St Margaret’s School for Girls students involved in The Daffodil DNA Project are celebrating some incredibly exciting news!
The hard work, dedication and persistence of the DaffLab girls has paid off, as they have successfully obtained a full chloroplast DNA map from their extracted and sequenced DNA sample.
The senior pupils have been participating in the project, run by The University of Dundee, since March 2024. The initiative aims to inspire the next generation of plant scientists and molecular biologists as well as obtain genetic data on a very valuable but understudied genus.
Head of Biology and Sustainability at St Margaret’s School for Girls, Abby Miller, said, “This is primary science in action! Giving pupils access and practical experience of research-standard equipment and techniques is such an exciting part of this project. My mind is blown by having an Oxford Nanopore DNA sequencer in the lab, which is smaller than a mobile phone yet can sequence whole genomes and has been used on the International Space Station. The girls have been carrying out hands-on what we usually rely on videos and text books to learn, so this project has brought classroom science to life. Carrying out research which has not yet been done is such a privilege and will result in publication. Having the collaboration between the whole Daffodil DNA team spanning several institutions has been invaluable, and the girls have been greatly inspired and enthused by our STEM partners who have shared their time, career paths, expertise, enthusiasm during their hands-on help in the lab”.
Sadly, the daffodil did not flower this year, so the DaffLab girls will have to be patient before they submit their results for publication – watch this space!