With a big assist from the University of North Carolina Destiny mobile science lab, students in Kathy Williams’ biology class at the Scotland High School of Visual and Performing Arts spent a day last week using the latest in forensic science to figure out “whodunnit”, when Williams’ biology students performed a lab exercise called “Get a Clue.”

For the exercise, students assumed the role of forensic scientists and performed DNA restriction analysis, popularly known as DNA fingerprinting, to analyze drops of “blood” and other kinds of evidence found at crime scenes as they determined which suspects were guilty or innocent. Using a biochemical procedure known as the Lowry assay, along with microanalysis skills, students learned how to use a spectrophotometer, measure absorbencies, collect quantitative data and produce a standard curve to find the protein content in each sample.

“We are so appreciative of UNC and the Destiny program,” Williams said. “Without their help, our kids would never get to do this type of project. These types of hands-on activities are crucial in giving students a glimpse into these types of science-based careers and getting them excited about science.”

After completing the project, the students spoke about the experience and how it related to what they have been learning in class.

“Doing the electrogel phoresis to help solve this ‘crime’ was very cool,” VAPA student Jacob Williams said. “I really like the hands-on activities.”

Student Breonna Williams enjoyed the activity as well.

“The Destiny Bus was a lot of fun,” she said. “I learned about how they read DNA markers to exclude suspects in a crime. I like seeing the real world application of what we learn in class.” As a result of the exercise, both students agreed that forensic science is something they would consider as a career.

The Destiny Traveling Science Learning Program is a science education outreach initiative of Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, serving pre-college teachers and students across North Carolina.

To be eligible to request a visit from a Destiny mobile science lab, each participating teacher must attend workshops to learn how to incorporate module activities and experiments into his or her classroom. Destiny offers 15 different science modules, each aligned with the N.C. Standard Course of Study.

The Destiny program was created by UNC-Chapel Hill in 2000. Its principal funders are the State of North Carolina and GlaxoSmithKline, with additional support from Bio-Rad Laboratories and from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. Since 2006, Destiny has been part of Morehead Planetarium and Science Center.