In the spring of 2024, the students with blindness or low vision from TSBVI joined us at Baylor once again! This time, we had a theme for the event: The Great Molecular Race. For their time being experimental scientists, we focused on various laboratory separation techniques. The goal was to help students understand which molecules would “win” the race, depending on the racecourse presented to them. Specifically, we focused on size exclusion chromatography (SEC), SDS-PAGE, and thin layer chromatography (TLC). Students helped purify one of two proteins, alpha-synuclein or Cytochrome c, by adding their respective protein to a SEC column and collecting the fractions. Students then performed another separation technique, SDS-PAGE, to determine if their fractions had the protein of interest in it. After students analyzed their protein gels, they then pooled the proper fractions together and flash froze them. At the end of the three-day event, students then synthesized an ester, methyl salicylate, and executed thin layer chromatography to separate the reactants (methanol and salicylic acid) from the product (methyl salicylate).
