A Helping Hand for High Schools

This fall, Tufts University is lending $40,000 worth of scientific equipment to four Boston high schools so the students can learn how to use the latest lab technology, reports the Boston Globe's June Wu. Using the equipment, their own DNA, and the help of Tufts undergrads, the high school students will try to determine the region of the world that their maternal ancestors came from. They'll also be doing experiments on soy-based foods to see if they've been genetically modified, Wu adds. "We'll be able to do today's science in the classroom, not just the science of 10 years ago," says Sebastian LaGambina, head of the science department at Somerville High School.