The inventor of the machine that allows scientists to read the DNA genetic code recently spent some time with enthusiastic seventh graders from Kingsbury School.
Dr. Leroy Hood was visiting Oakland University Tuesday, April 5 and set aside some time to get to know Kingsbury students.
By sharing his views on the future of medicine, the impact of systems biology and DNA modeling, Dr. Hood showed the ‘Kingsbury Kids? what some aspects of the future of medicine and science might hold.
He was very interested in learning more about Kingsbury’s unique science program which integrates the environmental sciences with most curriculum areas.
Most of Kingsbury’s science curriculum is formatted on an inquiry-based curriculum. Dr. Hood is a strong advocate of this method.
‘He treated us like intellectuals,? noted Alexander Piette, of Oxford. ‘It was like we were all adults and sitting around the table discussing science.?
Dr. Hood showed the students both the critical need and the exciting side of choosing science and/or medical research as a career.
By sharing his experiences and the victories along the way to mapping the DNA sequence and captaining the human genome project, Dr. Hood brought the laboratory and its work alive for the kids.
‘He really fired us up, we all knew science was a lot of fun, but now we’re thinking about medical research and science as a career,? said Kirsten Trudeau, of Oxford.
By creating a dialogue about the students? current study of the human body, Hood showed Kingsbury students the way to creating a better world should they choose to become involved in medical research.
One of the most important topics discussed during this conversation was the elusive AIDS virus and the way it has stayed a step ahead of the human immune system’s ability to fight off its devastating impact. Dr. Hood was able to drive home the need for more scientists through his discussion of this critical concept.
‘It was really fun to spend time with him. The tour of the laboratories at Oakland was fun, but Dr. Hood really listened to us and shared cool stuff about science. We felt really smart and that he was interested in what we had to say,? said Becca MacWilliams, of Metamora.
For teachers at Kingsbury, Dr. Hood introduced a ‘very interesting little organism? as a potential subject for future study.
The Halobacterium is a free-living, unicellular microorganism that flourishes in very salty natural habitats such as the Dead Sea. It is a complete biological system in and of itself, and thus serves as a microcosm of several basic processes in more complex systems, such as in the human being.
The science teachers at Kingsbury were very excited about the halobacteria and hope to incorporate it in next year’s curriculum.