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Students from the Brooklyn International High School have been researching the life and work of Harold Varmus to prepare for the Pioneers in Science event, during which three representatives from the group will interview Dr. Varmus. As part of the preparation, the students visited the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s Harlem DNA Lab to perform a bacterial transformation experiment. Their experience was filmed.

Gradjola Hazizaj

This was my third visit to the Harlem DNA Lab, and I enjoy it more and more each time. I like going to the lab because it gives us an opportunity to do experiments and use machines and materials that we would never be able to in school. This time we did an experiment using bacteria and plasmids. We did this experiment to understand the types of techniques involved in the cancer research Dr. Varmus has done.

I’m glad that was able to go to the Lab because it gave me a sense of how they work and of whether I would like to work in one in the future. I also liked being filmed and having the mic on—it made me feel so important! I personally think that this was a really good experience for all of us.

Jay Bin Liu

My classmates and I went to the Harlem DNA Lab again to do an experiment and understand the techniques used in what Dr. Varmus’s was doing before in his cancer researchs. When I got to the lab, I learned that we were going to do a bacterial transformation, which is basically inserting genetic material into bacteria and letting it grow. I had done the same thing in another lab, but I did not really understand the concepts. In this lab, the instructor went over the process and led us during the experiment. She explained the procedure very clearly, and that taught me a lot, such as what plasmid and GFP are. I liked doing the protocol because I learned concepts as I was doing it.

This experiment was somewhat related to Dr. Varmus’s work because in his research on cancer, he inserted genetic material from a virus into a host cell and observed the growth. He used a similar protocol to the one we used in the lab.

It is interesting that after inserting genetic material into a cell, the cell will grow into something else and carry new traits. Science is amazing to me. It’s like we are exploring new things through every experiment. We were filmed at the lab, but actually, I did not pay much attention to the camera because I was more interested in and focused on the experiment. The day was a good memory and experience.

Hui Wen Huang

I had a fantasy day in the Harlem DNA Lab last Monday. I can say that I have never experienced such amazing things before. It was the first time I was ever filmed with a video camera and interviewed by others.

We did an experiment in bacterial transformation using a method similar to those involved in Dr. Varmus’ research. This really gave me insight into what Dr. Varmus has done. This experiment was not easy at all, even though I had prepared and researched background information before going to the lab. Actually, going to the Harlem DNA lab on Monday gave me a great view into science. Sometimes it was confusing for me to understand how an experiment was done just by reading a piece of information on paper or on the internet. I thought this experiment made me understand more what science is driving at. I also saw the bright future of science. As a matter of fact, everything involves science … in other words, everything starts out from science and ends with science. For example, we used the scientific method in order to trace our ancestors, and science has given us some ways to solve the problem of pollution in our environment. Science is very real and accessible to us since we can touch, feel, smell, see, and use it in specific problems.

The last thing I want to mention is that being filmed is not that easy. I felt uneasy, nervous, and shy when I was filmed. Sometimes I even avoided the camera. Maybe I just couldn’t get to used to it. However, the filming was extremely important to everyone. It was an effective way to train myself in presence and self-esteem. Thank you for what you all have brought to me.

Stella Yan

Doing the bacterial transformation experiment at the Harlem DNA Lab, I learned that doing experiments is fun, and I learned a lots quickly, also it was easy to understand learned what it is like to do research. I liked going to going to the Harlem DNA Lab because it build up mygot me interested in Science. It also helped me think about my future. Science is very helpful and helps us understand more what is going on the with humans and the earth.