About
The Jackson Laboratory welcomes Maine high school students to visit the Bar Harbor campus on Monday, October 21, 2019. This one-day Open House will provide high school students an opportunity to meet and interact with JAX scientists, learn about genetics and genomics research, and participate in hands-on workshops of their choosing.
The Maine High School Open House is open to any high school student in Maine who has a strong interest in biomedical research and who intends to pursue higher education or a career in biomedicine.
This program is designed for individual student participants, or small groups of students who will most benefit from an on-site experience at The Jackson Laboratory. For example, students who would request a one-day job shadow should attend this program in lieu of a more limited job shadow experience.
Bus service will be provided with stops in Portland, Augusta, and Bangor to facilitate transportation to this Open House. Additional stops may be added (i.e. - Topsham, Waterville), pending demand and critical mass.
Workshop descriptions
Meet the Mice - In this workshop, students will be introduced to several mouse models of human disease. Participants will observe, up close, unique strains of laboratory mouse designed, produced, and distributed by The Jackson Laboratory to researchers worldwide. Individuals entering the training lab must wear closed toed and heeled shoes and full-length pants or skirts (i.e. no exposed skin below the waist.)
Art in Science: Scientific illustration and design - Visual art is necessary to help convey both the beauty and the complexity of scientific data and information. This workshop, led by artists and designers from JAX Creative, will explore these topics. Students will learn and practice techniques to improve how science can be communicated through illustration. Students with their own STEM art and designs are encouraged to bring their work.
Legal Professions and Biomedical Research - From intellectual property to genetic privacy (GINA), to responsible conduct in research (Henrietta Lacks), biomedical research is a complex field requiring close reading and interpretation of US and international laws . Students will work with attorneys in the JAX Legal team to better understand the legal profession in biomedical research.
Starting your own Research Project: Introduction to the Maine State Science Fair - Maine high school students (working individually or as a member of a small team) can submit their own research and engineering projects to the Maine State Science Fair. Participants in the Fair not only share their findings state-wide, they also compete for significant awards including full tuition scholarships to Maine colleges and universities. Interested but unsure on how to get started? This workshop will provide strategies on starting and sustaining your own science fair project.
Research workshop 1: Solving biological problems with systems biology – Systems biology is a field of bioinformatics that brings together sometimes disparate data types to better understand the whole of a research problem. Using data science, mathematics, modeling, and visualization, systems biologists can decipher complicated genetics and genomics. Bring your laptop. Students interested in computer science, coding, statistics, and mathematical modeling should attend.
Research workshop 2: Population genetics - Scientists can use the genetic code to provide evidence to help answer the question: "where do we come from?" The field of population genetics explores the genetic and genomic variations that not only bind us together, but also those that are uniquely ours.
Research workshop 3: Stem cell research - In this workshop, we will teach what stem cells are and the origin of stem cells and how they are used in research. Students will work with (both embryonic and induced) pluripotent stem cells from mouse and human, and neural stem cells. They will be able to see how they are differentiated into the three different germ layers which give rise to all cell types of an adult. Finally, they will have the opportunity to thaw, pass and count immunolabeled cells. In the end, students will have a broad understanding of how stem cell research is done and how they can use it as a tool or study stem cell biology if they need to.
Research workshop 4: Gene editing and CRISPR – More productive crops, better eyesight, and the end of inherited diseases. Designer babies, super-humans, and the resurrection of wooly mammoths? We invite you to see what gene editing is all about—how it's being used, where its limitation are, and what it means for the future. During the workshop, you'll see how CRISPR works and design your own CRISPR experiment.
Research workshop 5: Maine Cancer Genomics Initiative and Personalized Cancer Treatment- Physicians are increasingly using a patient's genetic and genomic information to make decisions about cancer treatment. Patients are also more aware of genetics and genomics, especially as low-cost consumer tests like 23andMe become more broadly adopted. In this workshop, students will learn how cancer patients are being treated, in Maine, through the Maine Cancer Genomics Initiative. Students considering careers in medicine, cancer research, genetic counseling, or public health, should attend.
Biomedical research tech 1: Histopathology and Microscopy – Histopathology is the study of tissues and organs from vertebrate animals. Students will have an opportunity to assist with organ dissection from mice in the JAX Necropsy Suite. This will be followed with some hands-on paraffin sectioning and staining in the Histology Lab. Finally, we’ll look at slides using fluorescent and electron microscopy (EM). This workshop is hands on and is a great opportunity for students interested in dissection, anatomy, and biological tissues. Students who are squeamish about handling biological tissues should not attend this workshop.
Biomedical research tech 2: Behavior, Obesity, and 3D Printing: In this session, students will be given an opportunity to explore how scientists model the complex trait of obesity, study its genetic diversity, and infer how genotype can relate to behavior. Students will learn how mouse behaviors are observed and measured using custom built 3D printed tools and will learn how to interpret data. Students will view a live 3D printing demo and ponder the fundamentals of designing an experiment.
Biomedical research tech 3: Mouse Genome Informatics: MGI is the international database resource for the laboratory mouse, providing integrated genetic, genomic, and biological data to facilitate the study of human health and disease. Students planning a career in mammalian genetics research will certainly use MGI, and proficiency with this platform will enhance their research skill set. This hands-on workshop will provide an introduction to mouse genomics, the database, and big data research. Students interested in bioinformatics, computer science, information science, and mammalian genetics should attend.
