Teachers receive training in genetics, molecular biology
On Thursday, more than 20 teachers were trained in the basics of genetics and molecular biology, with technical and practical sessions on polymerase chain reaction, restriction enzymes, and DNA cloning. Therefore, it is important to understand the fundamentals properly and take them to students in an interesting manner so that they feel intrigued to explore more in the subject,” she said, adding that it was the onus of teachers to help students apply concepts they learn and break misconceptions. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Chennai | Silver Rate in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai | Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Petrol Price in Chennai | Diesel Price in Chennai | CNG Price in Chennai | LPG Price in Chennai Stay updated with the latest Chennai news.
Genetics is a key component of life science and biology, said MSSRF chairperson Soumya Swaminathan while inaugurating the workshop. Gayatri Venkataraman, team lead, MSSRF, who specialises in plant molecular biology, said that the concepts being taught were all picked from the existing syllabus for higher secondary school students, where practical exposure was relatively unavailable. Teachers said concepts such as plasmid DNA extraction would be beneficial. At the workshop, we will be able to see them and delve more into the subject,” said K Sathyabama, a teacher at Avvai Home TVR Girls Higher Secondary School.
Chennai: To kindle students’ interest in molecular biology and genetics from a young age, postgraduate biology teachers are upskilling through practical experiments on key concepts in the field at a two-day workshop in the city. Organised jointly by the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) and XV Genetics Congress Trust, New Delhi, the sessions include practical experiments on a range of biotechnology concepts, such as extracting plasmid DNA from E. coli and separating and visualising DNA fragments by molecular size using agarose gel electrophoresis. Teachers have been given a practical module for the workshop, detailing the procedure and concepts. “At the same time, the concepts are evolving quickly. Genetic diseases such as sickle cell can be diagnosed and cured now. “Even the teachers will be theoretically well-read in these topics, but lack the practical exposure. “So far, we have only seen plasmid vectors in books. Download the TOI App.
More are set to join on Friday. We are bridging the gap,” she said, adding that teachers from city corporation schools will join on Friday.