Teens take biology beyond petri dish

By Jon Savelle
Seattle Times Eastside bureau

	TOM REESE / THE SEATTLE TIMES Andrew Hsu of Issaquah was one of hundreds of students taking part in the Student Biotech Expo yesterday in Bellevue.
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For all those whose only memory of high-school biology is of a boring blob of something in a petri dish, hear this: The Student Biotech Expo 2004, held yesterday in Bellevue's Meydenbauer Center, was a happening scene that encompassed far more than fruit flies and transgenic mice.

Some 350 students from the Eastside, Seattle and its other suburbs and even Yakima made a party out of their serious research projects and hard work, bringing to the expo not only academic prowess but wacky humor.

A rapper from Shorecrest High School in Shoreline laid down some licks about cancer. A dancer from Franklin High School did a "Tap Synapse" tap-dance-and-rap routine. The four-man Transplanters group from Garfield High School in Seattle knocked out a song about tissue rejection in a heart transplant.

"My heart was broken, the doctors have spoken," went the chorus. "Your love has shown through, I can't believe I rejected you."

This is the fourth year for the expo, which is organized by the Washington Biotechnology Foundation and sponsored by Northwest biotech companies and research institutions.

Juanita High School teacher Mary Glodowski, who teaches biotechnology, biology and chemistry, said 35 of her students participated.

"I think it gets better and better every year," she said. "The kids are finding ways to tap into science resources."

Each participant is guided by a teacher and a mentor from industry. Their projects ranged from art, music and dance to creative writing and laboratory research; each project was judged for its quality, creativity and science.

Jenny Shively, a senior at Juanita High School, spent two months researching the Ebola virus and preparing a display for the expo. With help from mentor Christine Hansen, of Icos Corp., she examined the origins of the pathogen and possible vaccines to treat it.

Shively fielded questions about her display throughout the morning. The visit by the judges was "kind of unnerving," Shively said, but later she received an honorable mention for her work.
 
Other entries came from students of Laurie Matthews, at Eastside Catholic High School, and of Mary Margaret Welch, of Mercer Island High School.

Kristen Kaiser, a sophomore at Eastside Catholic, entered the creative-writing category with a DNA-based murder investigation, complete with a police detective and a forensic scientist. Along the way, a drug dealer and a love triangle enter the plot, which twists and turns toward a cliffhanger finale.

"I just made it all up," Kaiser said.

Janis Wignall, manager of science education for biotech giant and event sponsor Amgen Inc., said besides being fun, the event is valuable encouragement for students who may be considering careers in science. And it underscores the importance of science literacy and scientific inquiry.

Though the prizes are small — $100 for first place, $75 for second and $50 for third — Wignall said they mean a lot to the students.

"You'd think they'd won the lottery," she said. "They love it."

Jon Savelle: 206-464-2216 or jsavelle@seattletimes.com

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