Requirement #5: Visit

\(\boxed{\mathbb{REQ}\Large \rightsquigarrow}\) Visit a place where genetic and genomic information is being used, e.g., a biotechnology company or research lab, genetic counselor, a physician’s office, crime lab, zoo, natural history museum, farm, hatchery, nursery/greenhouse, etc. Discuss the work done there with one (or more) of the employees. Find out how they are using genetic information, how it has changed their work, and what they look forward to in the future.

Additional Challenge

You have certainly heard about GMO (or genetically modified organism). A GMO is a laboratory process of taking genes from one species and inserting them into another in an attempt to obtain a desired trait or characteristic.

You can learn more about GMOs on a number of website, such as this one from study.com or this one from livescience.com. You can learn more about their use but also about controversy on their effects of health. Ask your counselor for more information if you want to learn beyond the infomation provided in these two websites!

Tip

A chromosome is a strand of DNA that is encoded with genes. In most cells, humans have 22 pairs of these chromosomes plus the two sex chromosomes (XX in females and XY in males) for a total of 46. (definition from www.vocabulary.com).

An artist’s view of a chromosome. (Image obtained from https://online.stanford.edu/courses/xgen101-fundamentals-genetics-genetics-you-need-know)

Attention

Once you have completed this requirement, make sure you document it in your worksheet!