New Haven Independent

Melissa Socolow, a first-grade teacher, along with the three fifth-graders, Shinelle Wilkins, 11, Kaela Clark, 10, and Joyce Kinity, 10, attended the Northeast National Conference for the American Gerbil Society in Nashua, N.H., this past weekend.
The three girls, who became involved with breeding gerbils to learn about genetics through the Science Club at Wexler/Grant School, could not have been prouder of the gerbil parents, Queen Elizabeth and King George, and their seven gerbil pups, Marcus, Markquise, Shinelle, Samantha, Sandra, Jose, and Timothy. The stars of the show, Jose and Timothy won first and second for Best in Pup Class.
The girls didn’t do badly either; Shinelle won in the Best Sleeve Explorer category and 3rd in the Gerbil’s Chewing Contest, Kaela’s gerbil won Best personality, and Joyce made out with the Best Personal Trainer Award. Finally, in the Pet Class, each girl won a prize for her strikingly adorable gerbil.
However, these three dedicated geneticists didn’t make it all the way to the National Gerbil Show to display mere household pets; Joyce, Kaela, and Shinelle had worked for three months breeding gerbils exploring the role of dominant and recessive traits in different generations, science most students don’t touch until junior or senior year in high school.
Kaela said they were “trying to find out if gerbil pups have more traits in common with their parents or grandparents.” Through breeding, Kaela discovered that the gerbils have more in common with their grandparents than parents.
The girls received only honorable mention for the science aspect of their project since they did not describe their initial question enough. But the girls are likely to give it another try next year; with three gerbil experiments behind them, they have gained knowledge and experience about genetics and breeding well beyond their years.
From her work with the gerbils, Joyce now understands the most fundamental part of genetics: “The dominant traits are seen a lot, but the recessive traits are seen less often.” She also learned how to label alleles properly, and predict whether the gerbil pups will show a certain trait based on the genetic makeup of their parents.
Shinelle’s favorite part of the experience was “comparing the gerbil pups to their parents and grandparents,” and seeing the disparity in traits between the generations.
Kaela’s favorite part? “Staying in the hotel.”
With a year’s worth of bragging rights for their small rodents, Shinelle, Kaela, and Joyce will continue to experiments with the same infectious enthusiasm for genetics instilled in them by their mentor, Melissas Socolow (posing with them in picture), and to represent Wexler-Grant Elementary with all their hard work and award-winning motivation.