Exhibitor Title- Why does water hold the water strider?
Lead by- Ms. Michelle Dickerson
Exhibitor Abstract- I will do several activities demonstrating water's adhesive and cohesive properties. The activities are from the Project WET curriculum guide: (1) how many drops of water can you fit on a penny, (2) how fast does the paper boat travel after breaking the water's surface tension, (3) how many paper clips can water support
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Montgomery County 4-H has over 3000 enrolled members. The program provides livestock, horse, home-school, general community, after-school, and teen leadership clubs. It also provides many school enrichment programs, day and residential camps, and other workshops and experiential learning experiences.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Department of Biological Sciences is exhibiting at Kids' Tech University
Exhibitor Title- Why do corn plants produce toxic chemical?
Abstract- We are basically going to show kids how to extract and detect beta-glucosidase enzyme in corn plants. β-Glucosidase is a major defense enzyme in corn that produces a chemical, which is toxic to insects. Insects like European corn borer causes major damage to corn crop in United States and elsewhere. Briefly, kids will be given a microcentriguge tube containing corn plant tissue in powder form. They will then extract beta-glucosidase enzyme by adding and mixing with 1.0 ml of buffer. After spinning down, the clear supernatant will be used as a source of beta-glucosidase enzyme. In the enzyme assay, kids will mix 100 microliters of supernatant with 100 microliters of colorless substrate in a microtitre plate. After 5 min, they will arrest the reaction by adding 100 microleters of a alkali solution T. As soon as they add solution T they will see a yellow color.
Lead by- Dr. Dave Bevan and Mr. Hyun Young Yu
Abstract- We are basically going to show kids how to extract and detect beta-glucosidase enzyme in corn plants. β-Glucosidase is a major defense enzyme in corn that produces a chemical, which is toxic to insects. Insects like European corn borer causes major damage to corn crop in United States and elsewhere. Briefly, kids will be given a microcentriguge tube containing corn plant tissue in powder form. They will then extract beta-glucosidase enzyme by adding and mixing with 1.0 ml of buffer. After spinning down, the clear supernatant will be used as a source of beta-glucosidase enzyme. In the enzyme assay, kids will mix 100 microliters of supernatant with 100 microliters of colorless substrate in a microtitre plate. After 5 min, they will arrest the reaction by adding 100 microleters of a alkali solution T. As soon as they add solution T they will see a yellow color.
Lead by- Dr. Dave Bevan and Mr. Hyun Young Yu
Robotics and Art Camp
4-H is having a Robotics and Art Camp on April 4-5 at the W.E. Skelton 4-H Educational Conference Center for children ages 10 to 13. For more information on the camp click on the pdf below...this is the brochure for the camp.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Inaugural KTU Film Festival!
Dr. Caitlin Kelleher did a wonderful job showing the kids how to use the www.alice.org Story Telling Alice computer programming software on Feb. 28th during her lecture, "Why are computer programs so frustrating?". This software provides a great opportunity to bring children together and cultivate imagination to produce movies! In order to encourage this we are sponsoring the first KTU Film Festival with screenings and awards on April 18th! Currently we are organizing the kids into groups and working on obtaining a panel of judges for the movies.
We can't wait to see what the kids produce!
We can't wait to see what the kids produce!
The Department of Biochemistry will be exhibiting on March 28th!
Exhibitor title- DNA is the Recipe of Life
Abstract- In this hands-on activity, students will extract DNA from strawberries. DNA is often called the recipe of life as it provides instructions for cells in most living things. DNA can easily be extracted from strawberries which contain 6 copies of their genome. Faculty and Biochemistry students will help with the DNA extraction, and participants can take home the DNA on a stick.
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Dr. Glenda Gillaspy is leading this exhibit. In the Gillaspy lab, we are interested in how plants sense and respond to their environment. Specifically, the lab is focusing on enzymes that can break down the second messenger inositol triphosphate (IP3), which many organisms use to respond to various signals. For example, plants may respond to the presence of light or a change in gravity by initiating the rapid synthesis of IP3 which then triggers the release of intracellular calcium in the cell. To stop this signaling process, IP3 must be made inactive by sequential removal of its three phosphate groups. We have cloned the genes encoding 15 inositol phosphatases from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana for our studies. This is a small, cruciferous plant which has a short life cycle, completely sequenced genome, and is amenable to both genetics and genetic transformation. To gain a better understanding of how plants use IP3 in signaling, we have constructed transgenic plants which have altered levels of the inositol phosphatases and IP3 levels. Based on their growth and development, we know that these plants are altered in their signaling responses which could help us design future strategies to combat drought and low nutrient soils.
Abstract- In this hands-on activity, students will extract DNA from strawberries. DNA is often called the recipe of life as it provides instructions for cells in most living things. DNA can easily be extracted from strawberries which contain 6 copies of their genome. Faculty and Biochemistry students will help with the DNA extraction, and participants can take home the DNA on a stick.
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Dr. Glenda Gillaspy is leading this exhibit. In the Gillaspy lab, we are interested in how plants sense and respond to their environment. Specifically, the lab is focusing on enzymes that can break down the second messenger inositol triphosphate (IP3), which many organisms use to respond to various signals. For example, plants may respond to the presence of light or a change in gravity by initiating the rapid synthesis of IP3 which then triggers the release of intracellular calcium in the cell. To stop this signaling process, IP3 must be made inactive by sequential removal of its three phosphate groups. We have cloned the genes encoding 15 inositol phosphatases from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana for our studies. This is a small, cruciferous plant which has a short life cycle, completely sequenced genome, and is amenable to both genetics and genetic transformation. To gain a better understanding of how plants use IP3 in signaling, we have constructed transgenic plants which have altered levels of the inositol phosphatases and IP3 levels. Based on their growth and development, we know that these plants are altered in their signaling responses which could help us design future strategies to combat drought and low nutrient soils.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Dr. Young Ju will exhibit at the March 28th KTU hands-on event!
Exhibit title-vitamins
Abstract- A matching game between vitamins and food sources
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Dr. Young Ju, from the VT Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Exercise, will be exhibiting during the hands-on event at Kids' Tech University on March 28th. Her research evaluates the effects of bioactive food components on breast cancer using human breast cancer cells and mice models.
Abstract- A matching game between vitamins and food sources
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Dr. Young Ju, from the VT Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Exercise, will be exhibiting during the hands-on event at Kids' Tech University on March 28th. Her research evaluates the effects of bioactive food components on breast cancer using human breast cancer cells and mice models.
Physics department will be exhibiting on March 28th!
Exhibitor title- Why Physics is Fun
Abstract- Electricity, Magnetism, Mechanics, Optics and Pressure Demos
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About the Physics program
Our program consists of undergraduate students in physics who have a passion for teaching physics to kids of all ages. They present hands on experiments in mechanics, electricity and magnetism, optics, and pressure.
Abstract- Electricity, Magnetism, Mechanics, Optics and Pressure Demos
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About the Physics program
Our program consists of undergraduate students in physics who have a passion for teaching physics to kids of all ages. They present hands on experiments in mechanics, electricity and magnetism, optics, and pressure.
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