25 March 2022
Abingdon Science Partnership was delighted to be able to once again host the award winning A-level Genetic Fingerprinting Workshop run by a team of researchers from Oxford University’s Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics. A group of Abingdon lower sixth biologists were joined by A-level biologists from Carterton Community College to carry out the full day workshop. During the day, the sixth formers were introduced to the PCR technique for amplifying the genetic content of small samples, something which few people had heard of last time the workshop was run in 2019! Using Abingdon Biology Department’s PCR machine, the researchers helped the sixth formers to prepare and analyse samples and use the results to identify their source. The researchers also gave detailed accounts of their own research and career paths, allowing the sixth formers to gain a very personalised insight into the many opportunities in the field and the real world application of the techniques they learn about in their A-level studies.
