Splash Biography

Model animals like fruit flies and mice have helped scientists make big leaps toward the cure for cancer and HIV. What can these simple organisms tell us about the way diseases develop in humans? This course will explore why researchers use animal models and why some animals make better models than others. We'll look in detail at a few examples of human diseases that have been modeled in animals, read science articles from popular media, and then spend some time in an actual lab looking through the microscope at mutant worms and flies ourselves!

How does DNA sequencing work? Should you be able to choose the sex of your baby? What about their hair color or height? Where should we draw the line? Would you want doctors to use the information encoded in your DNA to treat you if you were sick? If you are healthy, but you will one day become sick, would you want to know? These are some of the difficult questions that face us in the age of genomics. In this course, you will get a brief introduction to how DNA is sequenced, what it can tell us, and some of the hurdles in interpreting sequence results. Then you will rotate in small groups to discuss and debate different scenarios that today's doctors and families face in our modern genomic age. Come prepared to think about tricky ethical genetic issues and debate them in a tolerant and respectful environment!