Tentative Professional Development Workshop Agenda

Saturday, August 23, 2025

Southwest Regional Library | 3605 Shannon Rd, Durham, NC

10:00–10:30am | Welcome & Community Norms

Enjoy breakfast while meeting fellow educators. We’ll set shared norms for engagement, review the day’s goals, and complete a pre-workshop survey.

10:30am–12:00pm | Electrophoresis on a Budget

Learn how to build a gel electrophoresis setup using everyday materials. This affordable activity is adaptable across disciplines, including Environmental Science, Math, Chemistry, and Forensics.

• Includes handouts on STR profiling and environmental education applications
• Emphasizes hands-on learning and cross-curricular connections (DNA and Physics or Math)

12:00-12:15pm Break

12:15–1:00pm | Foldscope Microscopy & DNA: Observation as Discovery

Use the $1.75 Foldscope microscope to observe biological samples and connect microscopic observations to the discovery of DNA. Participants will use journals and draw what they see, echoing the process of early scientists who uncovered the structure of the cell, nucleus, chromatin, and chromosomes.

• Highlights the value of observation and artistic thinking in science
• Models student-centered exploration of cell structures.