Biotechnology Research & Ethics Class Visits UW Institute of Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine

Mercer Island, WA, June 5, 2024 - The Biotechnology Research and Ethics class at Mercer Island High School took a field trip to the University of Washington Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM), pronounced "ice cream", on Friday. May 31.

The students were able to tour four labs, talk to scientists in the labs about their research, play a CRISPR game, and experience first-hand how electrical signals from the brain command muscle movements.  

The class visited a lab where they learned about pluripotent stem cells and viewed heart cells (under a microscope) that were created from skin cells. 

A visit to the Imaging Lab made it possible for students to be able to look at live pictures using advanced microscopy. 

“We also learned about tools and techniques for gene sequencing and we were also able to view parasitic worms, small intestines from mice, and pollen,” said MIHS Chemistry and Biotechnology Teacher Samantha Barnes who organized the field trip to ISCRM.