The Advancing Secondary Science Education Through Tetrahymena (ASSET) program at Cornell University has developed a new learning module kit where high school students can directly test the effects of e-cigarettes on living cells. The kit contains small quantities of e-cigarette vapor condensate, unsmoked vape juice, and water that has been vaporized and re-condensed in a clean e-cigarette. Using these materials, the students then apply it to a single-celled ciliated protozoan called Tetrahymena. The Tetrahymena is an organism that mimics the functions of a human cell, therefore the students will be able to see the moment when a healthy Tetrahymena cell, which is in constant motion, quickly becomes still and sinks to the bottom once introduced to the substance.
Dr. Donna Cassidy-Hanley, Senior Research Associate and Program Manager of the ASSET program states that “our module is unique in that… it provides a dramatic and impactful demonstration of the real-life effects of e-cigarette vapor on living cells”. The goal of the module kits is to educate and demonstrate to the youth the impact and risks of smoking e-cigarettes in such a way that the students will not forget.
The kit is free for high school teachers and it is currently being used in 18 schools across seven states.