About Highland Park

Highland Park is a virtual learning experience in which students integrate math functions and scientific information as they work through the following three models:

(1) DNA Model: Students are presented with a crime scene in which badly burned bodies can only be identified by DNA fingerprinting. They remove tissue samples and return to their virtual lab where a virtual assistant helps them develop a DNA fingerprint for all tissue samples. Computer exercise simulates mixing buffers, pouring gels, treatment of DNA with restriction enzymes, loading gels, electrophoresis, Southern blotting, addition of probe, development of probe, identification of alleles and ultimately identification of victims and suspects.

(2) Visitor Impact on a Wetland Model: Students are initially presented with a series of images of a wetland in which environmental degradation has increased with visitor number. They use a paint function to mark total area impacted by visitors on each image and then prompt the software program to determine the relative number of pixels in impacted and non-impacted areas. These data are then transferred to MS Excel where a tutorial program takes them through a graph function. The software program then transfers the graphed data back to the software where they predict the number of visitors that they will allow in the future.

(3) Acid Mine Model: Students are initially given a tutorial on the chemistry of acid mine water and its treatment. They then gather basic water chemistry data from a drainage impacted by acid mine water. From these data they locate a treatment site and use a wet laboratory experience to calculate the amount of calcium carbonate needed to elevate pH from 4.5 to 7.0.

To date, over 100 copies of the Highland Park CD have been given to middle and high school teachers in West Virginia and nearby areas of Ohio and Kentucky. Demonstrations of the software have been presented at West Virginia state science teachers meetings. Two one-day workshops have been presented at Marshall University and half-day workshops have been presented at three state high schools.