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PrintNHGRI Activities for the USA Science and Engineering Festival
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) recently presented some simple and fun DNA-related activities at the inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C. on Sat., Oct. 23 and Sun., Oct. 24, 2010.
For those who couldn't attend the festival, instructions and resources for each activity are available below. All of these activities can be done at home or online.
To see all of the fun of NHGRI's participation in the USA Science and Engineering Festival, click on the link below for a complete photo slideshow.
Activities
Strawberry DNA Extraction
Video (left): Drs. Eric Green and Carla Easter from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) demonstrate how to extract DNA from strawberries using everyday household items.
Craft a DNA Bracelet
Every living organism has DNA. Create your own DNA bracelet using colourful beads that correspond to a segment of DNA sequence from a domestic cat, platypus or a wooly mammoth, among other animals.
This activity was adapted from the Carnegie Academy for Science's Secrets' N Sequences activity developed by Dr. Toby Horn and students from Ballou Senior High School (Washington, D.C.) and McKinley Technology High School (Washington, D.C.).
Tree of Genetic Traits
What genetic traits do you have? For example, can you roll your tongue? Come find out and fill out your tree of genetic traits. Each of your traits is written on a leaf that you can paste onto your tree of genetic traits. Then, you can talk to family members and make leaves for them too.
Note: One of the traits in this activity requires PTC paper, which can be purchased from a biological supply company like Carolina Biological Supply at www.carolina.com
This activity was adapted from the University of Utah Genetic Science Learning Center
The Genetic Challenge
Take a tour of the Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms and the Genomic Careers Resource, then challenge yourself to the quizzes that are part of these online resources.
To view the PDF document(s) on this page, you will need Adobe Reader. 
Last Updated: November 5, 2010
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science boy (February 9, 2012, 17:44)
Hi I'm in grade 7 and I did a sicence fair project and I choose this one. It is really good to do and easy. Me and my teacher recommend this project to anyone. It's fun and I got a good mark. Try it at home. -
Vickie Thigpen (November 18, 2011, 08:41)
I teach 7th grade Life Science. I really love the tree of genetics traits activity. It goes right along with my curriculum and makes a wonderful class assignment that extends to homework. Thank you. -
rudraksha (January 14, 2011, 11:30)
This is really interesting. Science with interest and clear motivation has inspired readers too. -
Sirintorn Stantripop (October 27, 2010, 14:13)
This is a great way to interestingly and creatively incorporate science into a child's world. Hopefully this will create more curiosity and interest in pursuing a career in science and this ever changing world of genomics and genetics. Thank you for the video. -
Amber Young (October 25, 2010, 17:27)
My three daughters and I visited your exhibit at the Expo. We really enjoyed the strawberry DNA extraction and the colorful pencils you distributed. It was a treat because my 5th grader is currently studying genetics in her science class. Thank you. -
Estela Gonzalez (October 23, 2010, 06:07)
Hello! I am from Barcelona (Spain) and I recently went to an event taking place at BBRP (Barcelona Biomedical Research Park). It was a kind of festival very similar to this - I isolated DNA from a kiwi, created my DNA bracelet and many other interesting things! I wish I was there in Washington to repeat the experience. I encourage any one interested in genetics to go, because it's an unforgettable experience and it will enable you to understand better this issues. Have fun!
I did these steps in my biolab class and once we tested the white participate and ran it on electrophorus nothing showed up? So what might be the problem? And thanks.