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-Press Release, Oxford Preparatory School
James Allred, a 7th grader at Oxford Preparatory School, has been accepted into the summer accelerator program with the North Carolina School of Science and Math. James is the son of Todd and Julie Allred of Oxford, NC.
James Allred, a 7th grader at Oxford Preparatory School, has been accepted into the summer accelerator program with the North Carolina School of Science and Math. (OPS photo)
For the past several years James has been highly interested in microbiology as a potential career, so he’s excited to get some hands-on experience, especially the experiments with DNA. He will be staying in the dorm at Brevard College with like-minded students from all over the globe.
NCSSM Summer Accelerator courses are for exceptional rising 7th through 12th graders who must apply for admissions into this competitive program. Student applications are scored by a committee that considers many factors in order to admit students who will succeed in the program. The reviewers look at GPA, passion for the subject area, quality of writing, behavior and conduct, and experience in the subject area (if opportunities are available).
During this experience, students will explore the world of biotechnology, including the technology involved, importance to society, careers, and hands-on laboratory exercises. Over the course of the week, students will engage in hands-on exploration of the many areas of biotechnology, such as food and fuel production, restriction enzymes and recombinant DNA technology, genetic engineering, GMOs and their uses, forensic biotechnology and genomics.
Students will examine basic cellular structure, conduct environmental sampling for microbes, examine enzyme structure and function, engage in several fermentation activities including food and fuel production, extract DNA, digest it with restriction enzymes, conduct gel electrophoresis to separate and examine DNA fingerprinting, copy DNA through polymerase chain reaction and explore other DNA manipulation techniques.