Friday, June 26, 2009

Photo Update

We have now had over 600 children and teens take part in our research. As you can see by these pictures, being a part of science can be really fun!





A family doing the computer task














David, one of the TAG team members, helping kids "spit for science"








3 participants with their prizes








TAG members Laura and Kayla model their DNA tattoos

Friday, June 19, 2009

Be a part of our research!

Who can participate?
We are looking for children and youth between the ages of 7 - 17 to take part in our exciting research! Our study is located at the Ontario Science Centre, and we are there every day until Labour Day weekend. To date, we have had over 300 kids and teens participate! Help us reach our goal of 10,000 participants by visiting us over the summer.

What's involved?
We ask children to complete a task on the computer, while parents fill out a computerized behavioural questionnaire about their child. After finishing the computer activity, children are asked to "spit for science" by spitting into a small plastic container. The whole process takes only about 20 minutes, and kids and teens who participate get to earn a prize!








Here is a picture of the saliva collection kits we are using -- isn't it amazing to see all the different types of equipment involved in science?!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Meet the TAG team!


TAG stands for Thoughts, Actions, Genes. Here are some of our energetic TAG team members!

What is Spit for Science all about?

What is the purpose of our research?
We want to improve diagnosis and treatment of behaviour, learning and attention problems in children through research.

We are studying the influence of genetic factors on the way we think (cognition) and act (behaviour). Cognition refers to processes such as memory, attention, and problem solving that influence how we deal with information from the outside world.

In particular, we are interested in looking at commonly experienced repetitive, interfering thoughts and behaviours, as well as attention and activity level, since many children have problems in these areas.


Why do we ask you to Spit for Science?
All genes are made up of DNA, and DNA can be collected from any cells in the body, including cells found in saliva. By looking at differences in the DNA from people with different degrees of a certain behaviour, scientists can work out which genes are related to the behaviour in question.



This is what DNA looks like!