I like this a lot! I can think of two very different and exciting areas of educational research arising from this program — and maybe you are doing them both already!
One of course is about the student learning (conceptual, practical, and affective), but the other is the experience of the teachers. Joni Falk and I were on a project years ago which involved high school teachers in ecological field work, and one of the most interesting effects we saw was changes in teachers’ self-identity — an increase in authenticity as members of the scientific community, which in turn (they felt) had an impact on their students’ respect for them.
Do the teachers work on a gene project, too?

Thanks for your comment Brian. We use a “train the trainer” approach in the project, so teachers are simultaneously annotating genes and using the same tools the students are using in the project.

Go students! They’re the future.

What a wonderful program for students of undeserved areas of Western New York and surrounding counties. Hats off to the teachers for giving their time during the summer months to learn the program’s process and give students a head start on a possible, future career path!

Through this project, we are creating a Western New York Genetics in Research Partnership to serve as a pipeline for recruiting students to STEM careers within, with emphasis on those from underrepresented groups. To connect with the local communities we have partnered with the New York State Area Health Education Center System (NYS AHEC): http://www.ahec.buffalo.edu
The local AHEC’s have been essential in the recruitment and retention plan as they target school districts with high proportions of students who are disadvantaged and/or from groups underrepresented in STEM.

For more information about GENI-ACT please visit:
http://geni-act.blogspot.com

To access the GENI-ACT Training Manual created by Dr. Stephen Koury & utilized in this project:
http://ubwp.buffalo.edu/wnygirp/educational-res...

The dedication of teachers involved in this program is nothing short of incredible, and it is so awesome to see students engaging with this experiential learning opportunity!

The video is a great summary of the project my students and I have been involved in for the past 2 semesters. It has been a wild ride but the kids are really beginning to see how their work can fit into the big picture and how to pool their findings for the greater good. Exactly what is done in actual science labs every day! Thanks for the opportunity to help!!

Sounds like a really interesting opportunity for both teachers and students! What kinds of data on teacher or student outcomes have you collected thus far?

This has been a wonderful program for the students in my school. Learning about genetics and bioinformatics has opened their eyes to new fields of study and career opportunities. They are currently putting together their data and preparing their posters for the capstone project. It is amazing to hear them talk about the results from their investigations like old pros. Thanks so much to Dr. Koury and all the folks involved with the project! We will be continuing our investigations into the next school year and beyond!

This sounds like as great program! How do you plan to evaluate the program and do you see this program expanding into other schools in New York and elsewhere?

What a fabulous way to expose high school students to cutting edge science! How do teachers manage to integrate this program with their required science curriculum?

This looks fantastic and gives a brief introduction to the great program you have created at UB.

At our school we formed a multi-grade Bioinformatics Club which meets once a week(more now that we are putting together our research posters). I have found that the freshman who are currently taking Biology Honors have enough background to understand the basics of gene annotation. The upper class men have taken on leadership roles and are in charge of managing the Capstone Project. Dr. Koury has visited us on site and several students have emailed him with questions. It’s great that they are able to collaborate directly with a university researcher. In addition, these students will help me train new students next year.

It is great to see the students at work and to hear the students talk. Definitely a contribution to increasing diversity in STEM fields. Now this needs to move from a special project into the mainstream, the general school curriculum.

I have seven students in the club with plans to expand next year. It’s hard to say at this point whether it has impacted their college plans, but I’m pretty sure they are all considering taking AP Biology before they graduate. The exposure to basic biochemical nomenclature has been beneficial and boosted their confidence, especially of the two international students we have in the group.

That’s fantastic, Shannon! What a great opportunity for those students. I hope that you are able to take the next step and help teachers integrate this into their curriculum. More students need to experience cutting edge science.