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Building the largest model of DNA
Building the largest model of DNA in the world Graeme Jones School children and shoppers share the excitement of building a world-record-breaking model as science is taken into the shopping centre
At 2.17 pm on 9 March 2002 in the Potteries Shopping Centre, Stoke-on-Trent, a new Guinness World Record was set. Standing at 10.83 metres tall, containing 250 base pairs and over 15 000 atoms, this was the largest model of DNA in the world. The model was built by a team from Keele University and Daresbury Laboratory aided by about 3000 school children from 90 different Stoke, Staffordshire and Cheshire schools and a host of celebrity scientists, including the legendary co-discoverer of the DNA helix and Nobel prize winner Francis Crick. This article gives an account of the thinking behind and the legacy of ‘DNA-DAY’.
The idea DNA-DAY grew out of a project called Make it molecular. Its aim was simple: to get people – children in schools, members of the general public, anyone – to make a model of a molecule. Model-making is
ABSTRACT This article describes the building of a worldrecord winning model of DNA in a shopping centre, the focus of the Make it molecular project, which aims to involve people of all ages in ‘doing science’ by making molecular models. The funding and practicalities of making the model are described, together with its impact and legacy. At the time of writing, over 3000 members of the public had made and been photographed with their own molecular model, learning something of the excitement of engaging with science.
enjoyed by people of all ages. We reasoned that, given the opportunity, people would be intrigued to make models of molecules, to investigate their 3D shape and the atoms of which they are made. The big question was: would they like to do it enough to take time out of their shopping? It was envisaged from the start that Make it molecular would be taken into shopping centres and it seemed like a good idea that such an event should have a focus. What we were looking for was a molecule that everybody had heard of and would look dramatic. With the 50th anniversary of the discovery of its structure approaching (2003), step forward the ‘icon molecule’ of the moment – DNA – and thus DNA-DAY was born.
Finding the money The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is one of the eight Research Councils (www.researchcouncils.ac.uk) that fund research within the UK. All the research councils fund programmes that aim to disseminate information about the work they fund to a public audience. In the case of EPSRC this is called the Partnership for Public Awareness (PPA) programme. It was to this programme that we sent off an application and, after peer review (which gave us the phrase ‘icon molecule’) and scrutiny by a panel of experts, the project was funded. So with the money in hand all we had to do was to build the DNA model. The idea was that we would get children to make up base pairs in schools and then we would collect them all together and assemble them into the monster School Science Review, March 2004, 85(312)
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Building the largest model of DNA
DNA model on DNA-DAY. Following the advice of the Staffordshire LEA science team we decided that this model-building activity should be adaptable for children aged between 9 and 13 so that the primary– secondary boundary was crossed. Initially the idea was that we would prepare model kits to send off to schools, but we quickly realised that this was not going to be that simple and that we would need to train people to take the kits into schools. We hadn’t budgeted for this, but fortunately managed to persuade the Science Year team that this would be a good flagship event for them; they agreed to fund the ‘molecular mechanics’ as they became known, a devoted band of 20 PGCE and PhD students from Keele.
Figure 1 The 10.83 m tall DNA model provides an awe-inspiring sight for passing shoppers.
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Making the base pairs From the start of the project we decided to use Molymod® (Spiring Enterprises) models. The criteria for choice were look (most important), size (needed to be visible), ease of construction and, of course, cost. Molymod® met all our criteria and over the year we built up an excellent working relationship with the Spiring family. Fortunately they already had a DNA model system worked out; all we had to do was to put together a set of instructions which young children could easily follow. This was not trivial. Take the instructions for guanine. The model contains carbon (black), nitrogen
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(blue), oxygen (red) and hydrogen (white). There are two different types of carbon, a 3-hole and a 5-hole, three different types of nitrogen, a 2-hole, a 3-hole and a 3-hole with a tight angle that allows it to fit into the 5-membered ring, and two different types of hydrogen. If they are not put in the right place and in the correct orientation then the model no more resembles guanine than it does a bag of sweets. But by careful separation of the atoms into bags by the project assistant Suzy Cork, positioning of locator sticks and the provision of step-by-step instructions we were able to guide all the children through making the model of their DNA component. The sessions that the molecular mechanics ran in schools were simple and lasted about one hour. They started with an introduction to DNA and atoms called ‘Discovering DNA the Watson and Crick way’. The children then made the models, either a sugar and phosphate or one of the bases, guanine, cytosine, thymine or adenine. Then at the end, without instructions, they put the sugars and phosphates on the bases and matched up the base pairs, G with C and A with T. The great thing was that you could tell the children that this was exactly what Watson and Crick had done, matched up the bases to make base pairs. The sessions ended on the high note that if they wanted to see how the base pairs joined together then they should come along on DNA-DAY and see the Guinness World Record DNA model being built.
Behind the scenes By far the biggest headache was the engineering. Step forward John Flaherty from Daresbury Laboratory. John was the ‘Viagra’ in the project: he worked out how the 10 metre plus model would stand up and, more importantly, stay up. Together with Dave Robinson he also designed a system that allowed the model to be built on a wire that was slowly winched up. God bless engineers! So the big day drew nearer and nearer. We trained up a group of six PhD students to become DNA builders to assemble the model. We arranged for the whole shopping centre to be transformed into a science exploratorium with exhibits ranging from illusionary mirrors to DNA extraction and, not least, modelmaking with Make it molecular. All the models built in schools were numbered into the sequence of the first 250 base pairs of chromosome 1 of the human genome – well you have to start somewhere. One week to go – time to panic.
Building the largest model of DNA
The big day Most people seemed to think that it was a given that the molecule could be built – we knew better. Up until the day we had never made a molecule that was more than 1.5 metres tall, and that had taken the good part of an afternoon. We started to practise our excuses. The day had its hairy moments. It didn’t get off to a good start because the film crew decided that it would be a good idea to go for a long breakfast and the scariest moment came when we realised we had 2 m of model left and only 1.5 m of wire to fit it on! But it all came good in the end. The shopping centre was buzzing: people had heard the radio adverts (a kind donation from the North Staffs Royal Society of Chemistry Section) and lots of children came to see their base pair put on the model. The completed model looked awesome. There it stood, this string of molecular complexity, framed by two full length DNA-DAY banners. It was so tall it was difficult to photograph! A Guinness World Record. People were just awestruck. Children asked their parents what it was, what it did, how it did it. If you went up in the centre’s glass elevator you could look at it all the way from the bottom to the top – magic. Now just step back and think about that. You’re out shopping in town on a Saturday and your child is asking you scientific questions; maybe there is something really important here. This is not science in a laboratory or a school, in a science centre or museum; this is science out there in a shopping centre being part of mainstream culture, standing up and saying ‘look at this – it’s amazing’. Scientists are explaining what is happening, helping people, chatting away, laughing and looking pretty normal – good role models? The results of the evaluation questionnaire were very positive. Overwhelmingly people in the shopping centre thought that the event was good fun, good for children, good for Stoke and, most importantly, good for science. The evaluation of the visits to schools to build the models was equally positive. Of the children surveyed (a majority of whom were in year 6), 90 per cent said that they enjoyed making models of molecules and 40 per cent said that they wanted to become scientists when they grew up. OK, we know 40 per cent won’t become scientists, but at least we have planted the idea in their heads. Most importantly, 95 per cent of the teachers rated the activity as excellent.
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Figure 2 Members of the public enjoyed making molecular models – with a photo to take home as a record of their achievement.
A word of warning You don’t come from Stoke-on-Trent, so by now you must be wondering why you didn’t hear of this. Well it’s simple, we built the DNA model on a Saturday and the only thing that ever gets reported on TV on a Saturday is football. Please don’t make our mistake.
The legacy So what happened to the DNA model? Well the original model went out one more time to the BBC Tomorrow’s World roadshow in Earls Court in July 2002 and a further 50 base pairs were added so the largest model in the world now contains 300 base pairs – beat that. Since then it has been packed up in boxes in the School of Chemistry and Physics at Keele, all neatly numbered. In 2003, for the DNA50 celebrations, it took a trip down to the Grafton
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Shopping Centre in Cambridge at the invitation of the Sanger Centre. On the international scene the British Council sponsored a project which built 2.5 metre high DNA models in nine countries across the world from Singapore to Bulgaria, Croatia to China. However, the most important legacy of the project has been Make it molecular. Since DNA-DAY over 3000 people have made a model of a molecule and had their picture taken with it. People of all ages and abilities get a great sense of achievement at completing a model – and a photo to take home to stick on the fridge. For the under-5s just counting out the different atoms and bonds is a challenge in itself. With those aged 6 to 106 our aim is that by the time they have made the model they will have stopped saying red ball, black ball, stick, etc. and started using scientific terms such as oxygen atom, carbon atom and bond. We reinforce this by saying things like ‘you sound like a real chemist’, which people seem quite genuinely pleased to hear. Building the model also
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gives people the confidence to ask further questions about chemicals and chemistry and the excitement of having made the model gives people the patience to listen to the scientist. There are many tales to tell from Make it molecular but this has to be the best. A lad of about 10 turned up with his mum and asked to make a model of a molecule. I was stood in front of him flicking through the instruction cards. Would you like to make vitamin C? Lad: No. Or how about citric acid that is found in fizzy drinks? Lad: No. Or how about Prozac? At which stage mum butts in: Go on luv make your mum some Prozac. Now if you think about that, Mum now understands that it is a chemical molecule in the little Prozac pills which make people happy. She can see the structure of the molecule and her child can build a model of
Building the largest model of DNA
the molecule, and maybe in a few years he could become a chemist and make the real molecule. So if you have a box of molecular models in the back of the cupboard, dig them out and get the children to choose and make a molecule. Don’t be scared, with 30 seconds’ explanation anybody can follow simple molecular drawings.
What next? We have plans for a ‘molecular mardi-gras’ with a Mr and Miss Molecular, crowned with calixarenes and adorned with molecules, with people dancing along to the rhythm of molecular vibrations. We also have our eyes on a number of other world records but they are hush-hush. Watch this space. If DNA-DAY proves anything it is that if you take science out to the public they love it. Make it fun, make it exciting, make it molecular; whatever, we have a duty as scientists to do what I call ‘public science’. If we engage with the public then they will engage with us and a new vibrant science culture will emerge.
Acknowledgements Funding and support was provided by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Partnership for Public Awareness Award GR/N67527/01, Science Year, Spiring Enterprises, the North Staffordshire Section of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Potteries Shopping Centre, CCLRC Daresbury Laboratory and Keele University. Thanks also to the hundreds of scientists from Keele University and Daresbury Laboratory who made the project possible.
Graeme Jones, the DNA-DAY project leader, lectures in the School of Chemistry and Physics, Lennard-Jones Laboratories, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG. E-mail:
[email protected]
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