By
Matt Wood
Director of Communications, Biological Sciences Division
On April 6, 2026, a group of fourth-grade students at Bret Harte Elementary School in Chicago gleefully smashed strawberries inside plastic bags, the first step in a scientific experiment teaching them how to extract DNA from fruit.
After mixing the strawberry mush with detergent, salt, and water, they pressed the concoction into a strainer. Next, they added rubbing alcohol to the resulting liquid and watched a white, cloudy substance form on its surface—the DNA, chemically separated from the strawberry matter. The students then used wooden skewers to fish out long, stringy gobs of the DNA and transfer them into test tubes.
The activity was part of UChicago DNA Days, a science outreach program at several Chicago elementary schools meant to teach students the basics of genetics—and give them a glimpse of what it’s like to be a scientist.
This is the second year UChicago scientists have hosted the workshops in celebration of National DNA Day on April 25. Initiated by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), it commemorates the completion of the human genome in 2003 and the discovery of the DNA double helix in 1953. The goal of National DNA Day is to offer students, teachers, and the public an opportunity to learn about genomic research. NHGRI encourages organizations to host events celebrating DNA Day from January through May of each year.
A steering committee of seven graduate students and staff has been working with Francesca Luca, PhD, Professor of Human Genetics at UChicago, to organize this year’s DNA Days:
- Ricia Francis, Lab Technician, Human Genetics
- Gabrielle Garlicki, Lab Manager, Human Genetics
- Liz Gibbons, fourth-year student, Genetics, Genomics, and Systems Biology
- Akansha Gupta, second-year student, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering
- Maria Meneses, fourth-year student, Human Genetics
- Shreya Nirmalan, MD/PhD visiting student, Human Genetics
- Mady Scherr, second-year student, Genetics, Genomics, and Systems Biology
The committee planned and organized the entire program this year, from creating educational content to organizing volunteers and communicating with schools, in partnership with the UChicago Office of Civic Engagement Neighborhood Schools Program.
Luca said the goal of the workshops goes beyond teaching children about chromosomes or how to use pipettes. “We want children to have fun and feel like a scientist for one day. They will not only learn about careers in science but also develop a positive mindset towards science in general,” she said. “Then they can talk about the experience at home with their parents or with their friends, so that our outreach goes beyond the classroom and reaches society at large.”
Expanding outreach
Last year, the DNA Days team hosted events at six elementary and middle schools, including a STEM fair at AN Pritzker School on the north side and classroom workshops at City Elementary School, St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School, Andrew Carnegie Elementary School, Wadsworth STEM Elementary School, and Parkside Community Academy on the south side. The events reached a total of 17 classrooms and more than 300 students. They also participated in the annual South Side Science Festival on the UChicago campus in October.
This year, the team has expanded its reach, hosting eight in-school events from February to April, including four science fairs. Luca expects to reach nearly 700 more elementary and middle school students, again at Parkside, Wadsworth, AN Pritzker, St. Thomas, and City Elementary, along with Gunsaulus Scholastic Academy and Bret Harte Elementary.
In addition to the fruit workshop, the UChicago team developed four other activities to teach children about genetics.
- In one project, students learn about the four DNA bases—adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C)—that form genetic sequences, using them to create bracelets that sort each student into Harry Potter-themed houses.
- Another activity called “DNA Detectives” teaches basic pipetting skills while showing students how scientists can use DNA to determine if any endangered species are included in samples of canned fish.
- A new activity, jointly developed with the University of Chicago Genetic Services Laboratory, called “Chromosome Match-Up”, is an interactive card-based activity that teaches students how DNA is organized into chromosomes and inherited from each parent. It also explains how chromosomal abnormalities can lead to genetic conditions like Down syndrome.
- Each year, the team also works with UChicago Computational Outreach, another student-led group, on a workshop to teach kids about how computer science can be applied to biology.
‘Can you guys come back?’
During the recent workshop at Bret Harte Elementary, fourth-grade teacher Beth Herring helped her students work with Luca, Garlicki, and PhD student volunteers Quinn Hauck and Brendan Jamison as they extracted DNA from the strawberries. After they cleaned up, Luca and Garlicki asked if there were any questions. A dozen hands shot up at once.
“Can you eat DNA?” (Yes, but please don’t eat the strawberry-detergent-alcohol mixture you made today.)
“If a lion eats an antelope, does their DNA mix together?” (No.)
“Do you have to combine DNA to make different kinds of dogs?” (Yes, but it happens naturally when puppies are born.)
Finally, one student asked Garlicki the most telling question of the day:
“Can you guys come back?”
“Absolutely,” she said.
