Meeting Abstract

P3.85  Saturday, Jan. 5  Sea Turtle CSI: A Teaching Module in Sea Turtle Genetics ESTES, J; WIBBELS, T*; Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham jestes@uab.edu

A teaching module was developed for high school and college level students based on sea turtle conservation and genetics. The module is targeted to teach students concepts of wildlife conservation and management through the application of genetic techniques. This module is designed as a portable experiment that can be conducted in the classroom. Students are initially given a series of multimedia presentations to provide a background in sea turtle biology, conservation, and molecular genetics. Students are given a scenario in which they are wildlife conservation agents in charge of identifying sea turtle tissue samples that have been confiscated by customs officials. Students are assigned unknown samples of loggerhead sea turtle DNA. Their goal is to identify the haplotype (and potential origin) of the unknown sample via PCR, gel electrophoresis, and DNA sequencing analysis. The students use PCR, gel electrophoresis, and DNA sequencing to analyze the mtDNA d-loop of their unknown sample. During the final portion of the module, the students use a sequence alignment program to analyze their sequence and determine the halpotype of their turtle. Based on data published previously in scientific journals, they are then able to determine the location that the confiscated tissue originated. The goal of the module is to give the students a basic understanding of molecular biology and its applications to conservation. This module is currently being implemented for high school students through the UAB Center for Community Outreach Development (CORD) and to college students at Dauphin Island Sea Lab.