Fifth National DNA Day to Showcase Genomic Discoveries
and Careers
DNA Day Ambassadors Reach Out to High Schools
in the Southeast
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of
the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will mark the fifth annual
National DNA Day on April 25 with events aimed at building high
school students’ awareness of genetics and genomics. April 25 commemorates
both the discovery in 1953 of DNA’s double helix and the 2003 completion
of the Human Genome Project.
During the month of April, DNA Day Ambassadors from NHGRI and
partner organizations will make presentations in high schools around
the country — from Alaska to Maryland — as part of
National DNA Day. This year, a special effort will be made to reach
out to students in the southeastern United States, with researchers,
health professionals and other genomic experts from NHGRI scheduled
to travel to about 60 schools in North Carolina, South Carolina,
Georgia and Florida.
Drawing on their frontline work in NHGRI labs and clinics, the
ambassadors will describe the latest advances in genomics and explain
what those advances mean for the future of health care. They will
also engage students in dialogues about the ethical, legal and
social implications of genomic research, as well as inform them
about the many career and training opportunities in this rapidly
emerging field.
“The field of genomics offers extraordinary possibilities for
our best and brightest students,” said Vence Bonham, J.D., chief
of NHGRI's Education and Community Involvement Branch. “Through
face-to-face interaction with scientists and educators, the seeds
of interest are being planted and will grow beyond surface curiosity
about genomics. The next generation of genomics scientists will
be making high-impact discoveries in a new era of genomics and
personalized medicine.”
In addition to the ambassadors from NHGRI, more than 100 biomedical
students from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill will
visit North Carolina high schools, replicating the NHGRI model
for National DNA Day in an outreach to 67 area schools. Meanwhile
schools in Georgia and Florida will also be visited by genetics
experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
in Atlanta, Emory University Center for Science Education in Atlanta,
and the International Society of Nurses in Genetics.
National DNA Day activities extend far beyond the southeastern
region. For example, at the request of the public school science
curriculum supervisor of Prince George’s County, Md., NHGRI ambassadors,
with counterparts from the National Coalition for Health Professional
Education in Genetics, will visit nearly all of the county’s high
schools on April 18. In addition, on April 28, 80 high school students
and their teachers in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area will
be invited to be NHGRI’s guests at Ferocious Beauty: Genome,
a unique dance-meets-science performance by the renowned Liz Lerman
Dance Exchange. The performance, along with a workshop featuring
NHGRI researchers and Liz Lerman dancers, will offer participants
an opportunity to explore genomics through spoken word and movement.
No matter where they live, students and teachers can participate
in National DNA Day through a live, moderated online chat with
NHGRI researchers. On April 25, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time,
NHGRI experts will be on hand to field questions from students
on a wide range of topics, including basic science, clinical research,
genomic careers and the ethical, legal and social implications
of genomic research. For those unable to participate in the live
event, a full transcript of the chat will be available on the main
DNA Day Web page, www.genome.gov/DNAday,
after the chat room closes.
National DNA Day events are a collaboration of NHGRI, the American
Society of Human Genetics, the Genetics Society of America, the
Genetic Alliance and the National Society of Genetic Counselors.
A variety of free, educational tools on genetics and genomics,
including webcasts, podcasts and an online multimedia presentation
called Understanding The Human Genome Project, are available
at www.genome.gov/DNAday.
NHGRI is one of the 27 institutes and centers at the NIH, an agency
of the Department of Health and Human Services. Additional information
about NHGRI can be found at its Web site, www.genome.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and
Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting
and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and
its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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