The Bridgewater-Raritan High School Waksman Student Scholars Program (WSSP) provides students with a unique opportunity to engage in advanced molecular biology research.
This year, the WSSP labs, held in Room 804, were led by club officers Saharsh Satyasai Bangaru, sophomore, and Riya Senjalia, senior.
Lab groups also received support from officers: Ananya Gupta, junior; Gabrielle Chien, junior; Ovia Dushyanthan, junior; Stefanie Lee, senior; and Kaitlyn Pericone, senior. Under the guidance of club advisor Ms. Alana Callelo, students could dive into hands-on experiments provided by Rutgers University, teaching about biotechnology and DNA sequencing.
The official first experiment date was on January 31, when students inoculated bacteria in preparation for the subsequent labs. This step allowed for students to move on to more advanced experimental procedures.
On February 4, participants performed polymerase chain reactions (PCR) dilutions and minipreps using the bacterial cultures from Day 1, employing a centrifuge to isolate plasmid DNA. The purpose of this step was to fragment the inoculated bacterial cells before the next steps of DNA purification. This process continued on the next day, February 7.
By February 18, the lab sessions advanced to preparing Taq-primer mixes, which were then placed in the thermocycler for PCR amplification, allowing for the replication of specific DNA sequences. Afterward, students prepared uncut and cut DNA samples and then performed gel electrophoresis, providing a visualization of the DNA samples. This step was crucial as uncut DNA serves as a control group for the cut DNA and, when compared, ensures that the cutting process by the restriction enzymes was successful in the cut DNA.
Freshman Sricharan Gurugubelli shared his thoughts on the lab.
“The WSSP labs were a great learning experience in the field of research and biology, and is one of the unique activities BRHS offers,” he said.
The students are now preparing to make their individual presentations to analyze and interpret their experimental results based on their DNA samples. If approved, the samples will be sent to Rutgers University for sequencing, after which further bioinformatics analysis will be conducted by the club members.
The Waksman Student Scholar’s Program at Bridgewater-Raritan High School drives research and a passion for the scientific field. Students gain valuable experience in scientific procedures, preparing them for a future career in STEM and research.
