Dolan DNA Learning Center
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
One Bungtown Road (mailing)
334 Main Street (physical location)
Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724 - 2219
(516) 367-5170
http://www.dnalc.org

Groups Only (mostly)

This unique educational resource is the nation's first facility dedicated to improving DNA science education. Its museum offers unique biotechnological exhibits that feature interactive displays and computer multimedia.

In the modern Teaching Laboratory, staff members stress a hands - on approach, where students can actually perform the key techniques used by genetic engineers.

The DNA Learning Center can accommodate School Groups for either single-day Field Trips or multi-session School Membership Programs with state-of-the-art hands-on laboratory experiments.

A wide variety of labs is offered, each one fascinating, for both Middle School and High School students. A small sampling includes DNA Models: students learn about the genetic code and make a 3-D model of the double helix; Gene Therapy: students engineer lactose intolerant bacteria to become lactose tolerant; DNA Extraction: students extract DNA from harmless bacteria; DNA Fingerprint: students analyze and compare amplified human DNA samples. Many other titles are available. The aforementioned are for Middle School Groups. The following are for High School Groups: DNA Restriction Analysis (3 hours): demonstrates that DNA can be precisely manipulated. Students take home Polaroid photos of the results of their experiment. Bacterial Transformation (2 hours): illustrates the link between an organism's genetic complement (genotype) and its observable characteristics (phenotype). Students introduce a gene for antibiotic resistance into the bacterium E. coli, and the following day compare the transformed bacteria to unexposed bacteria for their ability to grow in the presence of ampicillin. Human DNA Fingerprinting (2 hours): students learn about forensic DNA fingerprinting and genetic diagnosis, using samples of their own DNA. After students have left, the Learning Center staff complete the experiment and send the teacher Polaroid snapshots of the class results.

Class size is limited to 32 students, and each school is limited to 4 reservations.

The DNA Learning Center offers a host of educational activities for individual students as well, including DNA Boot Camp during the summer. There are even special workshops for Teachers. Students in the biotechnological fields will find few other facilities as exciting as the DNALC.

Note that the DNA Learning Center also has facilities in Lake Success.