Harlem DNA Lab

It has been a long-held goal to develop a base of operations from which we can provide underserved schools in New York City identical enrichment opportunities to those offered to Long Island's affluent schools. In 2007, NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein provided exclusive use of a 1,200 square-foot classroom in the John S. Roberts Educational Complex (JHS45) in East Harlem. Then, in winter 2007-08, the Division of School Facilities renovated the space according to our specifications – including our signature student lab desks. With a $100,000 grant from the Jerome L. Greene Foundation, we purchased equipment for elementary through advanced experiments – from dissecting and compound microscopes to a fast PCR machine and three Agilent Bioanalyzers that allow us to type student polymorphisms in a single 3-hour lab. Harlem DNA Lab has its own web site: www.dnalc.org/harlemdnalab One area of the lab is specifically designed for assembling footlockers and restocking reagent kits to be used in NYC schools. With a soft opening in the spring, Harlem DNA Lab was dedicated on September 23, 2008 by Chancellor Klein, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Vice President Peter Bruns, and CSHL President Bruce Stillman.

Harlem DNA Lab draws on the DNALC's long experience in translating current biological research into hands-on learning activities and establishing teaching centers worldwide. Harlem DNA Lab is directly administered by the DNALC and is staffed by educators andPh.D. biologists who have been trained to deliver an exceptional learning experience for every visitor. In Harlem, the same range of high school lab field trips as offered at our Cold Spring Harbor and Lake Success facilities: bacterial transformation, DNA restriction analysis, forensic DNA profiling, and human mitochondrial DNA sequencing. Week-long student camps are also held at the Harlem location each summer.