ASE 2027 Annual Conference

PLEASE NOTE THIS SESSION HAS A MAXIMUM CAPACITY OF 24 - on a first-come, first-served basis on the day (Sched is not used for pre-booking.)

Plants are one of the most versatile and accessible model systems in science education — bridging the gap between the macro world students can see and the molecular world that drives it. Anthocyanins, the powerful antioxidants behind the rich colours of grapes, blueberries, and purple cabbage, offer a stunning entry point into both cell biology and genetics — and they're hiding in plain sight.

This two-part session takes you on a journey from plant to pipette. Beginning with phenotype, you'll learn how to reliably germinate rapid cycling brassica seeds to cotyledons in as little as 72 hours — giving your students visible, measurable results within a single school week. From there, we'll connect what students can observe with their own eyes to the molecular evidence beneath the surface.

In this first session, we'll walk you through the full workflow: scoring plants based on their phenotypic purple pigmentation, performing a DNA extraction, and preparing samples for PCR of the anthocyanin/anthocyaninless genetic marker. By the end, you'll have the confidence and the practical know-how to bring authentic plant molecular biology into your classroom.

All delegates participating in Part 1, are welcome to join the Embitec team for tea/coffee and cakes during the break, before Part 2 commences.