Glowing Flowers
Figure 1. A flower injected with fluorescent dye under ultraviolet light.
Student teams learn about engineering design of green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) and their use in medical research, including stem cell research. They simulate the use of GFPs by adding fluorescent dye to water and letting a flower or plant to transport the dye throughout its structure. Students apply their knowledge of GFPs to engineering applications in the medical, environmental and space exploration fields. Due to the fluorescing nature of the dye, plant life of any color, light or dark, can be used — unlike dyes that can only be seen in visible light.
Engineers develop technologies to advance the possibilities of scientific research. From microscopes designed to see extremely small things, to spacecraft that can peer into far-away galaxies, to a special dye that make stem cells glow, we learn about how things work in our world with the help of engineers.
Engineers play a large supporting role in recent advances in medicine, including research on the treatment of cancer. Research on using stem cells for management of diseases and injuries are among these treatments. Engineering developments in this area allow researchers to study the behavior of stem cells and how they replicate, travel and react in our bodies.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Describe why fluorescence is useful to observe cells in living organisms.
- Describe engineering designs that are advancing stem cell research.