insight4me Biology: Genetics With Professor Kevin O’Dell From University of Glasgow & Dr Becky Lewis From University of East Anglia

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• University of East Anglia: Dr Becky Lewis is Associate Professor in Evolutionary Biology in the School of Biological Sciences. In this talk we will be exploring sense and nonsense mutations and the extent to which different types of mutations can affect genes. Using an analogy, we will see how single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can have a wide variety of effects, from no effect at all, to drastically changing the structure and function of a protein.

• University of Glasgow: Kevin O’Dell is Professor of Behaviour Genetics (Molecular Biosciences) in the School of Molecular Biosciences and asks the question What might your DNA sequence reveal about you? Over the last 25 years or so there’s been a revolution in DNA sequencing technology. The first complete human DNA sequence took several years to complete and cost 3 billion dollars. However, now an entire human DNA sequence can be completed within a few days and for less than 1000 dollars. There are several companies that will sequence your DNA, and reveal lots of information about health and disease, as well as tell you about your family history. But how accurate are these interpretations, and what can you really learn from having your DNA sequenced?
  

In this insight4me Biology online event for schools and colleges, University of Glasgow and University of East Anglia will each have roughly 30 minutes to deliver a punchy, interactive topic based ‘micro’ talk. Within an overall session theme of Genetics, the universities have the freedom to choose their own focus and use the time to convey the key points of the case studies for the students.

insight4me is a series of subject specific webinars for Aged 16+ pre-university students. The sessions directly support students’ current studies by giving an insight into particular curriculum areas whilst affording an understanding of how these subjects continue beyond A-levels, T-levels, IB, BTEC and equivalent qualifications, and how they vary between universities.

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 and other resources will be shared after the event, where available.

Suitable for: Aged 16+ pre-university students studying, or with a possible interest in studying, Biology and related disciplines. Student groups, and individual students and teachers are very welcome to join us.

Preparation/Pre-Reading: Students may wish to consider the 2 topics and discuss some of the key elements 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 typed comments and questions or via a microphone if preferred. 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:

Register here