40000km of DNA in a Falcon tube

From 6th to 9th of March, a group of researchers from the SBU has participated in the outreach event organised by the Parc Cientific and Caixabank Foundation, called “Fira Recerca en Directe“, which took place in the science museum Cosmocaixa. The SBU had one stand in which researchers explained the topology of DNA. Participants had the opportunity to see 60000km of DNA in a Falcon tube, load DNA samples to an agarose gel and see how they move through when a electrical current is applied, and to manipulate different models to understand how DNA is packed in cellular nucleous.

During the first three days, students from different secondary education institutions came to discover how researchers from DNA topology lab deal with their daily life at laboratory. On Saturday, the event was open to all general public attending the museum, and both grown-ups and kids, as well as many future undergraduate students came to ask about our research and to experiment with us.

First day, we received the visit of Joan Elias Garcia, rector of University of Barcelona, Lluis Noguera, Cosmocaixa Director and Anna Serra, Director of Barcelona Science Park Commercialization and Communications Area.

The aim of “Fira Recerca en Directe” is to bring close the research to general public and to foster scientific vocations among young people. The event joint 11 research groups from Catalonia move their laboratories to the Cosmocaixa and showed how researchers daily work is.