By Kelli Mayhew, Grand Island Public Schools

‘Participated in a national research project’ – that’s something not many people can put on their resume. 

But students in Mrs. Renee Ekhoff’s science class at Grand Island Senior High can.

Students got a unique opportunity to collect and extract dog DNA as part of Ekhoff’s Biotechnology Showcase October 28 to November 5. The DNA extraction focused on a gene related to hyper social behavior. 

“This lab is part of a National Research project, and the data we collect will contribute directly to this ongoing research,” Ekhoff said.

The showcase consisted of three days of lab work, where students performed micropipetting techniques and DNA extraction, and analyzed results using PCR gels. A true lifelong learner, Ekhoff came across the opportunity in Summer 2024 through Southeast Community College. She then took it back to her classroom to give her students a unique experience – one that was personal to some.

“We were given a swab, and we took it home and swabbed the inside of our dog's cheek,” said Kaitlyn Cramer, a junior in Mrs. Ekhoff’s class. “We brought it back [to class] and started extracting DNA and putting it through all these tests to isolate certain DNA, like gene sequences,” she added.

For students who didn’t have a dog at home, GISH staff members provided swabs from their pets. Officer Boone, the Grand Island Police Department therapy dog at GISH, even provided his DNA for the project.

Jacob Griffin, also a junior in the class, said the project helped him rationalize his own dog’s behavior. He said his dog isn’t as social, and this lab proved that could be partially due to genetics.

Also part of the showcase, Ekhoff invited different community members who work in biotechnology-related fields to share their career experiences with students.

"This is just something else to get them kind of excited about another possible career field,” Ekhoff said.

Cramer and Griffin agreed that the lab and Biotechnology Showcase exposed new opportunities.

“It’s been cool, because you don’t really think about all the details that go into being a scientist and how many people are really needed for certain things,” Cramer said.

“The whole career options opened up because of what we did. It's personally not my type of career I want to do, but I bet there's a lot of people in that classroom that probably would like to do that, and a lot of kids in the school that probably would like to learn how to do that,” Griffin said. “It's a pretty cool opportunity that the teachers gave us this chance to do,” he said.