W-b Council Tables Parkade-expansion Loan For Study

2 Bouncers Facing Trial In Theft Case

By MARK GUYDISH markg@leader.net
 Thursday, January 10, 2002 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 9A 





HANOVER TWP. - Armed with such high tech DNA tools as micropipets,
electrophoresis and masking tape, Hanover Area high schoolers set out to solve
the murder of Cindy Kaiser. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But first, they had to put tiny drops of blue liquid into Knox Blox gelatin
- as a little rehearsal. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ``I totally messed up here,'' said Jessica Helfrich as she put too much
blue liquid into a tiny container, then accidentally disconnected the thin tip
of the micropipet - a sort of precision eyedropper. At the table next to hers,
Drew Carsillo and his team had mangled the Knox Blox rectangle into several
pieces. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 DNA fingerprinting isn't quite as high-tech as it sounds, something
``Mobile Educator'' Tom Nesbitt demonstrated to ninth- and 10th-graders
Wednesday. Nesbitt runs the state-funded Wilkes University ``Science in
Motion'' van that set up the mock murder investigation. The van lets area kids
work with equipment and experiments some schools can't afford. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Student Melissa Honko read a synopsis of a fake crime - Kaiser was found
dead with skin under her fingernails, and two suspects had fresh scratches.
Then the students formed teams to test DNA samples against those found under
the fingernails. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It's not real human DNA,'' Nesbitt said, but that doesn't matter. The
lesson is how such comparisons are made. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kids taped the sides of special trays, filled them with hot agarose gel,
poked the gel to make small ``wells,'' and left it to harden while they
practiced measuring DNA samples - the blue liquid - with the micropipets and
putting it into green Knox Blox rectangles. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It's a three-day lab, and the real DNA samples will be used in the agarose
gel today. Using an electrophoresis machine, an electric current is sent
through the gel spreading the DNA molecules into a line. Heavier molecules
move more slowly, and each DNA spreads in a different pattern. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The kids won't need a microscope to compare results tomorrow. Nesbitt said
they will be able to easily see if patterns from the victim's sample match
either of the suspects. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mark Guydish, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7161. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

`science In Motion' Van Gives Students Lesson In Dna Fingerprinting Where Learning Is A Crime