Girls' Day

© Julja Koch

At this year’s Girls’ Day at Heinrich Heine University, schoolgirls were able to experience the work of plant researchers first-hand. The pupils actively took part in the day-to-day laboratory work of two Master’s students in the molecular biology laboratory of Dr Götz Hensel’s research group. In the process, they learnt about the use of pigments in modern biotechnological research. This included the isolation of extrachromosomal plasmid DNA from bacterial strains that encode the expression of various pigments, mostly derived from corals. This isolated DNA was then visualised using agarose gel electrophoresis. The schoolgirls were then able to get creative with these coloured bacterial cultures and create small works of art on agar plates. A tour of the rooftop greenhouses rounded off the visit.