carried the sickle cell trait. The experience concluded with career breakout sessions led by graduate students, offering Romero students insight into future pathways in genetic illness research.
