How Ulster University’s UGenie Academy is giving school students hands-on gene editing experience.
When Dr Andrew McDowell started teaching Biotechnology at Ulster University’s School of Biomedical Sciences, he did what any good educator does — he looked at the existing practicals and thought, “What would be the best practical learning experience we could offer our students?”
“I wanted to introduce more cutting-edge molecular biology experiments appropriate for our undergraduate and postgraduate students so they were better equipped for laboratory research after graduation. The Bentos were a fantastic way to help create a new laboratory teaching experience for the students, and get them really excited about their practical sessions.”
What followed was a transformation: in addition to Ulster’s undergraduate and postgraduate biotech practicals, Andrew came up with the idea of an ambitious outreach programme – a week long summer school, Ulster Gene Editing Academy (UGenie), where year 13 students from across Northern Ireland could run real CRISPR experiments using portable Bento Labs to analyse a bacterial β-galactosidase gene knockout.
“The summer school was so successful. The kids absolutely loved it! They don’t usually get a chance to have any significant lab experience, and we’re introducing them to very technical molecular biology. They loved the Bento Labs – it was so exciting for them to set up PCRs and run agarose gels to look at their gene edits. They especially loved using their mobile phones to take gel pictures – that was a big hit with them”.
Setting up a PCR on Bento Lab
Results! Blue colonies as a control, white colonies show that the β-galactosidase knockout has been successful based on blue-white screening. The targeted gene is cut by Cas9 and then modified by homology-driven repair to become enzymatically inactive.
UGenie: a summer school that feels like a mini degree
The summer school ran for the first time in August 2024, bringing 32 students in Year 13 to Ulster University’s Coleraine campus for a full week of hands-on gene editing, lab work, and STEM career exploration. The course became a reality thanks to funding from Garfield Weston Trust, which is also funding UGenie 2025. This funding also helped cover welcome starter packs, lunch every day and a bursary for travel costs.
Each day, students spent the morning learning about CRISPR and its applications across many different sectors of biotechnology. After lunch, they then got down to hands-on lab experiments.
“They’re in the lab in the afternoon, using CRISPR to knock out the β-galactosidase gene in the bacterium E. coli. It’s a weeklong project where they modify the gene and then look for changes in growth and activity of the enzyme. They also examine their edits at the molecular level by PCR. They followed the protocols really well with great results – the teaching team were very impressed.”
Every group has access to their own Bento Lab, giving them a personal workstation to set up PCRs and run gels themselves. This encourages the students to take ownership of the whole process.
“Many of the students said they now had a better understanding of how PCR works, because they were setting up the thermal cycling programs themselves. None of the students have ever had the opportunity to actually perform a PCR before, despite studying the theory as part of their GCE A level Biology course. So they felt that they were proper scientists – it was very novel for them.”
In addition to molecular biology, UGenie also provides an opportunity for the students to develop skills in microbiology and laboratory calculations.
UGenie students concentrating as they start experiments
Learning to visualise PCR products
There are also guest talks from PhD students and industry professionals, helping students see real-world career paths in science. Importantly, the team aims to reach and engage students who are the first in their family to go to university and might not typically consider higher education, especially in the field of science.
The week ends with a recap session and mini graduation, which makes the academy feel like a real taste of university.
“We have a small graduation ceremony at the end, and our head of the School of Biomedical Sciences presents each student with a certificate, which the students loved.”
Proud students at the UGenie graduation ceremony
As far as we know, The School of Biomedical Sciences at Ulster University is one of the first universities in the UK to implement Bento Lab in undergraduate teaching, as well as secondary school outreach.
The students really enjoyed using the Bento Lab, and Andrew felt the labs were a great tool for delivering the courses.
“The Bentos are now the foundation of my molecular biology teaching. They’re just so handy because everything’s self-contained and we can move them around very easily with the carry cases. They’ve been very useful.”
When the Bento Lab units aren’t being used for structured teaching, Andrew keeps one in his personal lab for everyday use, so he and his research students can run convenient PCRs.
“And in fact, whenever we’re not using them for outreach or University teaching, I have one of them on my bench in my lab to run PCRs. They’re as good as any of the big PCR machines that we have. They work really, really well.”
Bento Lab in the McDowell laboratory
The UGenie course is a completely unique program – it’s currently the only programme in Northern Ireland (and potentially the UK) where Year 13 students get to use CRISPR to run their own gene editing experiments. The team at Ulster aren’t just inspiring future scientists — they are giving the students a hands-on experience that many undergraduates don’t get!
Making It Work: The Details
A closer look at how the team at Ulster University are designing and delivering the course.
UGenie Summer Academy (Year 13 Students)
A five-day gene editing summer school for Year 13 students, designed to provide real lab experience and explore future careers in life sciences.
Program Overview
| Morning Sessions Classroom-based (10:00–12:30) | Short lectures, guest talks, and interactive teaching sessions for peer-to-peer group learning. Lecture content and group activities focus on the basic science behind genetic engineering and gene editing, and its applications to healthcare and environmental science challenges currently facing society (age appropriate teaching). Students have access to the lecture materials after completion of the academy so they can use as part of the A level study. The students also have a careers and higher education workshop where they hear about the career journeys of current undergraduate and postgraduate students from the School of Biomedical Sciences, their experience of university life, as well as talks about employability and career options in the Life Sciences. |
| Afternoon Sessions Lab-based (13:30–16:00) | Students work in small groups to conduct a week-long CRISPR gene-editing experiment, using portable ‘all-in-one’ molecular biology workstations, Bento Lab. In these experiments, the students generate and confirm a CRISPR-based gene knockout (β-galactosidase) in a harmless bacterium commonly used in laboratory studies. The team have initially based their activities around BIO-RAD’s Out-of-the Blue CRISPR kit but, given the success of UGene, they are now in the early stages of developing their own alternate methods to help illustrate the power of CRISPR technology in the classroom. These experiments further the students’ understanding of CRISPR gene editing, and develop their confidence in core practical techniques like microbiology, DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction and agarose electrophoresis which form part of their A levels (Biology, and Life and Health Sciences) or vocational courses (Level 3 Cambridge Technicals in Applied Science, and BTEC in Applied Science). |
ULife, an educational hub for life sciences and biotechnology
Andrew and his colleagues are now expanding their outreach efforts through the formation of the Ulster Life Science and Biotech (ULife) Education hub, a new initiative which aims to provide valuable learning resources and laboratory-based practical support for the teaching of Life Science-related subjects, as well as biotechnological advancements, to local schools and colleges, as well as the wider community. This includes CPD (Continuing Professional Development) training for biology teachers, aimed at improving confidence and competence in molecular biology.
The UGenie programme proved incredibly popular, receiving over 160 applications for just 32 places in 2024. With limited capacity to host students directly, the team at Ulster is now investing in teacher training as a force multiplier, helping more schools deliver hands-on biotechnology experiences themselves.
The CPD workshops support teachers in reinforcing their understanding of PCR and gel electrophoresis, while building practical lab skills they can take back to the classroom. This approach will help ensure that more students gain access to practical molecular biology, a key part of the A-level biology curriculum.
The team are also exploring extending outreach to include lifelong learning groups, such as developing sessions for members of U3A (University of the Third Age) – a national movement that promotes learning and community engagement for people who are retired or no longer in full-time work.
In addition to Andrew, the UGenie team also includes co-founders Dr Sarah Atkinson (Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science) and Dr Rachelle Irwin (Lecturer in Genomic Medicine).
All photos courtesy of Ulster University with thanks to the students and teaching staff of uGenie!
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