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JACOB KONST/ Arizona Summer Wildcat
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Drew Ericson, molecular and cellular biology graduate student, uses a chart to determine a student’s eye color on the UA Mall this past Monday. Hair, DNA and skin pigmentation samples were also taken.
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By Kris Cabulong
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
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Want to make a quick $20?
Students got the chance on the UA Mall this past Monday between 10 a.m. and noon, in exchange for four painless laboratory samples and 10 to 15 minutes in the sun.
“I figure if I have to pay so much for books, $20 bucks for 10 minutes is a good idea,” said Christine Williams, a linguistics senior, who said she didn’t mind the 106-degree heat.
The handful of researchers sampled the subjects’ skin pigmentation, eye color, hair and DNA, said Murray H. Brilliant, Lindholm Professor of Genetics and principle investigator.
“The purpose is to understand the genetics of normal pigmentation; why people have different eye color, hair color and skin color,” Brilliant said.
The project is funded by the National Institute of Justice, he said.
“The idea is that through understanding changes in DNA, we could potentially determine pigmentation, eye color, skin color,” said Christine Williams, molecular cellular biology junior and a student undergraduate researcher attached to the project.
Williams sampled pigmentation levels from subjects via a reflectometer.
“Basically it just shines visible light on to people’s skin and measures how much gets reflected back into the machine,” she said.
Sterile brushes were used to collect DNA samples from inside the subjects’ cheeks, said Justin Garrison, biology senior and member of the undergraduate health disparities program.
The researchers will spend a lot of their ab time sequencing the DNA in order to compare variations, said Garrison.
“That’s the long part right there,” he said. “It takes probably a couple hours (per DNA sample).”
The preliminary results of the research project will be finished in a couple of months, said Williams.
33 people were tested on Monday, Williams said. Would-be test subjects are encouraged to set up appointments at 626-7053. The same $20 compensation for about 10 minutes of testing still applies.
