Author: Blanca H. Lapizco-Encinas, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology

When you think of electric fields, you likely think of electricity – the stuff that makes modern life possible by powering everything from household appliances to cellphones. Researchers have been studying the principles of electricity since the 1600s. Benjamin Franklin, famous for his kite experiment, demonstrated that lightning was indeed electrical. Electricity has also enabled major advances in biology. A technique called electrophoresis allows scientists to analyze the molecules of life – DNA and proteins – by separating them by their electrical charge. Electrophoresis is not only commonly taught in high school biology, but it’s also a workhorse of many…