HUNTERSVILLE – On Thursday, Sept. 29, a group of Lake Norman Charter High School biology students boarded the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s mobile Destiny Lab.
Instructors presented each of Leigh Ann Williams’ students with a patient case study and microscope slides and discussed their patient’s possible diagnosis using preliminary classroom activities. While inside the lab, instructors taught students how to use micropipettes, which the young scientists then used to perform a gel electrophoresis. At the end of the activity, students diagnosed their simulated patient with sickle cell anemia.
Some students, such as sophomore Jona McAllister, said the experience inspired them to explore science-related career paths.
“I always wanted to do something in the medical field and now this experience has inspired me to consider a career in a medical laboratory,” McAllister said.
Destiny Lab is the UNC-Chapel Hill Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s formal science education initiative. The lab travels to schools throughout the state, promoting student interest in science by making scientific concepts relevant to everyday life.