Lab Larceny

The Lab Larceny module is most appropriate for high school biology classes.  It is based on the Boston University School of Medicine's CityLab module entitled Case of the Crown Jewels.

Lab Larceny is a forensic mystery in which high school students are hired as employees of the Forensic Institute of Bridgewater (FIB).  The students perform DNA fingerprinting on samples isolated from “blood” found at the site of suspected industrial espionage at FIB headquarters.  Techniques are based on restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and involve agarose gel electrophoresis to resolve the DNA fingerprints.  Careful analysis of the data and critical thinking skills are encouraged in solving this "who done it?" The activity introduces students to micropipettes, since sections of Pipetting 101 are included as a preliminary activity.

Teachers are encouraged to conduct the pre-lab activities with their classes prior to the BSU CityLab visit.  The module requires about five hours on-site, including lunch a break but not including travel time to and from the BSU campus. Post-Lab activities are provided for use back at school.

This page was updated on July 17, 2009.