DNA Day: Crushed it!

More than 100 people from around UF’s campus visited the UF Genetics Institute’s second DNA Day event in April to learn about the role genetics plays in their lives. Students got a first-hand look at DNA during the event’s most popular activity: spooling DNA from strawberries. Students crushed strawberries in a bowl, added a few solutions and watched as the white strands of DNA accumulated in the tops of their test tubes. Visitors also learned about horse genetics through games organized by researchers from the lab of UF Genetics Institute faculty member Samantha Brooks, Ph.D. A representative from the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Florida shared information about sickle cell disease, and graduate students volunteered to help visitors build DNA structures out of candy. — Ellison Langford