Kennebunk High School students are getting hands-on experience with advanced biotech equipment in their biology classes.

The science department recently acquired polymerase chain reaction and gel electrophoresis equipment, the same technology that became a cornerstone of the COVID-19 response.

Funded by a $5,000 grant from the Education Foundation of the Kennebunks and Arundel, the technology has transformed how students learn molecular biology concepts.

“Students can literally go through a polymerase chain reaction protocol in a single block,” AP biology teacher Neil Battagliese said. “It’s super cool stuff.”

The technology allows students to perform advanced genetic manipulation experiments that mirror real-world applications in medical diagnostics, research and vaccine development.

While chain reaction technology is prevalent in biotech science, many students likely did not know about the technology until the COVID-19 pandemic, Battagliese said. The concept then became an everyday, recognizable subject.

Now, students are getting the opportunity to put that concept to use.

“I was teaching IB biology at the time that everything shut down, and we were talking about polymerase chain reaction testing,” Battagliese said. “It made everything more relevant.”

Using the polymerase chain reaction and electrophoresis technology, students are able to amplify specific DNA segments, create bacterial transformations, and analyze genetic material.

Early this week, a first-year biology class at Kennebunk High School ran a gel electrophoresis lab where students got different DNA samples, ran gel electrophoresis to find a fingerprint, and used the fingerprint to figure out who the “culprit” of the situation was.

“They got amazing results,” Battagliese said. “We’re getting into the DNA side of things. It’s kinda cool.”

Hands-on learning is important in science classrooms, Battagliese said. Not only is it more fun than reading from a textbook, but it enhances students’ understanding because they are able to see scientific procedures play out with their own eyes.

Students in Battagliese’s AP biology class agree.

“I think all the machinery and the equipment is really helping my conceptualization and being able to visually see all these labs,” junior Quinn Wherley said.

Senior Caroline Tabor emphasized the connection to the real-life world of science through the use of the equipment.

“This is the same exact technology that industrial labs use to create actual biological tools,” Tabor said. “I’m going to remember this lab, and going into college, I’ll know how it works.”

The world of biotechnology is also everchanging, Battagliese said, and this technology will give students the opportunity to dive deeper into that space.

“Biotech is getting crazy,” Battagliese said. “Students are learning more about DNA, and then they’re learning how that DNA can get manipulated, and it opens up a whole new world of biotechnology.”

Currently, the polymerase chain reaction technology is mainly used in upper-level science courses like AP biology, but Battagliese hopes to incorporate the technology into all levels of classes.

It’s important for all students to not only understand scientific concepts, but to be able to apply those concepts in a real way using the technology.

“It’s great, because the kids feel like they’re scientists,” Battagliese said.