CRISPR

A Kai XR Adventure

Adventure Behind-the-Scenes

This Kai XR lesson introduces students to the groundbreaking science of gene editing. Included as a part of the lesson, the CRISPR virtual field trip was created in collaboration with UC Berkeley’s Innovative Genomics Institute. Developed alongside real scientists, including Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Dr. Jennifer Doudna, this field trip offers students a rare opportunity to learn directly from one of the central figures in the gene editing revolution. Dr. Doudna’s pioneering work with CRISPR technology has transformed medicine, agriculture, and biology.

During the field trip, students explore a real-world genetic disorder—sickle cell anemia—and follow the scientific steps of how CRISPR can be used to cure it. Along the way, they deepen their understanding of biotechnology and discover future careers in genetics, research, and biochemistry.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Find clues in informational texts that show how events, people, and ideas are connected.
• Understand the main ideas of a text.

Introduction

Explore a Kai XR field trip to UC Berkeley’s Innovative Genomics Institute in Berkeley, California. Here, you will tour their labs while learning the steps behind the DNA-editing scientific breakthrough, CRISPR! For an added bonus, you’ll get to meet Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Jennifer Doudna and learn how she uses CRISPR to cure the disease, sickle cell anemia.