This artifact is my strawberry DNA lab. In this lab we mixed frozen strawberries, dish soap, and salt and then we put it in a test tube with alcohol to extract the DNA. This worked because the dish soap broke down the cell wall and nucleus, while the salt broke down the proteins surrounding the DNA. Then the alcohol could bring the DNA to the top because the DNA isn’t soluble in alcohol but the rest of the cell is. When I first tried the lab, the DNA wasn’t rising to the top. Me and my partner had to add more alcohol and wait until the DNA finally showed up. During this lab I clearly demonstrated the core competency “communication”. I used the prompts below to back up this statement.

“I can ask and respond to questions to be an active, supportive listener.” I demonstrated this by being interactive in this lab by asking the right questions to ensure all the steps were taken properly. This was also demonstrated with my partner as we had to communicate who was doing what so that our lab worked out.

“When faced with ambiguity or setbacks, I… to advance the development of my idea”

When faced with ambiguity or setbacks, I take what has set me back and learn from that to better improve my lab, project or any work that may be. One setback was that the DNA was not rising to the top. My partner and I re-evaluated what we did, what we needed to achieve, and implemented what we had to in order to have the DNA rise.

“I know the group is working well together when I hear/ see…”

I know the group is working well together when I hear/see everything coming together. When me and my groupmates work together effectively there is usually little to no conflict and the task at hand gets done quicker. Everyone builds on everyone else’s ideas, supports one another and the work gets done to a good quality.