Posted By: D. Olga McDaniel, MD, PhD, ASHG member
For the second time in the past three years, we celebrated the DNA Day activities in association with the School of Health Related Professions (SHRP) Research Day, at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). The goal was to present the ASHG to the students and the faculty of this medical center.
High school students presented research posters for judging and discussion containing illustrations, data, and study results, on topics including potential cancer therapy, population diversity, health disparities, and molecular modeling. The sound of students’ presentations was loud and added to the excitement. The students, a majority of whom are from Murrah High School of Jackson, Mississippi, were mentored by the UMMC faculty.
The students are in a program called Base-Pair, supported in part by funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Base-Pair was initiated over 25 years ago to help advance science education in the public schools of Jackson, Mississippi.
The students gathered around my poster, entitled “The Genetics Engagement in Public Education and Population Health” to discuss the genetics curriculum in their classrooms. The poster was in part adapted from Dougherty, et al. CBE Life Sci. Educ. 2011, 10:318-327.
Just in time, I was able to include the names and photos of the 2019 DNA Day Essay Contest winners in the poster. The students were excited about the DNA Day Essay Contest. Some of them are thinking about participating next year. I presented a couple of quizzes just for fun and also to test their genetics understanding, one about the sickle cell gene and disorder, and another about genome editing. The students responded enthusiastically to the quiz. I promised to discuss the role of genetics in organ transplantation next year. Overall, the event was very educational.
A longtime member of ASHG, D. Olga McDaniel has been an Emeritus Member of ASHG since 2015 and has served as a DNA Day Essay Contest judge since 2014. Interested in more ways to engage with students about genetics and genomics? Join the Genetics Engagement & Education Network, sign up to judge future essay submissions, and explore additional ideas presented at our DNA Day Engagement webinar.