Services
The following offers can vary greatly in scope and therefore cannot be labelled with a ‘price tag’.
BioWissKomm is a commercial organisation. However, we also believe that science must be accessible to all. On request and with good justification, reduced prices can be granted in special cases.
All events can also be organised in German.
Lectures, Seminars, Workshops
… are offered online or in presence.
They can be adapted for all age groups (starting at about 14 years) and all levels of knowledge. We have broad experience with many schools, various interest groups from the public and various levels of education.
Depending on the topic and number of participants, the events can be organised more or less interactively. The following topics are examples, please contact us if you have any further requests. We prepare all events carefully with you!
Topic: How does science work? What is a scientific experiment?
“High school students, the general public and even many undergraduate students do not really know how science works and what researchers are really doing in their “ivory towers”.
What is a scientific question? How to design a scientific experiment? What are controls and why do you need them? How reliable are the results? What is the difference between good and bad science? We give examples to explain, what scientists do and why.
Topic: How are the Chinese CRISPR-Babys doing?
In 2018 the Chinese scientist He Jiankui „created“ three genetically modified children. Since then, not much is heard of them and the public interest faded away.
The lecture can focus on the technical procedure how the embryos were generated, what the purpose was and which mistakes occurred and/or the ethical considerations on a technology that we will most likely face sooner or later. We can also present a science fiction story as a basis for a debate on bio-ethics.
Thema: Geneditierung mit CRISPR-Cas: Mechanismen, Anwendungen, Ethik
Gene editing with CRISPR-Cas has become a very wide field. We have lectures with various focus points like the basic technology, applications in medicine and agriculture, exciting new developments that led to an ever growing tool-box of CRISPR derived technologies. In addition we have two interactive workshops: one dealing with gene-drive and ist potential effects on biodiversity and one on the heavily disputed topic of human enhancement. We can individually combine topics according to your needs or offer a series of lectures and workshops.
Thema: Lehrerfortbildung: PCR und genetischer Fingerabdruck
PCR and genetic fingerprinting are obligatory topics in high schools and undergraduate courses. Unfortunately, most schools cannot carry out an experimental fingerprint since the required equipment is not available. This teacher training goes beyond the usual information on the method. We explain further methods like qPCR, digital PCR, multiplex PCR and examples from various applications that help teachers to design exciting lessons.
Topic: Teacher training: a simple experiment to understand DNA structure
DNA structure is an obligatory topic in schools. The model of the famous double helix is mostly used to explain DNA structure DNA. Beyond this we present the P51 fluorescence viewer as an inexpensive small instrument to visualize double helix formation and DNA melting. A multitude of further experiments can be done and motivate students to think about experiments and controls. Upon request we can provide online assistance to carry out this course.
Training courses can also be arranged for the public since the P51 viewer can also be used at home by non-professionals.
Other topics
If your interest in the life sciences is not represented in the examples above, please contact us! We will try to organise a seminar or workshop for you or find a cooperating expert who can fulfil your wishes.
Lab Equipment
Especially in emerging countries lab equipment is often very expensive and does not always meet the requirements. With good contacts to some European and US-American suppliers/manufacturers we can suggest equipment for reasonable prices and good quality. In some cases, we may be able to negotiate bulk prices to make equipment more affordable. In Indonesia, we cooperate with Plasma-Unitech and will support them with seminars and courses for the training of teachers and lecturers.
Consulting for lab-equipment is mainly aimed at small to medium research and teaching labs and to schools that want to offer simple and inexpensive experimental work to their students.
Consumables
In many cases, consumables like enzymes, primers, chemicals come in package sizes that are not useful for schools or experiments at home. We will try to offer suitable amounts at fair prices.
Please contact us when you have specific needs!
P51 Molecular Fluorescence-Viewer
P51 was named after the famous X-ray photo 51 by Rosalind Franklin and Raymond Gosling which provided essential insights into the structure of DNA.
The inexpensive, small P51-device allows for various experiments e.g. on DNA structure, on the “Central Dogma of Molecular Biology”, enzyme function and more.
We expect the first shipment of P51 and some of the experimental kits in January/February 2023.
Due to unknown costs of shipping, tax and customs, we cannot yet give the exact retail price for Germany. We’ll do our best but it will be somewhat higher than the price given on the miniPCR-webpage!
With launching our P51 sale, we will also offer teacher trainings and tutorials.
This page will be updated as soon as we have more details!
Support for experimental school modules
Which experiments are appropriate and how complicated are the preparations? Which materials do you need, how many and how much should they cost?
Based on experiences and cooperations with a former molecular lab for schools and public (Science Bridge e.V.) we can offer a broad spectrum of simple and more complex.