Our Grade 12 IB Biology students visited the molecular biology lab at the Stavanger University Hospital. For all students the field trip was an experience they wil never forget. One of the students wrote:

“I found the molecular lab visit very interesting. I learned about how tumors are grown and stored in order to experiment on them and how tumors can arise from genetic mutations in the DNA of a cell. I also learned about how every tumor is unique and therefore there is a need for medication that is adapted to every individual. I was amazed at how we are now able to sequence a genome or a single gene using machinery and how quick this process has become considering the thousands of bases in a gene. It was interesting to see that techniques that I have learned at school such as gel electrophoresis are used in molecular biology labs and they can be used to solve real-world issues, like cancer in this case. Overall, I learned a lot during this visit and it was nice to observe real-life applications for things that I learn at school.”