Congratulations to the 2011 winners and thank you all for participating. Happy DNA Day!
We have a record submission of over 700 essays this year. Essays were submitted from 45 states in the U.S., Canada, Colombia, India, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey and the United Kingdom. The judges enjoyed reading the essays and see what the younger generation thinks about genetics.
2011 Questions
Question 1
In 2010, a major discovery in genetics research found that the DNA of some modern humans contains small amounts of Neanderthal DNA. Briefly explain this finding and discuss its relevance to human ancestry and evolution.
2011 Question 1 Winners
1st Place: Josephine Benson, Grade 10
Teacher: Hans Glandorff
School: Bowling Green High School
Location: Green, OH
2nd Place: Nathan Swetlitz, Grade 10
Teacher: Nicholas DiGiovanni
School: Naperville Central High School
Location: Naperville, IL
3rd Place: Michael Zhang, Grade 10
Teacher: Maria Zeitlin Trinkle
School: Smithtown High School East
Location: St. James, NY
Honorable Mentions
| Sai Gourisankar R.L. Paschal High School Forts Worth, TX Teacher: Wendy Yanney |
Meera Ramakrishnan The Winsor School Boston, MA Teacher: Tone Rawlings |
| Abhinav Goyal Schools for Science and Math at Vanderbilt Nashville, TN Teacher: Angela Eeds |
Marina Shayevich Hunterdon Central Regional High School Flemington, NJ Teacher: Linda Strauss |
| Aditi Kulkarni St. Paul Academy and Summit School St. Paul, MN Teacher: Tina Barsky |
Pavel Vlasov Winston Churchill High School Potomac, MD Teacher: Clinton Brown |
| Jesse Menville Bergen County Academies Hackensack, NJ Teacher: Michael Liva |
Eric Yi Thomas S. Wootton High School Rockville, MD Teacher: Rebecca Firoved |
| Hunter Peterson Ames High School Ames, IA Teacher: Craig Walter |
Question 2
A number of companies offer genetic testing directly to consumers, bypassing the involvement of physicians and genetic counselors. Discuss whether you think this is a good idea or not. You might focus on medical, ethical, legal, or social dimensions of this issue.
2011 Question 2 Winners
1st Place: Heba Bhat, Grade 10
Teacher: Hans Glandorff
School: Bowling Green High School
Location: Green, OH
2nd Place: Julia Kroll, Grade 10
Teacher: Nicholas DiGiovanni
School: Naperville Central High School
Location: Naperville, IL
3rd Place: Julianna Hsing, Grade 10
Teacher: Maria Zeitlin Trinkle
School: Smithtown High School East
Location: St. James, NY
Honorable Mentions
| Maggie Feith Dyersburg High School Dyersburg, TN Teacher: Deborah Gatlin |
Andy Rodgers James Madison Memorial High School Madison, WI Teacher: Cindy Kellor |
| Helena Jankowski Battle Creek Area Mathematics and Science Center Battle Creek, MI Teacher: Mary Lindow |
Ellen Schneider DeForest High School DeForest, WI Teacher: Rebecca McDermid |
| Peter Luu Poolesville High School Poolesville, MD Teacher: Patricia Miller |
Emily Shea Smithtown High School East St. James, NY Teacher: Maria Trinkle |
| Nicole Park Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics Oklahoma City, OK Teacher: Brent Richards |
Allen Zhao Hebron High School Carrollton, TX Teacher: Patricia Ehsani |
| Mark Pesto Bishop McCort Catholic High School Johnstown, PA Teacher: Jennifer Miller |
About the Contest
The contest aims to challenge students to examine, question, and reflect on the important concepts of genetics. Essays are expected to contain substantive, well-reasoned arguments indicative of a depth of understanding of the concepts related to the essay questions.
Essays are read and scored by at least two independent judges. A 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner are chosen for each question.
Questions/Comments: Contact dnaday@ashg.org.