Biology: DNA Structure & Phylogenetics in Context with Dr Scott Tompsett from Aberystwyth University
June 22 @ 14:15 - 15:00
In this live interactive Biology workshop, we will be joined by Dr Scott Tompsett, Lecturer in the Department of Life Sciences at Aberystwyth University, who will present DNA Structure and Phylogenetics in Context.
Students will review the structure of DNA, mutations that can occur and how these can be used to create phylogenies. Students will develop a hypothesis about the relatedness of a range of familiar taxa, including those demonstrating convergent evolution, and then use real DNA data to build phylogenetic trees using basic online software.
We’ll then place this work in the context of how researchers in the Department of Life Sciences, Aberystwyth University, use phylogenetics in a broad range of studies including: Identifying the relatedness of bottlenose dolphins in Cardigan Bay, working out the route of bovine tuberculosis infection across Wales and re-classifying species of fungi in the broader tree of life.
A Level Biology Links:
- WJEC – Unit 1.5 & 2.1
- AQA– Unit 3.4
- Edexcel – Topic 2
- OCR – Modules 2.1, 4.2 & 6.1
Lecturer Profile: Dr Scott Tompsett
Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom, or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. There is no charge to take part.
As a live, participative event, this session will not be recorded but slides will be shared, where available.
Suitable for: Aged 16+ pre-university students studying or with an interest in studying Biology, Animal & Aquatic Sciences and related subjects. Teachers and members of school staff, as always, are welcome too and participants can join as individuals from school/college or home, or as a group from school/college.
Preparation/Pre-Reading: We encourage students to consider the topic and think about some of the key elements and questions in advance. Students can also think about questions they have about studying at university level.
The IT Setup: The event will be run on Zoom and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the university via a microphone and/or typed comments and questions. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.
Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below: