BioDesigns, Incorporated
(a genetic engineering project)


| Introduction | Task | Process and Guidance | Learning Advice | Resources | Evaluation |Conclusion |
 

IT'S ALIVE!!

The Introduction

You are a part of a four-person genetics engineering team, working for BioDesigns, Inc. The president of BioDesigns, Ms. Smith, calls a meeting for all engineers.

 

"This company has been losing money steadily for the last 18 months! We haven't had a money-making idea since we invented the seedless watermelon. If we don't have a product on the market within 6 months, we're going to be out of business!"

 

She then further states that your team has to invent a new, revolutionary, money-making, genetically engineered product, or start looking for new jobs.

 

Back to top
 

The Task

You need to invent a genetically engineered product and then summarize all of your findings and research in a poster, which will be presented to the research team for evaluation.  The poster should have two halves:  one is an advertisement for the new product and the second should be informational.  Answer these questions in your presentation and poster:

  • What plant/animal are you going to genetically alter?
  • How will this affect the plant/animal?
  • What gene will you have to alter to do this?
  • Using restriction enzymes and genes, how would you insert the desired gene into the plant/animal?
  • How will this alter the plant/animal's habitat?
  • What will be the new scientific name of your species? Be sure to look at related organisms’ scientific names.
  • How will this alteration affect the economics of production, manufacture, or distribution of the product?
  • How will this alteration be financially profitable?

Include sketches/charts/graphs to help explain your answers to these questions.

 

Back to top

The Process and Guidance

To accomplish this task, consider the following steps:

  1. Identify the plant/animal to alter. This may take some brainstorming on your part.
  2. Create an advertisement for the product.
  3. Research the plant/animal's genetic structure so you know what gene to change.
  4. Research the plant/animal's current structure, and habitat. Research similar plants/animals to decide how your genetic change will affect either or both of these.
  5. Research the production and distribution of the product(s) which your plant/animal will be used for. Decide how your genetic change will affect these processes, if at all.
  6. Research how genes are introduced into different species.  What restriction enzymes can be used for this process?  What is the vector?  Where are you going to get the gene from?
  7. Research the environmental impact of your genetic change. Will it change the environment where the plant is grown or the animal is raised? Will it change the environment where the product is manufactured or distributed? Will it change the environment where the product is used?
  8. Finally, will this alteration be financially profitable? Who is your target audience?

Back to top

Learning Advice

To have a good report for Ms. Smith, you need to be very complete with your information. Make sure you answer all of the questions as fully as possible. Draw sketches of the plant/animal's new physical structure or new internal structure. You can present using a variety of methods; for example: multimedia, role playing, or video.

 

You may wish to divide the labor among the group members, for example:

 

The Geneticist:  Research the genes and alteration process

The Advertising specialist:  Is the product going to sell?  To whom?  What will the poster look like?

The Environmentalist:  How are you going to grow/raise the new product?  What will the impact be on the ecosystem?

The Manager:  Oversees and puts everything together for the presentation.

 

Back to top
 

Resources

Internet Resources:

Genetics and Ethics Home Page is located at the University of Montreal and contains links to public action groups, legal issues, and more.

IISDnet is the home page of the International Institute for Sustainable Development and promotes development that improves economic efficiency, protects and restores ecological systems and enhances the well-being of people.

Plant Gene Register Index is maintained by the American Society of Plant Physiologists and is searchable.

Plant Genome Data and Information Center provides access to a variety of information products and services on all aspects of plant and animal genome mapping.

The Center For Bioethics has links to advance scholarly and public understanding of ethical, legal, social and public policy issues in health care.

The World-Wide Web Virtual Library: Biodiversity, Ecology, and the Environment

The World-Wide Web Virtual Library: Botany

The World-Wide Web Virtual Library: Genetics

The WWW Virtual Library Project was started at CERN in 1991. Presently, the WWW Virtual Library is maintained by volunteers. All sections of it include extensive lists of resources

Transforming Plants – Basic Techniques  An article discussing the transfer of genes into plants.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency contains US environmental law, among other things.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration contains information on human and animal drugs, foods, toxicology, biologics, and more.

Yahoo! - Science:Agriculture

Yahoo! - Science:Biology

Yahoo! - Science:Biology:Molecular Biology:Genetics

 

Back to top

Evaluation

You will be evaluated on the quality of your research, reasoning and presentation. You need to answer as many of the questions posed as possible, with as much detail as possible. You will also be evaluated on the practicality of your invention.

 

Here are some points to keep in mind as your present your poster:

  • Did you identify what plant/animal you altered?
  • Did you identify what difference to the plant/animal your alteration would make?
  • Did you identify what gene you altered?
  • Did you describe how the genes would be altered?
  • Did you describe with words and sketches how the structure and function of the plant/animal would be changed?
  • Did you create a new scientific name for your plant/animal? Does the name relate to close relatives of the organism?
  • Did you describe how the genetic alteration would affect the production, manufacture, or distribution of the product?
  • Did you describe how this genetic alteration is going to be profitable?
  • Did you use sketches, graphs, charts, video, etc., throughout your presentation to make your points more clearly?
  • Did you create an advertisement for the product?

Back to top

Conclusion

After hearing all of the "engineering teams" present their ideas, which do you think is the most realistically possible? On the other hand, which one would be the most financially profitable, regardless of the practicality of the genetic alteration involved. On the third hand (we are talking about genetic alteration, right?), which one would cause the most controversy if it were introduced?

 

This will be addressed during and after the presentations.

 

Back to top

Originally written by Cynthia Robinson, Teacher On Assignment, Chino Unified School District

Modified to fit the curriculum at Morton High School


Questions, comments, and suggestions may be addressed to: itdc@sbcss.k12.ca.us