Cold Spring Harbor Lab scientists share what they're working on

Recently, my school had our annual tech night. Tech Night is a time when different places send representatives to talk about their jobs.

There were representatives from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Stony Brook University, Long Island Science Center, Farmingdale State College, Microsoft, Huntington High School Robotics team, the Huntington Manor Fire Department and Hofstra University.

I was curious about what the people at Cold Spring Harbor Lab do and decided to check them out. At Cold Spring Harbor Lab, you can learn about many different things. They are working to find cures for diseases that may cause bodily harm like skin cancer or asthma. Scientists are working to find a cure for lung cancer.

I found out one of the things they do is study biology, which is the study of living organisms and their behaviors.

They also study neuroscience, and more specifically, neurochemistry and experimental psychology, which look into the function of the nervous system and brain. They also study deoxyribonucleic acid, or for short, DNA! They look for problems that may occur in genetic multiplication.

They are also studying selective breeding, which is when scientists have two animals, a male and female, and make them have offspring together. For example, the Highland cow was selectively bred so they could live in colder climates and for their meat. A dog called the puggle was selectively bred from a beagle and a pug.

Info: coldspringharbor.edu

Susan Danzig and Jen Stucchio’s fifth-grade class, Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School, Huntington Station