PRESENTED BY JULIO SAINT SURIN
ATNUSLI@AOL.COM
DEWITT CLINTON HS
100 WEST MOSHOLU PARKWAY SOUTH
BRONX, NEW YORK 10468
I
On April 4, 2003 a man whose name is Dennis Maher spent nearly 20 years of his life in prison after being wrongly accused of the rape of two women and the attempted rape of the” third were finally released from jail. According to the Boston Globe, Mr. Maher was released when his case drew the attention of the Innocence Project a non profit group a New York-based nonprofit group that provides legal assistance to inmates when DNA testing could prove their innocence.”
“Some years ago, a boy stood in front of a judge’s bench in a Canadian court. This boy was an orphan whose parents had been killed in an automobile crash. Money had been left to him, but he was finding it hard to prove his right to receive it. Another person had put in a complaint that this orphan had no right to the money. It was claimed that he could not have been the son of the two people who had died. The boy had blue eyes; both parents were brown-eyed parents. The judge agreed and ruled against the boy. Later, after scientific facts were explained to the Judge, the case was dropped and the boy received the money left to him”.
On 1998, USA woke up by the terrible new of an alleged affair between the president of USA Bill Clinton and actual intern in the White House Monica Lewinsky. The president went on TV and vehemently denied this relationship but when informed about a possible semen stain on Monica Lewinsky clothes, he confessed and apologized to the American people.
The CDC in conjunction with other governmental agencies is interesting in studying, the advantages and disadvantages of the DNA testing in the US. As a researcher, you have been called to work with a group of scientists from different background in this project.
Your task in this project is:
1- Choose anyone of the multiple DNA test available in the market (fingerprinting, amniocentesis, paternity test etc.)
2- Describe the DNA testing you have chosen and as you do so, find evidence to support the advantages and disadvantages of this test.
3- Make some recommendations if necessary about the major issues regarding DNA testing.
Use the six step public policy analysis work sheets before writing your report.
www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS.html
After you complete your six worksheets, begin writing a first draft. Create a draft of five pages report that will be submitted to the CDC.
a) http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet1.html
b) http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet2.html
c) http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet3.html
d) http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet7.html
e) http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet8.html
f) http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet10.html
Offer a final presentation describing your findings. Your group will have 10 minutes for the oral presentation.
MODEL: This will be graded by creativity, neatness, accuracy/ information (by the Teacher using the Evaluation Table).
ORAL PRESENTATION: This will be graded on grammar, organization and information presented. (by your peers using the Evaluation Table).
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT: This will be graded on grammar, spelling and information provided. (by the Teacher using the Evaluation Table).
1. www.lbl.gov/Education/ELSI/Frames/ genetic-testing-f.html
2. www.ourfamilydna.com
3. http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEPC/NIH/
4. www.nmslab.com/dna.html
4- http://www.bio.puc.cl/cursos/bio027/enfgen1.htm
5- http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/downsyndrome/down-sp.htm
6- http://www.uchile.cl/bioetica/doc/ponen1.htm
7- http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/
8- http://escuela.med.puc.cl/paginas/publicaciones/ManualPed/Genetica.html
9- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/genetictesting.html
10- http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040429/dath044_1.html
11- http://www.bcmgeneticlabs.org/tests/dna/lowe.html
Criteria for a Written Project
Max Points
4
3
2
1
Introduction
All questions were answered completely and rationales for the answers were clearly stated.
All questions were answered completely, but rationales for the all the answers were not clearly stated.
Not all questions were answered completely, or greater than 2 rationales for the all answers were not clearly stated.
All questions were not answered completely.
25
Task (which includes cover page)
All areas of the task were addressed and handled with a high degree of sophistication. The plan followed by the team demonstrated a great deal of thought.
At least one area of the task was not addressed. The plan followed by the team demonstrated a great deal of thought.
At least two areas of the task were not addressed. The plan followed by the team demonstrated a moderate level of thought.
The task is incomplete and/or it is apparent that little effort went into the development of the task.
Public Policy/ Solution
Originality
The ideas expressed by the body of work demonstrate a high degree of originality.
The ideas expressed by the body of work are mostly original. The group may have improved upon a previous idea.
The ideas expressed by the body of work demonstrate a low degree of originality.
There were no original ideas expressed in this project.
Grammar, Format , and Spelling
The final body of work was free of grammar, spelling, and formatting errors.
The final body of work had 1 error related to either grammar, spelling, and formatting errors.
The final body of work had 3-5 grammar, spelling, and formatting errors.
The final body of work had major grammar, spelling, and formatting errors.
TOTAL
100
DNA testing and DNA manipulation have revolutionized the world. Thousands of varieties of crops such as wheat have been found in nature or produced by artificial selection. It helps to prove the innocence or guilt of a suspect. The genes of various human diseases that were completely unknown have been isolated. The human genome has been sequenced and so do other living things. There is a great progress in gene therapy. The GMO promised to alleviate hunger worldwide. The future of DNA testing is still at its early age. There are more to come such as DNA fingerprinting at our international airport in order to avoid terrorist attacks worldwide, DNA National Identification etc.. The future of DNA testing is unknown, unlimited… In the future, we plan to have a webquest that will study the Genome project.
Explain how the technology of genetic engineering allows humans to alter genetic makeup of organisms.
Major Understandings
2.2a For thousands of years new varieties of cultivated plants and domestic animals
have resulted from selective breeding for particular traits.
2.2b In recent years new varieties of farm plants and animals have been engineered by
manipulating their genetic instructions to produce new characteristics.
2.2c Different enzymes can be used to cut, copy, and move segments of DNA.
Characteristics produced by the segments of DNA may be expressed when these segments
are inserted into new organisms, such as bacteria.
2.2d Inserting, deleting, or substituting DNA segments can alter genes. An altered gene
may be passed on to every cell that develops from it.
2.2e Knowledge of genetics is making possible new fields of health care; for example,
finding genes which may have mutations that can cause disease will aid in the development
of preventive measures to fight disease. Substances, such as hormones and
enzymes, from genetically engineered organisms may reduce the cost and side effects of
replacing missing body chemicals.
●English Standards
E1c Reads, understands and produces written and oral work.
E3b The student participates in group meetings.
E4b The student analyzes and revises the work to make it suitable for the audience.
S5f Students work individually and in teams to collect and share information and ideas.
S7b The student argues from evidence.
S7e Students communicates in a form suited for the audience.
A2a Student makes an oral presentation of project plan.