XFYD concluded its free Biology Class which introduced students to Cell Biology, DNA, Genetics, and Heredity through interactive lessons and hands-on activities. This class was taught by Joshua Parackal and Darsh Maheshwari, experienced teachers and experts in Biology. The Key Concepts covered throughout these four sessions include:

- Cells & Organelles: Learned about the nucleus, mitochondria, and cell functions.
- DNA & Genetics: Explored DNA structure, base pairs, and how traits are inherited.
- Heredity & Traits: Discussed dominant vs. recessive genes and Punnett squares.
The students learned this through a variety of hands-on activities. By soaking Gummy Bears, students learned the crucial concept of Osmosis – How the water went to the higher solute concentration found in the gummy bears, swelling them bigger.
Students also explored DNA by constructing Gummy Worms! Kids had fun building the DNA double helix, with different colors for the G, T, A, and C base pairs. They even color-coded the sugar-phosphate backbone of the DNA. After this, students enjoyed a tasty snack!
Our Candy Heredity Simulation also taught Mendelian inheritance with colored Skittles. By having two colored Skittles representing two traits, we used random chance to calculate the theoretical percentage of dominant and recessive trait. Then, as a class, we had students walk around and share their Skittles, simulating the inheritance of dominant and recessive genes on their own.

Our final class was incredibly fun for all the students. Kids participated in a Jeopardy game, where they showed off all they learned from the previous classes! Overall, this Biology class stands as just one of many classes in our STEM Division. We’ve held classes in Chemistry, Physics, and Computer Science, and we’re also planning another Engineering Class to top this division off.
