Separate the pigment components of Sharpie ink using chromatography to find another clue in determining the suspect

Understand the basics of chromatography and how it separates ink components based on solubility and interaction

Students will act as forensic scientists investigating a biological “crime.” A cellular signaling pathway has failed, and investigators suspect a genetic mutation. Students will first reconstruct the signaling pathway using micropipetting techniques and then perform mock gel electrophoresis to match PCR-amplified DNA evidence from a crime scene to one of four suspects.