Remember the first time you snapped two LEGO pieces into place? What about finishing your first LEGO set? Remember that feeling of accomplishment, of everything fitting in its right place? What if you could bring that same sense of satisfaction to science lessons? That’s exactly what Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s DNA Learning Center (DNALC) is doing with its LEGO DNA sequencer.
The DNALC recently demonstrated its LEGO sequencer to young science fans at the Long Island Aquarium. The interactive teaching device empowers kids to reconstruct a short DNA model from colored LEGO blocks. Custom software then reads the individual blocks and finds an organism with the same DNA sequence.
Blocksford Brickopore Technologies offers a set of instructions so anyone can build a DNA sequencer using the LEGO Mindstorms® EV3 kit and some free software. Video: Blocksford Brickopore Technologies
The blueprints for the sequencer and its accompanying software come from a U.K.-based startup called Blocksford Brickopore Technologies. This high-tech “toy” enables the DNALC to take its innovative science education model on the road and share it with students as young as kindergarteners. “It’s part of a table exhibit where kids can come and learn about DNA barcoding,” says DNALC Assistant Director Amanda McBrien. “They can even do a simulation of DNA sequencing.”
Genomics is hardly a snap. The LEGO sequencer helps children of all ages learn the basics through an experience that’s both fun and formative. The hope is that something clicks, sparking the kind of scientific curiosity that can last a lifetime.
Written by: Luis Sandoval, Communications Specialist | sandova@cshl.edu | 516-367-6826