Media Advisory

UNC's Destiny science learning program
travels to Hendersonville, Rosman and Brevard

Media representatives are invited to climb aboard Discovery, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's traveling science laboratory, this week when it visits high schools in Hendersonville, Rosman and Brevard.

Tuesday (Oct. 3), 8:05 a.m. to 9:35 a.m.;
9:40 a.m. to 11:14 a.m.
North Henderson High School
35 Fruitland Road, Hendersonville
Students from two of Pam Sutton's biology classes will perform a lab exercise called "Mystery of the Crooked Cell." The students will discover the molecular basis of sickle cell disease by using gel electrophoresis as a diagnostic tool to differentiate normal hemoglobin from hemoglobin found in individuals with sickle cell disease.

Tuesday (Oct. 3), 1:25 p.m. to 3 p.m.
North Henderson High School
35 Fruitland Road, Hendersonville
During the same visit, one of Fred Gore's chemistry classes will perform a lab exercise called "The Crucial Concentration." Students will assume the role of laboratory investigators for a court case to determine the amount of protein found in three sports drinks. Using the general concept of the Lowry Assay and microanalysis skills, students learn how to use a spectrophotometer, measure absorbencies, collect quantitative data and produce a standard curve to find the protein content in each sample.

Wednesday (Oct. 4), 8:10 a.m. to 9:40 a.m.;
9:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.;
11:20 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Rosman High School
749 Pickens Highway, Rosman
During this visit, students from two of Nancy Sanders' biology classes and one of Sara Cathey's biology classes will perform a lab exercise called "Mystery of the Crooked Cell." Students will discover the molecular basis of sickle cell disease by using gel electrophoresis as a diagnostic tool to differentiate normal hemoglobin from hemoglobin found in individuals with sickle cell disease.

Thursday (Oct. 5), 8:10 a.m. to 9:43 a.m.
Brevard High School
747 Country Club Road, Brevard
Jan Galloway's human anatomy and physiology class will perform a lab exercise called "Biological Bodyguards." Students will examine the vital role that the body's immune system takes to fight illness and prevent disease. Assuming the role of medical lab technicians, students use a simulated viral extract and perform an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to screen hypothetical patients for the presence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Additional activities will help students understand the social impact of and governmental responses to epidemics and pandemics.

Thursday (Oct. 5), 9:48 a.m. to 11:21 a.m.;
11:56 a.m. to 1:26 p.m.
Brevard High School
747 Country Club Road, Brevard
Also on the stop, two of Kathy Piersol's biology classes will perform a lab exercise called "Mystery of the Crooked Cell." Students will discover the molecular basis of sickle cell disease by using gel electrophoresis as a diagnostic tool to differentiate normal hemoglobin from hemoglobin found in individuals with sickle cell disease.

The Destiny traveling science learning program is Morehead Planetarium and Science Center's formal science education initiative serving pre-college teachers and students across North Carolina. Destiny develops and delivers a standards-based, hands-on curriculum and teacher professional development with a team of educators and a fleet of vehicles that travel throughout the state.

Destiny and Discovery, two custom-built, 40-foot, 33,000-pound buses, bring the latest science and technology equipment to students who otherwise would not see a high-tech laboratory or what a career in science can offer. The modules described above are among 13 offered as part of Destiny's curriculum. All of Destiny's modules are aligned with the N.C. Standard Course of Study. "The Crucial Concentration" was developed by Boston University School of Medicine CityLab.

The science bus is a powerful visual image that heightens public awareness of the importance of and funding necessary for quality science education. Destiny first hit the road in 2000.

For more information, go to http://www.destiny.unc.edu.

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Destiny science learning contact: Claire Bury, (919) 843-5915 or bury@unc.edu
News Services contact: Kyle York, (919) 962-8415 or kyle_york@unc.edu