People eager to learn more about biotechnology and its applications can satisfy their curiosity by visiting Iowa State’s Biotechnology Outreach Education Center.

“Basically, the purpose of this center is to provide any citizen of Iowa a place to come and learn about biotechnology,” said Mike Zeller, the center’s education coordinator.

So far, 1,000 Iowa teachers and 90,000 students have participated in one or more of the activities offered by the center, both on and off-campus, Zeller said.

He said that since its opening 18 months ago, about 1,700 people have visited the center for various activities and training.

According to the center’s Web site, teaching is also facilitated throughout the state by developing and conducting biotechnology activities at schools and by speaking to community groups, organizations and other public audiences about biotechnology principles and issues.

The center also helps teachers implement biotechnology activities into their curricula.

“I will definitely share my experiences and do the experiments with my students,” said Souvanna Southammavong, seventh-grade teacher from Ankeny.

“The three biggest groups we train are middle and high school science teachers, public interest groups and industry groups,” Zeller said.

However, he said the center has also reached students from elementary- to college-age.

Zeller said his team focuses on developing activities and curricula that are designed to meet each group’s needs.

The sessions take one to four days, depending on who the audience is, he said.

Some of the basic procedures that are being taught to these participants include DNA extractions, DNA transformation and DNA fingerprinting, Zeller said.

He said they also do other experiments, such as a soybean taste test.

During the summer the center offers programs for educators. Zeller said the educators workshops are designed specifically for science, agriculture or family and consumer science teachers.

He said that during the sessions, educators are trained in some of the basic techniques and perform several procedures.

“The workshop brings many benefits, especially because I’ve never been exposed to biotechnology before,” Southammavong said.

Moreetsi Thobega, graduate student in agricultural education and studies, said the trainers enlightened the participants about complex biotechnology issues.

“They try to make the issues very clear by providing lots of information and explanations,” he said.

Stacy Vaughn, high school biology teacher from Johnston, said she appreciates that the center provides dependable information.

“It is very nice to know that we have access to resource people that are reliable and knowledgeable during the workshop,” she said.

The center is located on the first floor of the Molecular Biology Building. The 2,300-square-foot center consists of two adjacent state-of-the-art laboratories with 40 lab stations, an equipment storage area and a preparation room.

“ISU has good resources that enable us to do all the experiments for free,” Vaughn said.

Zeller said a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture allows participants to enroll at no cost.