On July 20, 1822, a star was born! This star was Gregor Mendel, known to us as the "father of genetics." In honor of his foundational work in the field, sciport celebrated his birthday this weekend as part of their Celebrate a Scientist program.
On this auspicious occasion, we were invited to do some related activities with the kids to highlight some of the historical work and the modern genetics that stemmed from it. Our first station illustrated the Mendelian principles of genetics by germinating Fast Plants with segregating traits.
As part of our modern genetics, we gave a shout out to GMOs and started the discussion by making "Frankenfoods" out of apples, beans, and other decorative items.
While the kids prepared their Frankenfoods, Andrea hosted our GMO shopping game, where consumers had to choose the safest, healthiest, and most environmentally friendly option from both GM and non-GM foods. A few people seemed quite surprised with the results ;)
From all of us, we wish you a very happy Mendel's birthday!
