Baconton Charter receives Toshiba STEM grant

BACONTON — Officials at Baconton Community Charter School announced recently that the school has received a $7,772 STEM grant from the Toshiba America Foundation. These funds will support the Design a Genetically Modified Organism Using Synthetic Biology Shark Tank project.

In this project, students in Wendy Courtney’s Biotechnology/Synthetic Biology class will learn about DNA, genetics, CRISPR and genetically modified organisms. They will learn how DNA works, how traits are passed down, and how GMOs are made. This project also will introduce CRISPR (Cas9) to the students in that they will learn about gene editing versus genetically modified organisms.

Students will be individually researching a GMO that has already been invented and in production, and in student teams, they will be designing a new GMO or synthetically designed organism that meets a global need, and then pitching their new GMO or synthetically designed organism to Shark Tank judges. The team chosen by the Sharks to have the best product and presentation will be the winners.

“We are excited that our students will have the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills and conduct higher level research through the GMO Shark Tank project,” Baconton Charter Principal Mary Sullivan said in a news release. “We are grateful to the Toshiba America Foundation for granting funds for the resources and materials needed to make this project successful and to Mrs. Courtney for her visionary planning in developing the Synthetic Biology class for our students.”

Toshiba America Foundation grants fund projects designed by individual classroom teachers. This “direct-to-teacher” approach brings immediate results.

Teachers are able to change the way they teach science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects because the grant supports equipment for hands-on experiments and inquiry-based approaches to the curriculum. TAF officials say STEM is a lot more fun than just reading a textbook. TAF grants provide teachers with the tools they need to be more effective educators. The grants make the classroom a more exciting place for both teachers and students.

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