Numeracy & Science

There are many instances in which mathematics and science interact to help students understand various concepts. One such topic is Genetics and Evolution, and to help with their understanding, the Year 12 Biology students recently attended a workshop at the University of Melbourne.

The students had the following to say about the experience.

“The excursion that we undertook for our Unit 3 and 4 Biology studies was a great hands-on learning experience. Our first experiment was to analyse the genetic evolution of Drosophila melanogaster (also known as fruit flies) over 15 generations. The whole idea about analysing both phenotypes and genotypic qualities of the flies, helped us to get a clear understanding of the concept of evolution and natural selection, leading a species to thrive in the wild. In the current changing world, learning and understanding about evolution is crucial, as almost all the species in the world are forced to evolve to the current polluted environments and learn to adapt. This experience has also changed my point of view on genetic evolution and was a very practical way to understand the content of Unit 4.”

Sherlyn Antony

“In the first experiment we investigated how a mutation in ‘Drosophila melanogaster’ results in a difference in fitness of the fly and a change in their phenotypic and allele frequencies. Each student at our table was given different generations of drosophila melanogaster’s ranging from generations 0-15. 

We had the opportunity to use all the science equipment in the lab with the assistance of students from the facility who were helpful and encouraging. Nearing the end of the experiment, we had to compare results with one another to identify any differing results and why it would be. We ended the experiment by providing genotypic data of the number of alleles and allele frequencies visible on the agarose gels.”

Tyrah Lauaki