Images courtesy of Austin Burke
At MiniOne, we pride ourselves not just on manufacturing high-quality, classroom-friendly products, but also our dedication to professional development and our partnerships with organizations that make STEM education more accessible to all students and teachers.
Last fall, we partnered with the Florida Dairy Council to facilitate a fantastic day of professional development for Palm Beach County biology educators. Boy did we have fun!
Attendees first enjoyed a tour of a local dairy farm (Milking R Dairy Farm) led by Sutton Rucks, then took the information they learned to the classroom, where they practiced pipetting before running our Determining the Genetics of a Cash Cow MiniLab. In the lab, students become animal geneticists, separating samples to help a dairy farmer identify the ideal cow and bull combinations that will produce offspring with the genetics to make the highest quality and quantity of milk for cheese production.
At the end of the workshop, attendees were given a MiniOne Electrophoresis System and a Cash Cow MiniLab free of charge, thanks to a generous grant from the Florida Dairy Council. Combined with the training on how to load, cast, and run a gel, these teachers finished the day excited and inspired, ready to bring hands-on gel electrophoresis to their students.
Olympic Heights Teacher Sarah Rew says she has been trying to get electrophoresis into her classroom for 12 years, and this opportunity finally made it possible. “When kids get to experience hands-on, they’re more passionate,” she said. We couldn’t agree more!
Leah Pegg, a teacher from Palm Beach Gardens High School, was thrilled that she could bring the excitement of real-world science back to her Title I school, saying she felt the tour and hands-on session showed that “science is everyday. You can go do this for a job!” Talk about connecting the classroom to a career!
Professional development opportunities like this have far-reaching benefits – empowering teachers, engaging students with cutting-edge, real-world science, and inspiring the next generation of leaders in dairy farming, food safety, medical research, forensics, and beyond.
A big thank you to Jennifer Davis of the Palm Beach County School District, the Florida Dairy Council, and all the wonderful teachers we were lucky to work with at this fabulous event. We had an udder-ly delightful time!
