Engineer a New Fruit! Genetics STEM Lab Activity
Post by Michelle Bogden and Natasha Wilkerson
June 28, 2023
Are you ready to take your students on a fun and hands-on journey into the realm of genetics? Blend engineering principles with the tantalizing world of culinary delights with this delicious STEM lab! Read on to explore how food can become the ultimate medium for engaging K-12 students in thought-provoking lessons about genetics and food engineering concepts.
Use Food to Teach Genetics
Genetics can be a difficult subject for students, but creating a lesson using food is sure to increase engagement! Plus, genetically modified foods (GMOs) and hybrids are a hot topic in science (click here for some articles) as they forge genetic engineering with agricultural practices and have the potential to address challenges in food insecurity around the world. By examining the traits of genetically modified and hybrid produce, students can actively explore genetic concepts and learn about real-world applications.
Here are three ways we teach about genetic topics through food in a hands-on STEM experience!
Lesson 1: Apple Observations
We start with a simple exploration activity to introduce hybrids and GMOs.
GMOs: We use the Arctic apple and the Golden Delicious apple. Students observe the apples using look, smell, touch, and taste to consider: What makes the apple unique? Why do people choose one apple over the other? Students also predict which apple will brown the fastest and conduct an experiment. They will find that the Arctic apple takes longer to brown. Why? Scientists genetically modified the apple using biotechnology tools!
Hybrids: Students observe Gala, Braeburn, and Jazz apples for look, smell, and touch. After careful observations, we share with students that a hybrid is a cross between two genetically different individuals. Offspring have a mix of traits that comes from both parents. The Jazz apple is a hybrid apple based on the Gala and Braeburn apples. The Gala apple gives the Jazz apple a sweet taste and pleasant smell, while the Braeburn apple gives the Jazz apple a crisp texture.
This exploration activity provides a basis for discussing GMOs and hybrids and their prevalence throughout the grocery aisles!
Lesson 2: Produce Puzzle
Continue an exploration of hybrids with a puzzle game! Give each group of students a bag of cut-out puzzle pieces. Each piece has a fruit or vegetable name, like “orange” or “kale.” Challenge students to figure out which pieces go together to make the real hybrid product! Grab the full lesson below.
Check out this slide below (pulled from our hybrid STEM lesson teacher slides) to give you an idea of the various hybrid products available in the grocery store!
Lesson 3: Engineering a New Fruit
You have been selected by a team of plant geneticists to help develop a new fruit or vegetable to sell on grocery shelves that can be created using hybridization.
Incorporate engineering by challenging students to create their very own hybrid produce. This activity encourages students to consider the perspective of consumers and learn about food engineering. Here is how we set this up for our students:
Mission: Design a new hybrid fruit/vegetable and market it to customers.
Design Constraints:
Hybrid must be created from existing fruits or vegetables
Includes a total of 4 traits
Must be desirable by customers (classmates)
Before jumping into design, we ask students to list their top five favorite fruits or vegetables and describe at least one favorite trait about this produce. Students then need to survey their customers (classmates) on their personal favorites. The goal is for students to recognize that taste varies among customers. After the survey, here is the flow of our lesson:
Create Hybrid: Based on the survey results, students should identify two fruits or vegetables to crossbreed.
Identify + Finalize Traits: Students should list five traits for each fruit or vegetable, and circle two traits from each that will be inherited by the hybrid fruit. Defend why these are the most desirable traits for customers.
Design and Sell: Students will design their final hybrid fruit or vegetable. This should be in the form of an advertisement. Students should use the traits of their fruit to sell the product and create a unique name.
Present Hybrid to Customers: Students will present their hybrid to the class. The presentation should be in the form of trying to sell their product. After the presentation, students can survey their classmates to see how many people would be interested in buying their newly created hybrid product.
Want the complete lesson? The hands-on exploration of hybrid apples and the exciting challenge of designing and marketing their own hybrid produce not only fosters a deeper understanding of genetics and engineering but also cultivates critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. You can find these lessons and activities in our Hybrid Genetics STEM Unit.
