Claire Hebbard

Susan McCouch, Cornell professor of plant breeding and genetics, teaches Groton, N.Y., students how to extract DNA from rice plants in Linda Bonavia's Living Environment class.

One of the advantages to living near a world-class research university like Cornell is that high school students might have a world-class researcher visit their science classroom. Susan McCouch, professor of plant breeding and genetics at Cornell, has worked with local high schools since 2002 to create a hands-on laboratory experience that also meets New York's educational standards for the Living Environment curriculum. Once again this year, students in Ithaca-area schools -- Groton, Homer and Cortland -- welcomed McCouch into their classrooms.

Students learned about molecular genetics technologies in the regular course content in Living Environment, but working with McCouch in April and May allowed them to experience firsthand what it means to extract DNA from living cells and to examine how DNA confers unique characteristics on all biological organisms.

Students were given whole grains of rice and directions for growing rice in their gardens this summer. In Homer, McCouch and several of her graduate students and research assistants also shared their personal travel and research experiences through discussion and slides.

The highlight of each of McCouch's visits, however, was the hands-on lab experience involving grinding plant tissue in liquid nitrogen, extracting DNA and doing gel electrophoresis -- activities that are commonly performed by biologists working in genetics.

The program also included a discussion about the importance of rice, which is the staple food for almost half of the world's population. Genetic research on rice can inform studies of many other cereal crops, including maize (corn), wheat, barley, rye and oats.

The outreach exercise was developed through a National Science Foundation grant to McCouch and Paula Jones, a Living Environment teacher in Homer. The grant funds equipment and resources for outreach to Homer, Groton and Cortland high schools each year.

Claire Hebard is the Gramene Outreach Coordinator in the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics.