As Biotech students participate different workshops, the females in the class made a trip to University of the Pacific (UOP) on Oct. 10, to encourage younger girls to expand their horizons. The workshop “Expanding Your Horizons” encourages middle school aged females to participate in more science classes.

The workshop encourages females, in grades sixth through eighth, to go into Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. To accomplish this, Biotech students hosted a one-day activity with only female participants.

There are fewer females involved in science and math fields, Biotech students are using this workshop to even out the number of gender participants, and to let girls know that they can make it in whichever field they wish.

“I don’t regret dedicating my Saturday to this volunteer event; it was definitely a new experience,” Biotech student Annie Chea, a junior, said.

Chea explained how they taught younger students with the hopes of getting them interested in science and described how it was an exhausting experience.

“It was fun and was a very different, but new experience,” Chea said.

She explained that to spark these interests, they created fun and interesting labs that would intrigue the younger students.

In the workshop, the students extracted DNA from a strawberry. To get the DNA from the strawberries, students added chemicals, and used alcohol to extract the DNA. They then shared their results. Afterward, the young students were allowed to keep the strawberry DNA and take it home.

“It was great to give a little back to the students,” senior Rachelle Buske said.

She described how passionate she felt towards the STEM project, as it would give more opportunities to young girls who had an interest in the science field.

It is also a great way to gain experience in any fields of science as it is a zero period and gives many laboratory opportunities.

Many students who participate in Biotech are given new solutions and methods to use in their required science class. This gives a distinct advantage and can bring the students grade up.

“Biotech is way to explore and try new things in STEM,” Chea said.