K-12 Education

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, April 25, 2023, 12:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time Media Contact: Kara Flynn, (202) 257-8424, press@ashg.org ROCKVILLE, MD – As part of its celebration of National DNA Day, the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) today announced the winners of its 2023 DNA Day Essay Contest, which encourages high school students and teachers... Read More

1st Place: Jennifer Zhong, Grade 12 Teacher: Ms. Maria Zeitlin School: Smithtown High School East Location: Saint James, New York “One humanity, many genomes” captures the essence of the human species. While we are all united under a shared genetic structure, our remarkably diverse genomes greatly impact our lives, allowing us to become phenotypically different as well as have different predispositions... Read More

Congratulations to our winners and thank you to all who participated. Happy DNA Day! 2023 Question In 2023, The American Society of Human Genetics celebrates its 75th anniversary! We want to kick off the festivities with you, the next generation of human geneticists. The theme of our celebrations is “One Humanity, Many Genomes™.” In your... Read More

1st Place: Man Tak Mindy Shie, Grade 12 Teacher: Dr. Siew Hwey Alice Tan School: Singapore International School (Hong Kong) Location: Hong Kong, China Many would say that the most significant stride in recent genetics has been the completion of the human genome, which laid the basis for studying genetic variation. However, let us not forget that this began with... Read More

Congratulations to our winners and thank you to all who participated. Happy DNA Day! 2022 Question The “Father of Genetics,” Gregor Mendel, was born 200 years ago in northern Moravia (now Czechia).  His experiments with pea plants led to observations and conclusions that became fundamental principles of genetic inheritance. These principles include: 1) Each organism... Read More