Students and Genetic Research

I am a biology/anatomy teacher at Clare High School in Clare, Michigan.  We are a rural school in one of the lowest economic counties of our state.  The majority of our students enter the workforce or attend the local community college after high school. Our school is accredited and remains competitive in our area. Our science department volunteers to coach our Science Olympiad team, participate in our elementary Math/Literacy/Science nights, and strives to bring inquiry and deeper learning to our students. We have under 500 students in our high school and share a campus with our 1 middle and 1 primary school. Our students score around the state average on our standardized tests, and we've made big improvements minimizing the gap between our lowest level students and our higher achieving students. Few people in our community have a Bachelors Degree or higher.

My Project
Hands-on learning helps students get excited about learning and helps them to see the relevance of what they are learning.  I would like to bring the world of genetics to my students.  It's one thing to talk about DNA sequencing and genetic mapping.  To have students work with DNA and amplify their own helps to make this topic real.  Most Thermocyclers (to amplify DNA)  cost $3-6000.  I would like to purchase 2 miniPCR machines ($650 each and $29 for shipping).  My department budget would allow for the purchase of consumables for this.  Because the thermocyclers take a day to run, I would need two (12 kids to a machine).  I would like to start working with DNA this spring or next fall.  

Thank you, very much, for consideration of this project.  I love science and work hard to make it exciting, relevant, and real for my students.  MiniPCR