Educational Resources
Resources to help educators enable amazing science
Our Educational Resources Center is meant to help educators at every level find strategies to connect students with biology,
finding direct links between classroom practices and real-world applications of biotechnology.
DNAdots
- DNAdots: Simple Explanations of Modern Genetic Technologies
Genes in Space
- miniPCR partners to create Genes in Space STEM competition
- Visit Genes in Space student competition website
- Read blog articles on Genes in Space
miniPCR™ Learning Lab Guides
Crime Lab – Missy Baker Missing
Genes in Space Food Safety Lab
PTC Taster Lab
- Instructor’s Guide
- Student’s Guide
- Classroom Presentation
- Study Guide Answers Key
- miniPCR Hardy-Weinberg Calculator
miniPCR Sleep Lab
GMO Detection Lab
miniPCR Plant Genetics Lab
miniPCR Forensics Lab: D1S80 VNTR
- miniPCR Forensics Lab Instructor’s Guide
- miniPCR Forensics Student’s Guide
- miniPCR Forensics Lab Classroom Slides
- D1S80 Data Spreadsheet
miniPCR-PARE Antibiotic Resistance Lab
- Antibiotic Resistance Lab Instructor’s Guide
- Antibiotic Resistance Lab Student’s Guide
- Antibiotic Resistance Lab Classroom Slides
Shark Attack Lab
blueGel™ Rainbow Lab
Sickle Cell Genetics Lab
DNA Glow Lab™
miniPCR™ Real-world case studies
- STEM Education: Transforming biotech education in the classroom
- Animal health: PCR on the farm: Raising healthy animals
- Agriculture: Using genetics to grow better truffles (TED version here)
- Forensics: Bringing DNA analysis closer to the evidence
- Human health: Malaria detection in Nigeria using miniPCR
- Human health: Combating Ebola in Sierra Leone
- Human health: PCR diagnostics for mosquito-borne infections
- Biodiversity: From snakes to DNA sequences in 24 hours
- Biodiversity: Studying lemur genomes in the Madagascar forest (Case study. Publication.)
- Biodiversity: Real-time DNA barcoding in a remote rainforest using nanopore sequencing (Full-text PDF. Video.)
- Molecular Ecology in the Austrian Alps (student-led Wolbachia research)
- Microbiology: Sequencing microbes on the ocean floor (NASA collaboration)
- Space Biology: Announcing results of first PCR in microgravity
- Space biology: Enabling DNA sequencing in space (NASA collaboration)
- Space biology: First DNA amplification aboard International Space Station (watch video)
- Synthetic biology: Bioengineering on a simulated mission to Mars
- DIY Bio: Engaging with molecular biology at home
- Research: miniPCR™ in academic research labs
Lab in a Box: Free miniPCR Loaner Kits
- Visit Genes in Space website to apply for a free Lab in a Box
DNA101 Labs (with household ingredients)
- Strawberry DNA Extraction Lab (using household materials)
- blueGel Electrophoresis Rainbow Lab (using food coloring)
TED Talk by miniPCR co-founder Sebastian
Technical papers and publications
- Stability of PCR product at room temperature
- Fast PCR in 24 minutes with miniPCR
- PCR: Thirty-five years and counting. (Science Magazine Technology Feature mentioning miniPCR.)
- Successful Amplification of DNA aboard the International Space Station (Boguraev et al., NPJ Microgravity, 2017).
- Real-time DNA barcoding in a rainforest using nanopore sequencing: opportunities for rapid biodiversity assessments and local capacity building. (Pomerantz et al., GigaScience, giy033, 2018. PDF.)
- PCR Heads into the field. Technology feature, Nature Methods 2015, Vol. 12 No. 5
- Rapid identification of infections (Park et al., Science Advances 2016, Vol.2 No.5)
- A simple, economical protocol for DNA extraction and amplification where there is no lab (Guevara et al., 2017) PDF
- Performance of miniPCRTM mini8, a portable thermal cycler (Kwon et al., 2016)
- PCR Detection threshold sensitivity: miniPCR vs. Biorad S1000
- miniPCR vs. Biorad iCycler
Videos
LARPs
LARP: Live Action Role Play
