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DIAPO  1  

Improving  the  Quality  of  Science  Education  in  the  Life  Sciences  at  the  Pre-­‐University  Level  

Jorge  E.  Allende    Co  President  of  Corporación  RELAB  Alternate  Governor  representing  Chile  in  the  BG  of  ICGEB  May,  2015    

Objectives:  

1. To   increase   the   perception   of   our   societies   of   the   importance  and   relevance  of   this   knowledge  of  biology  and   its   applications  to  their  cultural  and  socioeconomic  development    

2. Attract  more  of  our  youth  to  careers  in  basic  and  applied  biology    

Most  countries  that  are  Members  of  the  ICGEB  need  to  increase  the  numbers   of   their   men   and   women   that   dedicate   themselves   to  scientific   research   and   development.     We   lack   a   critical   mass   of  scientists   to   tackle   the   huge   problems   of   our   societies.     Biology  plays  a  key  role  in  many  of  those  problems.    

In  DIAPO  2  we  see  that  most  of  us  need  to  multiply  by  5  or  10  our  numbers  of  scientists  

One  of  the  main  reasons  for  this  lack  of  critical  mass  is  the  way  that  science  is  taught  in  most  of  in  our  primary  and  secondary  schools  –  Unfortunately  most   science   teachers  are  content   to   transmit  a   lot  of   definitions,   strange   names   and   formulas   and   equations   that  students  are  supposed  to  memorize  and  to  repeat  back  without  any  real  understanding  of  what  they  mean  and  what  relation  this  has  to  

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their   surroundings   and   their   quality   of   life.     We,   scientists   know  that   science   is   a   fascinating   adventure,   that   it   is   a   road   that  presents  us  with  great   surprises  at  every  step  and   that  amazes  us  with  the  unbelievable  beauty  of  the  harmony  and  balance  that  we  find  in  the  Universe  and  also  in  the  smallest  living  cell.    If  we  want  to  attract  young  boys  and  girls   to   science,  we  have   to  change   the  way   the   sciences  are   taught  and   to  do   this  we  need   to  work  with  the   science   teachers.     They   are   our   most   important   allies   in  convincing   our   societies   of   the   great   relevance   of   science   for   the  human  and  social  development  of  our  nations.  

How   can   scientists   work   with   the   teachers   of   primary   and  secondary   schools?     I   have  met   and   discussed   with   thousands   of  science   teachers   in   Chile   and   in   several   other   countries   in   Latin  America   and   I   am   convinced   that   the   great  majority   of   them   are  eager   to   improve   their   practice   and   are   very   receptive   to   all   our  initiatives   to   work   together   to  make   science   learning  much  more  fun  and  also  more  stimulating.  

One  of   the  deficits   in   the   life   sciences   is   that   this   area   in   the   last  decades  has  undergone  such  a  rapid  and  revolutionary  explosion  of  knowledge   that   the   institutions   that   train   our   biology   science  teachers   have   not   been   able   to   keep   up  with   this   deluge   of   new  ideas   and   concepts   and   in   areas   such   as   molecular   biology   and  genomics,  the  teachers  have  not  been  able  to  keep  up  with  current  knowledge.    To  try  to  help  in  this  area,  the  Latin  American  Network  of   Biological   Sciences   started   more   than   fifteen   years   ago   to  organize   intensive   training   courses   for   secondary   school   biology  teachers  in  molecular  biology.    In  these  courses,  taught  in  some  of  our   best  Universities  we   included   the   use   of   experiments   such   as  

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transformation  of  bacteria  with  foreign  genes,  PCR  amplification  of  DNA,  and  bioinformatic  analysis  of  genes  in  the  great  gene  banks  of  the   world.     Teachers   appreciated   very   much   these   courses   that  were   carried   out   in   Argentina,   Chile,   Costa   Rica   and   México   but  expressed  their  frustration  because  they  could  not  transmit  to  their  students   the   most   stimulating   part   of   those   courses   which   were  precisely   the   experiments.     There   are   two  main   reasons  why   this  was   not   possible:   The   obvious   one   was   that   their   school   did   not  have   the   modern   equipment   to   carry   out   the   laboratory  experiments.    The  second  one  which   is  more  serious   is   that   in  the  initial   training   of   teachers   lack   the   experience   of   designing  experimental  protocols  that   include  all  the  necessary  controls  that  are   necessary   to   be   sure   that   the   experiment   will   give   you   clear  answers  to  the  question  you  are  asking.    In  2001,  I  had  the  honor  of  being   invited   to   a  meeting   of   the   Pontificial   Academy   of   Sciences  that   titled   “The   Challenges   for   Science   Education   for   the   21sr  Century”.    I  mentioned  the  idea  of  having  a  mobile  laboratory  that  could  visit  schools  to  allow  the  students  to  do  the  experiments.  –    

Slide  5.  It  took  10  before  that  idea  was  implemented  

In  the  year  2000  –  All  the  Academies  of  the  World  met  in  Tokyo  in  June   in  a  Conference   titled  “Transition   to  Sustainability   in   the  21st  Century”.  

DIAPO  6  

In  that  meeting  I  had  the  Honor  to  speak  in  a  Session  dedicated  to  Science  Education  in  which  the  two    other  speakers  were  Dr.  Bruce  Alberts  who  at  that  time  was  President  of  the  US  National  Academy  of   Sciences   and   Prof.   Pierre   Léna   from   the   French   Academy   of  

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Science,  a   renowned    astrophysicist  but  also  one  of   the   leaders  of  the   science   education   program   called   La   main   a   la   Pate   of   the  French   Academy.     Both   of   these   speakers   spoke   about   a  method  called   Inquiry   Based   Science   Education   or   (IBSE).   This   approach  tried   to   reproduce   in   the   class   rooms   the  way   scientists   generate  knowledge  in  the   laboratory.    That   is,  the  students  pose  questions  about   what   they   observe   in   their   environment   –formulate  hypotheses  to  answer  those  questions  and  tested  those  hypotheses  with   simple   experiments   which   they   performed   with   very  inexpensive   materials   and   analyzed   the   results   obtained   and   ask  themselves  whether   their   answers   can  be  extrapolated   to   a  more  general   concepts   .     To   me   the   presentation   of   these   two   great  scientists   was   a   revelation   of   how   scientists   and   scientific  institutions   like   the   Academies   could   greatly   improve   science  education.     All   of   these   projects,   however,   focused   on   primary  education   -­‐     We   then   decided   to   use   the   Chilean   Academy   of  Sciences   to   introduce   this   approach   in   Chile  with   the   help   of   the  American  and  the  French  Academies  and  actually  initially  were  very  successful.    In  2003  we  started  with  6  schools  and  1000  children  in  a   poor   neighborhood     close   to   the   airport   in   Santiago   and  by   the  year  2009  we  had  270  schools  and  100.000  children   in  all  Regions  of  Chile  and  12  Universities  collaborating.    The  project  was  funded  by  the  Ministry  of  Education.  Unfortunately  education  is  very  close  to  politics  and  in  2010  we  had  two  events  –  One  was  an  earthquake  grade  8.6  in  the  Richter  scale  and  we  also  had  a  political  shake  with  a   change   of   government   that   decided   that   our   project   was   too  expensive   and  discontinued   it   during   4   years.     After   2014  We  are  now  in  the  process  of  re-­‐doing  this  with  the  primary  school  children  and  also  going  into  secondary  education.  

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In   the  meantime  between  2004   and  2011   I  was  working  with   the  Inter   Academy   Panel   in   trying   to   bring   Inquiry   based   science  education  to  all  Regions  of  the  World.      

DIAPO  7  

In   October   2010   we   organized   a   meeting   in   York   University   on  bringing   IBSE   to   secondary   education.   This   Conference   was  sponsored   by   the   Wellcome   Trust   which   had   built   the   National  Science   Learning   Center   for   the   UK   at   York.     I   visited   the  Headquarters   of   the  Wellcome   Trust   in   London.     There   I   learned  that   this   Foundation,  which   had   financed   some  of  my   research   in  molecular  biology,  had  a  Fund  to  support  bringing  the  Life  Sciences  to  Society.    The  maximum  grant   from  this   fund  was  30.000  British  Pounds.     In  a    meeting  of   the  RELAB  Regional  Executive  Council   in  Santiago  in  2011,  we  decided  to  apply  to  this  (DIAPO  8)  Wellcome  Trust  Fund  and  presented  a  project   in  which  three  Latin  American  countries   participated   :   México,   Costa   Rica   and   Chile   with   the  support  of   their   principal   universities  –   The  UNAM   in  México,   the  University  of  Costa  Rica  and  Chile  with  the  University  of  Chile  in  our  country  

DIAPO   9-­‐10-­‐11-­‐12   Show   the   Fundamental   Concepts   which   were  included  in  a  learning  module  

These  4  fundamental  concepts  can  be  taught  in  a  5  day  course  that  includes  a  series  of  8   lectures  and  four  experiments.    The   lectures    describe   the   idea   and   experimental   findings   that   generated   these  fundamental   concepts.     The   experiments   included   in   the   course  provide  experimental  evidence  of  the  validity  these  concepts.    We  will  come  back  to  this  point.  

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DIAPO  13  

The   last  day  of  the  course,  we  dedicated  to  an  evaluation  of  what  has   been   learned,   we   also   discuss   how   these   concepts   are   being  used  for  application  in  medicine,  agriculture  and  in  preservation  of  the  environment.    

The  process  is  then  simple:  

The   teachers   that   approve   the   course   can   choose   to   ask   the  University   to   send   a   portable   laboratory   to   their   school.     Prior   to  that  they  take  the  responsibility  to  teach  the  theoretical  classes  (we  provide  the  power  points  used  in  the  University  which  they  are  free  to  use).  

The   portable   laboratory   has   all   the   equipment   necessary   to   carry  out  the  experiments  and  also  all  the  enzymes  reagents.    As  you  can  see   in   the   figure   this   portable   laboratory   fits   in   a   suitcase   with  wheels  and  can  be  carried  in  the  trunk  of  any  car.  

DIAPO  14  AND  15  

What  materials  does  it  include?  

It  includes:  

• PCR  machine  or  Thermocycler  • Transiluminator?  • Power  supplies  for  DNA  and  protein  electrophoresis    • A  couple  of  small  centrifuges  • Automatic  micropipettes  • Water  baths  or  thermoblocks  • Electrophoresis  chambers  

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• 37°  incubators  to  grow  bacteria  

The  total  price  for  the  equipment  to  allow  a  group  of  30  students  to  work  in  groups  of  three  costs  approximately  USD$  10.000.  

We  don’t  count  computers  connected  to  internet  which  these  days  are  in  most  of  our  schools  

In  consumables  which  include  restriction  enzymes,  micropipet  tips,  gloves,   sterile   plats   have   a   cost   of   approximately   US$   500   per  school  visited.  

In   Chile,   however,  we   include   something  which   is   very   important.    We   send     two   doctoral   students   that   accompany   the   portable  laboratories   to   the   schools.     These   students     are   using   every   day  these   same   techniques   in   their   thesis   work   and   know   them   very  well.     Therefore,   they   provide   a   very   important   support   for   the  teachers   in   setting   up   the   experiments   and   in   explaining   the  protocols  to  the  secondary  school  students  .    But  their  presence  is  much  more   important   than   that   because   they   are   encouraged   to  tell  the  secondary  school  students  about  their  research  and  this  has  a   great   impact   because   the   two   groups   belong   to   the   same  generation  –  they  talk  the  same  language,  they  are  interested  in  the  same  things  but  the  doctoral  students  are  fascinated  by  science  and  by  the  discovery  of  new  facts  about  nature.    It  is  the  first  time  that  the   secondary   school   boys   and   girls   realize   that   young,   intelligent  countrymen  have  chosen  science  and  a  career  and  they   learn  that  these   young   people   are   travelling   to   present   their   work   in  international  Congresses  or  publishing  work  that  is  quoted  in  other  countries.  This  is  a  real  revelation  to  them.  

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DIAPO  16  

We  actually  copied  this  scheme  of  using  graduate  students  from  an  NSF   program   called  GK-­‐12   in   the  USA,  which   provides   fellowships  for  postgraduate  work  in  STEM  but  requires  the  fellows  to  dedicate  some  time  to  help  in  science  education  in  the  pre-­‐University   level.    In   10   years,   NSF   had   11000   fellows   in   this   program   and   it   was  carefully  evaluated  –One  important  result  was  that  the  fellows  that  dedicated  time  to  help  in  education  did  not  take  longer  to  graduate  and   found   it   easier   to   get   jobs   because   they   had   experience   in  teaching.  

We   had   someone   from   NSF   to   inform   our   National   Research  Council  (CONICYT)  about  this  program  and  they  were  so  impressed  that   starting   in  2013  all  doctoral   fellowships  awarded  by  CONICYT  that  covers  70%  of  all  doctoral  students  in  the  country  are  required  to   spend   100   hours   of   their   time   in   activities   of   pre-­‐university  education.     This   is   considered   a   retribution   for   their   fellowship  support  and  I  think  it  is  a  very  positive  policy.  

The  experiments  carried  out  in  the  course  for  teachers  and  in  the  school  visited  by  the  portable  laboratory  

 

To  illustrate  the  way  phenotype  depends  on  genotype  which  is  the  essence  of  fundamental  concept  1,  we  study  the  capacity  to  detect  the   bitter   taste   of   a   compound   named   phenyl   thiocarbamide   or  PTC.   It   has   been   known   for   several   decades   that   the    majority   of  human  populations,  detect  a  very  bitter  taste  of  this  compound  but  about  20  to  25%  of  persons  cannot  detect  this  taste.    So  we  ask  the  

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students   to   try   some  papers   impregnated  with  PTC  and   to   record  whether  they  detect  the  taste  or  not  (Amazon  sells  this  papers  for  USD$  14  for  a  1000  strips  of  papers  with  PTC).  

Afterwards   we   ask   them   to   make   a   wash   of   their   mouth   with   a  physiological  saline  water  and  afterwards  to  prepare  DNA  through  a  very  simple  procedure  centrifuging  the  mucosa  cells  to  a  pellet  and  making  a  mix  with  Chelex  and  heated  at  100°C  for  10    minutes.    This  should  yield  a  preparation  of  the  student  DNA.  

It   is   known   that   the   great   majority   of   the   persons   that   cannot  detect  the  taste  of  PTC  is  due  to  a  mutation  that  occurs  in  the  145th  nucleotide   of   a   taste   receptor   called   TAS   38,   Therefore,   the  procedure   goes  on   to  use   the  polymerase   chain   reaction   (PCR)   to  amplify   a   part   of   the   TAS   38   gene   that   contains   the   putative  mutation.    This  PCR  procedure,  using  the  proper  primers  generates  a  piece  of  the  TAS  38  gene  that  is  221  base  pairs  long  and  that    can  easily   be   detected   in   a   gel   electrophoresis   that   separates   the  fragments   of   DNA   by   their   size.     The   mutation   in   base   145  responsible  for  the  loss  of  activity  of  the  taste  receptor  as  is  shown  in   DIAPO   17   is   a   charge   from   a   C   to   a   G.   This   allows   us   to   use   a  restriction   enzyme   Hae   II   which   cuts   DNA   in   both   strain   when   it  finds   a   sequence   GGCC.     This   sequence   is   present   in   the   original  receptor   but   not   in   the  mutated   receptor.   The   students   cut   their  amplified  DNA  with  Hae  III  and  analyze  the  221  amplified  fragment  of  their  DNA  in  an  agarose  gel.  

The  tasters  should  see  two  fragments  of  177  bp  and  of  44  bp  while  the   non   tasters   should   continue   to   see   only   the   221   original  fragment.     Of   course   that   only   is   true   for   the   ones   that   are  

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homozygous   for   the  mutating.     If   they   are   heterozygous   they  will  see  all   three   fragments  and   they   should  have  been  able   to  detect  the  bitter  taste  not  as  strongly  as  the  ones  that  are  homozygous  for  the  unmutated  receptor.    This  is  a  very  nice  experiment  which  can  be  done  in  two  sessions  of  4  hours  of  lab  work  and  it  is  something  the  students  can  do  with  their  own  genetic  material.  

DIAPO  18  

2   Transfection   of   bacteria   with   a   gene   that   codes   for   a   green  fluorescent  protein  of  a  sea  medusa.    To  do  this  we  use  a  plasmid  (pGLO)   which   has   genes   that   codes   for   a   beta   lactamose   which  makes   the   bacteria   resistant   the   antibiotic   ampicilim.     The   gene    that  codes  for  the  green  fluorescent  protein  is  under  the  control  of  a   transcriptional   regulator   which   is   activated   by   the   presence   of  arabinose  (ara  C).  

After  growing  the  transformed  bacteria  overnight,  the  students  can  see   that  bacteria   transformed  with  pGLO  grow   in   the  presence  of  ampicilin,   but   that   they   are   not   fluorescent   when   irradiated   with  UV   light.     However,   if   they   are   grown   in   a  medium   that   contains  arabinose,  they  show  a  bright  green  fluorescence.  

This  experiment  demonstrates  fundamental  concepto  2  which  says  that  the  genes  in  a  cell  can  be  regulated  in  their  expression.    It  also  demonstrates   fundamental   concept   3   that   says   that   the   genetic  code   is  practically  universal  and   that  a  bacteria   can  correctly   read  the  genetic  messages  coding  for  a  protein  of  the  sea  medusa  DIAPO  18  Y  19.  

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3. The   third   experiment   uses   computers   connected   to   internet   to  analyze   the   NCBI   genome   banks.     We   provide   a   nucleotide  sequence  of  about  200  nucleotides  and  give  instructions  to  them  to  run  a  blast  analysis  on  this  sequence  so  that  they  will  find  out  what  gene  it  is  and  also  obtain  a  series  of  related  genes  that  are  very   similar   but   contain  necessary  numbers  of  mutations.     This  analysis  shows  to  the  students  the  power  of  bioinformatics  and  genomics   and   illustrates   the   4th   fundamental   concept   that   says  that   it   is   possible   to   study   the   evolutionary   process   at   the  molecular   level  and  to  make  phylogenetic   tress  without   looking  at  an  animal,  plant  or  microorganism.  

The  cost  is  reasonable  

If   you   consider   the   initial   cost   of   the  portable   laboratory   at  USD$  10.000   and   that   in   2   years   it   has   allowed   450   students   to   do  experiments,   the   cost   per   student   is   about   22   dollars   –   If   you  include   the   reagents   and   material   it   adds   up   to   about   3.0  USD/student.    But  obviously  this  year  we  will  be  continue  to  use  the  laboratory   with   essentially   the   same   equipment   for   a   couple   of  years  more.    The  cost  of  this  project  is  not  as  high  as  one  may  think  and  is  equivalent  to  giving  a  text  book  to  each  student.  

Opinions  of  main  participants  in  this  project  

During  2013  and  2014  the  implementation  of  this  project,  we  tried  to  evaluate   its   impact.     This   is  a   serious  problem  because   the   real  impact  of  educational  projects  takes  many  years,  even  decades,  to  have   a   real   effect.     What   we   have   been   able   to   do   is   to   get   the  perception  of  the  main  participants  in  the  project:  secondary  school  

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teachers,   secondary   school   students   and   doctoral   students.     I   will  provide  a  sample  of  what  we  obtained.  

Opinions   of   secondary   teachers   that   experienced   the   visit   of  portable  laboratory  in  their  classrooms  

Increased   interest   in  science       "the  students  participate  more  now  (after   the   portable   laboratory   course)   in   biology   classes,   they   are  more  interested  in  scientific  subjects  and  the  idea  of  doing  research  on  their  own."    (teacher)    

 Consider   science  as  a  possible   career       "one  of   the   effects   of   the  portable  labs  has  been  a  greater  interest  in  considering  a  career  in  the  area  of  molecular  biology  or  biotechnology"  (teacher)    

A  change  in  relation  teacher-­‐student      when    we  discussed  the  clear  possibility   of   the   student´s   future   in   research   as   compared   to   the  lack   of  many     opportunities   to  work   in   the   area   of   science   in   the  past,   a   personal   bond   was   formed   between   teacher-­‐student"   for  having  had  the  opportunity  to  realize  this  course.    "when  they  saw  that   when   they   reached     my   age   they   would   probably   be   much  further   advanced   professionally   as   compared   to   my   situation   as  teacher:  I  realized  some  special  bond  had  been  formed.  (teacher)    

Better  grades  in  students  that  had  taken  the  course.  "the  students  show  a  better  command  of  the  material,  they  presented  better  work  in   the   assignments   (...)   Its   curious   that   one   student   had   failed   six  subjects  up  to  this  date  and  then  after  the  portable  lab  experience,    he  had  better  grades   in  both  of  his   regular  school  biology  courses,  the  general  and  elective  courses."  (teacher)    

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Teachers  appreciation  of  their  participation  in  the  course.  "it  was  a  privilege   to   take   part   in   this   interesting   and   vanguardistic  laboratory   and     a   double   privilege   to   bring   this   experience   to   the  students  (...)  to  show  them  the  world  of  science."  (teacher)    

"The   students   were   very   excited   (...);   there   were   two   doctoral  students  and  the  experiments  all  worked  out  very  well  that  day  and  the   students   very   pleased.   When   Dr.   Allende   came   to   visit   the  school,   the   students  were   very   excited  and   they   took  photographs  with  him,  they  wanted  to  carry  his  overcoat  and  accompany  him  to  his   car.   They  were   very   impressed  when   they   heard   that   he   knew  Watson   and   Crick   personally.     Among   the   two   different   groups   of  students  present  that  day,  they  made  friends  among  themselves,  as  if  they  had  a  common  bond.  (teacher).  

About  the  course  for  teachers  at  the  University"it  was  a  wonderful  week  for  me  and  it  changed  my  'switch'  as  to  how  I  was  working  in  my   classroom:   I  was  working   for  my   salary   like  everyone  else,  but  suddenly   I  was   thrilled,     this  week   I  was   rubbing   elbows  with   real  scientists  and  it  was  wonderful!    One  of  the  'plus"  sides,  as  the  doc  says,    after  one  finishes  the  university  one  can  take  (postgraduate)  courses  and  contact  other    scientists  doing  science  and  then  one  can  teach  science  directly  from  contacts  with  scientists."  (teacher)    

About  the  impact  of  the  Doctoral  Students  in  the  School  

"the  doctoral   students   that   came  here   to   the  our   school   to  do   the  portable   labs  were  bombarded  with  questions:    what   is   that?   (the  doctorate)     and:   what   kind   of   career   is   that?       They   would   chat  together   and   see   that   it   was   possible   (to   be   a   scientist),   perhaps  

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they  wouldn´t   buy   a   new   car  with   the   first   salary   but   on   the   long  run,  they  would  have  many  other  benefits."  (teacher)    

The  opinion  of  secondary  school  students  (we  have  more  than  400  replies)    Questions  –  How  did  you   like   the  experience  of   learning  molecular  biology   by   doing   experiments   in   your   school   in   the   portable  laboratory?  

Answer  "Truthfully,  when  I  heard  about  doing  this  laboratory,  its  not  as  if  I  hadn´t  paid  attention  but,  I  thought  to  myself,  just  another  thing  to  do!      But  after   I  arrived  and   I   saw  so  much  activity  and   interest   in  participating  in  the  laboratory:    there  were  people  from  the  United  States,   Northamericans,   Cubans,   stuff   like   that,   and   they   came   to  teach   us!       I   became   very   interested,   mostly   because   we   could  "apply"   the   science;   because   we   did   experiments   on   ourselves,  taking  samples  of  saliva,  and  also  samples  of  cells.  Then  we  made  samples  of  bacteria...I   liked  it  very  much,..and  all  the  rest  was  very  good.'      (student).  

Question    Do  you  think  this  approach  helps  you  to  understand  better  some  of  the  discussions  in  the  news  about  transgenic  organisms,  stem  cells,  relations  between  mutation  and  cancer?    Answer    I  think   it  helps  a   lot  because  doing  the  experiments   in  much  better  than  theoretical  classes  and  allow  us  to  understand  better  (student)  

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Question    How   did   you   like   learning   concepts   of  molecular   biology   by   doing  experiments  with  the  portable  laboratory?  I   think   it   was   a   beautiful   experience   to   be   able   to   use   all   the  knowledge  that  they  taught  us  in  the  school  is  very  satisfactory.    In  addition   it   is  great  to   learn  the  new  techniques  that  are  now  been  used  (student).    Question  Do   you   think   this   approach   should   also   be   used   to   teach   other  experimental  sciences?  Answer  It  would  be  great.    This   is  good  for  biology  but  other  students  may  be  more   interested   in   chemistry   or   physics.     This   approach  would  generate    an   integral  approach     to  all  of   the   sciences  which   share  the  same  method  (student).    Question:  How   did   like   the   experience   of   doing   experiments   in   molecular  biology  in  the  portable  laboratory?  Answer  It  was   a   beautiful   experience   because   I   learned   about   the   topics   I  like  best   and   this   allowed  me   to  orient  myself  with   regards   to  my  future  and  what  I  would  like  to  do  some  years  from  now.    Question:  What  recommendation  do  you  have  to  improve  the  effectiveness  of  the  portable  laboratories?    

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Answer  You  should  look  for  more  financial  support  from  the  government  so  that   you   can   purchase  more   equipment   so   that   you   could   expand  this  program  to  reach  other  parts  of  the  country  and  other  areas  of  science  (student  from  the  National  Institute).    To   the   question   Have   you   ever   met   in   a   person   a   scientist   or   a  doctoral  student  in  science?  More  than  85%  of  the  students  answered  no.    This  explains  why  so  few  choose  scientific  career.    They  lack  of  role  model  to  relate  with.    Opinions  of  Doctoral  Students  

Questions:  How  was   the  experience  of  being  a  monitor   in   visits  of  the  portable   laboratory   to  secondary  schools?  What  was   the  most  remarkable  and  the  most  difficult?  

For  me  it  was  very  positive  experience  in  several  aspects.    In  the  first  place,   the   role   of   monitor   allowed   me   to   develop   capacities   to  communicate   and   to   manage   a   group   of   young   students,   an  experience   in  which  we  had  no  previous  experience   in  the  doctoral  program.   These   capacities   are   important   because  most   probably   I  will   take  up  an  academic  career   in  which  an   important  part  of   the  work  will   be   teaching   and  up   to   now  we  have   had  no   training   on  how   to   transmit   what   we   have   learned   in   our   studies.     Another  opportunity  that  I  had  in  the  job  of  a  monitor  is  to  tell  the  secondary  school   students   about   the   work   that   we   do   in   our   thesis   and   to  transmit  to  the  students  what  the  scientists  do  for  society.    It  is  easy  for  us  to  talk  to  the  secondary  school  students  because  we  belong  to  

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the   same   generation   and   speak   their   same   language   (Sandra  Moreira  –  she  received  her  Ph.D.  in  2014).  

Question   :  Do  you   think   that   it   is  positive   for  Doctoral  and  Master  Students  to  participate  in  an  activity  such  as  this?  Will  it  be  a  useful  experience  in  your  future  career?  

Answer   :   I   firmly   believe   that   the   future   of   science   necessarily  depends  on   its   value   for   society.     For   that   reason  any  person   that  wishes   to   continue   in   the  world   of   research   should,   at   least   once,  have   the   opportunity   to   approach   other   people   and   transmit   to  them  the   relevance  of  what   they  do   in  science.     If  we   lose  contact  with  society,  science  will  stagnate.  

Personally  I  have  enjoyed  very  much  this  work.    I  like  the  possibility  of   contacting   the   secondary   students   and   to   transmit   to   them  my  vocation  and  listen  to  their  commentaries  and  to  watch  them  enjoy  what   we   do.     My   intention,   every   time   that   I   go   to   one   of   these  classes   is   to   go   beyond   the   technical   knowledge.     I   aspire   to  transmit  to  them  the  enchantment,  the  beauty  of  science  and  what  science  can  do  for  us.    Sometimes  the  time  is  too  short  but  I  like  to  believe   that   I   have   achieved   something,   although   it  may   be   little.    For  the  same  reason  I  hope  that  this  project  can  last  a  long  time,  so  that  it  will  be  accessible  to  all  the  students  that  wish  to  participate  (doctoral  student-­‐  Camilo  Allende).  

I  would  like  to  suggest  that  participation  in  this  project  as  monitors  could  be  opened  to  others,  not  restricting  it  to  graduate  students.  In  my  personal  case,  I  already  have  received  the  Doctor’s  degree  and  I  am   no   longer   a   student   nevertheless,   I   would   like   to   continue  participating  in  the  coming  years.  

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I   want   to   add   that   this   initiative   should   not   be   stopped.     It   must  continue   progressing   reaching   more   schools   and   more   regions   of  the   country.     If   you  accept  me,   I   am  willing   to   continue  helping   in  this  marvelous  initiative  (Dr.  Sofía  Sepúlveda).  

Competition  for  Essays  about  the  Portable  Laboratories    Another  way   in  which  we  receive  feed  back  from  the  student  that  had  the  experience  of  the  portable  laboratories  is  to  invite  them  to  participate  in  a  Essay  Contest  open  to  all  of  them.  Towards  the  end  of  the  year  we  receive  essays  from  students  that  had   the   experience   of   the   visits   of   the   portable   laboratories   to  write   a   short   essay   (about   300  words)   in  which   they   answer   two  questions:      DIAPO  20    1.-­‐What  experiment  of  the  portable  lab  they  liked  best  and  why?  2.-­‐  How  would  the  use  the  methods   learned   in   those  experiments  to  find  a  solution  to  a  problem  they  detect  in  their  sorroundings?  Approximately   10%   of   the   studens   submit   essays   and  we   use   the  Allende  Connelly  Foundation  to  give  a  USD$  500  prize  to  the  winner  of   the   best   essay   which   is   also   published   in   the   University   web  page.    This  help  us  to  see  that  the  students  continue  to  think  about  what   they   did   and   to   try   to   see  what   use   they   can   imagine.    We  have   been   pleasantly   surprised   by   the   very   good   quality   of   the  essay  and  the  ideas.  A  girl  that  belongs  to  a  family  that  has  a  genetic  disease  that  affects  the  tendons  want  to  find  a  cure  for  that  disease.    Another  boy  want  

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to   develop   bacteria   that   produces   non   contaminating   fuels.    Another  want  to  combat  drug  addiction  in  the  neighborhood  where  he   lives   by   causing   a   very   unpleasant   reaction   to   the   drugs.    Another  want  to  use  bacteria  to  generate  “good  “  lipo  proteins  that  help   to   avoid   circulatory   programs.     We   are   happy   that   this  initiative   keeps   them   thinking   about   what   they   learned   in   the  experiments    Geographical  Scale  Up  in  Latin  America    Based  on  these  very  general  but  very  positive   responses,  we  have  decided   to   try   to   scale   up   this   project   in   Chile   and   in   other  countries.    We   are   happy   to   report   that   in   Latin   America   in   2014  Uruguay   and   its   Universidad   de   la   República   has   purchased   a  portable  laboratory  with  a  UNESCO  grant  and  has  organized  course  and   will   start   to   visit   schools.     In   2015,   Brazil   has   also   bought   a  portable   lab   and  will   run  a   course   for  biology   teachers   in  Curitiba  and  will   also   start   to   visit   schools   this   year.     Panamá   has   already  bought  a  portable  lab  and  will  start  with  the  collaboration  of  Costa  Rica   to   implement   this   project.   Perú   has   also   shown   interest   by  sending   an   observer   to   the   course   we   ran   in   January   2015   in  Santiago  and  hopefully  they  will  soon  join  this  project.    Geographical   Scale-­‐Up   in   Chile   of   Portable   Laboratory   of  Molecular  Biology  and  Genomics    In   2015   the   Ministry   of   Education   has   agreed   to   purchase   4  portable   laboratories   and  will   try   to   implement   in  2015   visits   in   4  Regions   of   the   Country   outside   of   Santiago  with   the   help   of   four  

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Universities.   (Universidad   de   La   Serena,   Catholic   University   of  Valparaíso,  Universidad  de  Concepción,  and  Universidad  Austral  of  Valdivia).    Hopefully   in  2016,  we  can   increase   it   to  8  or  9  portable  labs   in   the   country   that  will   visit   close  100   Secondary   schools   per  year.    Scaling  –  Up  the  coverage  of  biology  topics  with  the  help  of  RELAB    With   the   support  of  RELAB  and  CONICYT  of  Chile   and  UNESCO,   in  2015  we  are  organizing  workshops  that  we  hope  can  generate  two  more  new  theoretical  and  practical  modules  that  can  be  used  (23)  to   learn   fundamental   concepts   dealing   with   “Proteins   and  Enzymes”  and  with  “Fertilization  and  Early  Embryo  Development  of  Animals”.     This   workshops   should   allow   us   to   test   with   biology  teachers   and   secondary   schools   tow   new   portable   laboratories   in  those  two  topics.  We   hope   that   other   countries   can   do   similar   efforts   in   other  important   chapters   of   the   biology   that   is   taught   in   secondary  schools   such   as   microbiology,   cell   biology   of   animal   cells,   cell  biology  of   plant   cells,   neurobiology,   etc.     It   is   hoped   that   this  will  allow   us   to   have   6   to   10   theoretical   and   practical  modules  which  can   provide   our   secondary   school   students   to   be   exposed   to   a  reasonable   number   of   experiments   that   can   help   them   to   have   a  good  understanding  of  where  we  are  in  the  life  sciences.    This  is  an  effort  in  which  the  ICGEB  can  help  in  the  organization  of  workshops  to  generate  these  modules  and  to  have  a  repository  of  theoretical  and   practical  modules   and  materials   and   protocols   of   classes   and  practical   experiments   that   may   be   used   by   the   scientists   and  educators  of  the  Member  States.  

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 Why  not  other  experimental  sciences?  Obviously,   this   idea   is   not   exclusively   for   biology   but   can   be  implemented  for  all  the  other  experimental  sciences  and  we  could  join  UNESCO,  the  Inter  Academy  Panel,  ICSU  and  the  large  scientific  societies  to  expand  this  project  in  many  directions.