Make It Glow: Intro to Molecular Cloning

In-person 3 part class:

Saturday, December 6th from 2 PM- 6PM EDT

Sunday, December 7th from 2 PM- 6PM EDT

Saturday, December 13th from 2 PM- 6PM EDT

How is it possible to build new forms of life, like bacteria that glow in the dark or yeast that smells like bananas? In this hands-on workshop, you’ll step into the role of a molecular biologist to reprogram living cells using DNA.

You’ll learn how to “cut and paste” genes - the biological code that determines how living things look and behave–and use those skills to make bacteria glow a different color. Starting with cells that produce green fluorescent protein (GFP), you’ll engineer a new version of their DNA that glows red instead by swapping out one gene for another using Gibson Assembly, a powerful cloning method used in research labs around the world.

During the course, you’ll explore how any gene can be switched on and off and discuss how genetic engineering is reshaping everything from medicine to materials to food.

You’ll learn to:

• Amplify and edit DNA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
• Use restriction enzymes and Gibson Assembly to swap fluorescent genes
• Transform E. coli with your new plasmid and make them glow
• Analyze your results under UV light
• Design your own DNA experiments using Benchling, a professional biotech tool

No prior experience needed - just curiosity and a steady hand.

Meet the Instructor

Brendan Camellato (he/him) is a postdoctoral research scholar at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He was born and raised outside of Ottawa, Canada, and attended the University of Ottawa where he completed a BSc in Biomedical Sciences and an M.Sc. in Cellular and Molecular Medicine. Brendan came to NYC to study at NYU, completing a PhD in Cell Biology. He has experience in cell and molecular biology, synthetic biology, and genome engineering, and has worked with bacteria, yeast, and mammalian cells. He currently works on developing tools for synthetic biology, genome engineering, and molecular recording, and uses them to study developmental and cancer biology. Brendan is very excited about the possibilities that biotechnology can bring to the world, and about helping others better understand these possibilities too. When he’s not engineering biology, Brendan likes to shoot some puck and lay down some groovy beats.