Greenwood Genetic Center unveils the Gene Machine, a mobile science laboratory
June 28, 2010
The Greenwood Genetic Center has long been a popular destination for high school science class field trips and community group tours. However for some schools and students across South Carolina, travel to Greenwood is impractical or impossible. On Wednesday, the Greenwood Genetic Center unveiled a 41-foot solution to this problem – a custom bus equipped as a state-of-the-art genetics laboratory called the Gene Machine.
Beginning with the 2010-11 school year, the mobile science laboratory will be available to travel to high schools across South Carolina to provide laboratory-based activities and instruction facilitated by employees of the Greenwood Genetic Center. This opportunity is provided at no cost to the school.
“We are so thrilled to be able to provide this genetics laboratory experience to students all across South Carolina,” said Leta Tribble, PhD, Director of Education at the Center. “Genetics and biotechnology are rapidly growing fields of study. With this mobile laboratory, we can provide the opportunity to students in our state to have first-hand exposure to the vast technologies used in the medical genetics arena.”
The Greenwood Genetic Center was awarded a grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute in 2009 which allowed the Center to acquire the mobile science laboratory. This grant also provided funding to convert existing space on the Greenwood campus into a Genetic Education Center. This refurbished space, which has been in use since May, provides a dedicated site for visiting groups to attend lectures as well as participate in laboratory and computer-based genetics activities.
Teachers who schedule a mobile laboratory visit or bring their students for a tour of the Greenwood campus will be able to select from multiple laboratory modules or ‘cases’ for their students to complete. Each module includes a real-world scenario, laboratory techniques and genetic testing activities as well as consideration of ethical implications. Students will also be exposed to various career opportunities in the biotechnology and genetics fields. Educators can schedule a visit from the mobile laboratory or a tour of the Greenwood campus by contacting Dr. Tribble at (864) 943-4170 or toll free at (888)442-4363. Additional information is also available at www.ggc.org. The mobile laboratory is also available to exhibit at educational conferences and meetings.
About Greenwood Genetic Center
The Greenwood Genetic Center is a nonprofit institute, organized to provide clinical genetic services and laboratory testing, to develop educational programs and materials, and to conduct research in the field of medical genetics. The Center focuses on identifying the causes of birth defects and intellectual disabilities with a special interest in X-linked intellectual disabilities. The Greenwood Genetic Center also operates South Carolina’s only postgraduate Medical Genetics training program and is one of 43 accredited programs in the nation to offer training in four or more specialty areas. The Greenwood Genetic Center has clinical offices in Greenville, Columbia, Florence and Charleston in addition to the main campus in Greenwood. For more information, visit www.ggc.org.
