Teacher Heather York Inspires Future Scientists of Wallingford

Photo courtesy of Wallingford Public Library

With guidance from Dr. Heather York, a young boy extracts some of his own DNA.

Using simple everyday materials such as Gatorade, dish soap, and meat tenderizers, Dr. Heather York, a first-year member of Choate’s Science Department, recently introduced eight third-grade students to various scientific principles. Taking time away from her Choate work, Dr. York led a workshop for the DNA Explorers Program at the Wallingford Public Library last Saturday, January 20, teaching children how to extract their own DNA. Dr. York also incorporated a lesson on the background of DNA and the basic concepts behind DNA extraction. Her workshop marked the beginning of a multi-week program that the library is running to give local kids STEM-related learning experiences.

Dr. York was interested in participating in this program because she believes that effective outreach has always been central to science. “Science is pretty much worthless if you can’t communicate it,” she said. “The whole purpose of science is to understand the universe, to understand the world around us. And if we can’t share what we’ve learned with others, then it’s as good as not having done it. We can’t benefit from that. We can’t move forward from that. I think it’s really important to share what we learn from science.”

She added, “It’s always important to start teaching students at Choate, and students in general, that part of science is good communication.”

Dr. York enjoyed the experience of leading the workshop. “The kids stayed pretty focused. They had good questions, and I got good feedback from the parents,” she said. “I appreciated represent Choate and meeting some young kids who are interested in science.”

Dr. York learned of the opportunity to lead this workshop from visiting the library. After moving to Wallingford this past summer, Dr. York and her seven-year-old daughter spent a lot of time in the public library. During one of those visits, Dr. York introduced herself to the librarian and asked if they needed any scientists to help with science outreach. The library contacted her a couple of months later.

When it comes to science outreach, Dr. York has a lot of experience. “I’ve worked in the past with public libraries, both in Iowa and in Nebraska. I’ve also done science outreach at different nature centers and gotten involved with elementary schools,” she described. She continued, “I started working at the natural history museum at the University of Kansas when I was in grad school, and I did many different workshops for groups of all ages. I did one on sheep, bats, rainforests, birds, geology — all kinds of stuff.”

The first step of the DNA extraction procedure was to swish Gatorade in their mouths for a couple of minutes, then to scrape their cheeks for cells and spit the Gatorade out. Gatorade has a high electrolyte content, similar to human cells. If human cells are placed in an environment with a drastically different ion and salt concentration, they can potentially burst. Thus, the kids used Gatorade. “They had these little frothy cups of Gatorade spit, and at the same time, they’re trying not to laugh while they’re swishing it around. It’s kind of a fun way to start the project,” she recalled. “They’re wondering, ‘Why are we doing this? What could this mix possibly be?’ And then when I teach them about all the steps, it all falls into place, and they understand what’s going on. But it’s just fun to watch them get interested, to see the curiosity, and then to see them actually learn something.”

While she has worked with many age groups, Dr. York finds particular meaning in working with children. She is especially interested in the way they think. “I’m always surprised at how well young people understand science. If you give them the chance to ask questions and to respond to you, to let you know what’s on their minds, it seems like even really young students can understand complex things,” she said. “It’s always good to get a glimpse of what’s going on in a kid’s head.”

She also finds that kids simply create a more fun learning environment, and she enjoys sharing her knowledge with them. “You can always impress kids with interesting or gross or cool-sounding things.” Dr. York concluded, “Kids are more fun because they’re more open-minded in general. They have a lot to learn — and it’s fun to watch them learn.”

Dr. York plans to continue her involvement with the public library. She is also looking for other ways to get involved with the community, such as working with Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops and nature centers or clubs. “I’d definitely like to get out there,” she expressed. “It’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing, and I’d love to strengthen connections between Choate and the rest of the community.”

She added, “What’s really important to me is that I think I represented Choate well, and that everyone seemed really receptive to the idea of getting Choate students involved in more outreach,” Dr. York shared. “So, if that’s something I can bring into my classes, or help other people think about for their classes, I’d love to do that.”

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