Heelan High students learn about biotechnology in unique science class

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
May 27, 2004

Seniors at Heelan High School in Sioux City are offered the opportunity to apply what they have learned in other science classes to a biotechnology class.

"It's kind of the cutting edge in biology," said Dee Blatchford, the biotechnology teacher. "What the students do is they use pretty much everything they have learned previous in a way that they then have a chance to explore new opportunities, new ideas. For example, in genetics and human disease, we learn how gene therapy is being used today."

Biotechnology is the study of how life is changed for purposes that society warrants. Purposes may be for industries to make a profit, for mankind to rid itself of disease, to make life easier, better or more convenient and the attempt to control the environment for a viable future.

"I really like Mrs. Blatchford who teaches the class," said Eric Knickrehm about why he chose to take the class. "The class is a blend of the different classes that she teaches between biology and anatomy and physiology. I liked that it was business oriented. It is a new and growing business in the world today."

This is an honors course designed for students who have a strong biology and chemistry background. They spend much of their time using critical thinking and communication skills, work as a group to research and design solutions when given problem-solving activities that apply to course work.

"I'm going into biology in college, so I thought I would take every opportunity that I could to take every class that had to do with science at our school," said Laura Donovan, who will be going to Creighton University in Omaha in the fall. "Since biotech is coming up fast and it is all about the future, I just thought I would take it."

The class is offered to seniors for one semester and is broken down into different units such as biochemistry, DNA, genetic engineering, agriculture and food, genetics and human disease and new frontiers and careers. The class does not have a textbook because they get outdated so fast, added Blatchford. There are usually about 25 students that take the class each year.

"We learned a lot about the procedures that are being used today," said Donovan. "We learned a lot about what could be done in the future to prevent diseases and to cure diseases."

The students were able to do several experiments. The class is split into research teams of three to five students to complete their experiments. Donovan's group made wine, cheese and other things.

"I will give them a problem, and I will say, 'I want you to demonstrate to me the action of a particular enzyme,'" said Blatchford. "Every group was given a different enzyme."

This involves research, making up their own lab and presenting their project to the class. The students listening to the presentations are responsible for taking notes on the topic at hand as part of their grade.

The students were also given the opportunity to show their parents what they had been doing in the class. Their parents, teachers, people from the community and other students (who were in study hall) were brought in and the different groups did presentations.

The students presented the best of what they had done during the semester. They made display boards as a visual aid to represent what their groups had completed.

"It's really hard but it was a lot of fun," said Donovan. "It was definitely worth it. I loved it."

This class has been offered for at least 10 years at Heelan. Now a biotechnology program is being started at Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City and other schools in the area are looking into it.

"I think it simulated interest in what was out there," said Knickrehm, who also plans on attending Creighton in the fall. "I like that there is a definite business aspect to biotech where you can create a business and help people at the same time."

According to Blatchford, the class prepares the students for college by forcing them to review all of the science that they had in high school and it teaches them to go beyond the book.