NHGRI Scientists Return to the Classroom For Second Annual National DNA Day
DNA Day Ambassadors Will Encourage Students to Pursue Genomic Careers
Bethesda, Maryland — On April 30, dozens of researchers
and staff from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
will head back to high schools in rural and urban communities across
the country to share with students some of the exciting research
taking place at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The presentations by NHGRI's "DNA Day Ambassadors" will
coincide with the second annual celebration of National DNA Day,
which commemorates the successful completion of the Human Genome
Project in April 2003 and the discovery of DNA's double helix in
1953.
Many of the ambassadors will return to high schools in their hometowns,
while some will reach out to other schools that have expressed interest
in expanding their students' knowledge of genomic science. NHGRI,
in cooperation with the American Society of Human Genetics, the
Genetic Alliance and the National Society of Genetic Counselors,
hopes that the DNA Day experience will inspire more students, particularly
those from underrepresented and disadvantaged populations, to consider
careers in genetics and genomics.
"As we embark on the genome era, we face an urgent need for
a new generation of young scientists trained in everything from
computer science to bioethics. National DNA Day is a wonderful opportunity
for students to learn from real-life genome researchers how they
too can become scientists and join in our effort to use genomics
to improve human health," said NHGRI Director Francis S. Collins,
M.D., Ph.D.
Below is a state-by-state list of DNA Day Ambassadors and their
schools. To arrange an interview with an ambassador, contact Geoff
Spencer, (301) 402-0911.
| NHGRI Ambassador |
High School |
City |
State |
| Erin Tansey | Luz Academy of Tucson | Tucson | AZ |
| Joseph Ward | Wilson HS | Los Angeles | CA |
| Kenneth Ow | Oakland Technical HS | Oakland | CA |
| Laura Rodriguez | Junipero Serra HS
Scripps Ranch HS | San Diego
San Diego | CA
CA |
| Barbara Fuller | School Without Walls HS | Washington | DC |
| Alyssa Kennedy | Benjamin Banneker HS | Washington | DC |
| Tim Leshan | Eastern Senior HS | Washington | DC |
| Aideen McInerney-Leo | Eastern Senior HS | Washington | DC |
| Erin Peck | Benjamin Banneker HS | Washington | DC |
| James Whittle | Maret School | Washington | DC |
| Zhuang Hanyi | Atlantic Community HS | Delray Beach | FL |
| Milton English | W. J. Woodham HS | Pensacola | FL |
| Erica Sutton | Woodward Academy | College Park | GA |
| Christina Strong | Jasper County HS | Monticello | GA |
| Faith Pangilinan | Columbus HS | Waterloo | IA |
| David Miller | Curie Metropolitan HS | Chicago | IL |
| David Miller | Northern Portage HS | Portage | IN |
| Meredith Weaver | Scituate HS | Scituate | MA |
| Visiliki Tsipouri | Southwestern HS | Baltimore | MD |
| Alan Guttmacher | Park HS | Brooklandville | MD |
| JoAnne Mowczko | Gaithersburg HS | Gaithersburg | MD |
| Martin Mendoza | Eleanor Roosevelt HS | Greenbelt | MD |
| Mary Schueler | Havre de Grace | Havre de Grace | MD |
| Barbara Biesecker | Wheaton HS | Silver Spring | MD |
| Ashley Griffin | Mounds View
St. Paul Central HS | Arden Hills
St. Paul | MN
MN |
| Jarrod Heck | Minneapolis South HS | Minneapolis | MN |
| Mary LaMarca | John Marshall HS
Mayo HS | Rochester
Rochester | MN
MN |
| Caroline Stuart | Blaine HS | Blaine | MN |
| Belen Hurle | St. Louis Career Academy | St. Louis | MO |
| Jim Swyers | Roosevelt HS | St. Louis | MO |
| Sarah Anzick | Browning HS
Park HS | Browning
Livingston | MT
MT |
| Phyllis Frosst | James B. Dudley HS
T. Wingate Andrews HS | Greensboro
High Point | NC
NC |
| Shawn Burgess | Concord HS
St. Paul's School | Concord
Concord | NH
NH |
| Jonathon Witonsky | Princeton HS | Princeton | NJ |
| Erin Tansey | Santa Fe Indian School | Santa Fe | NM |
| Danielle Dong | St. Ann Middle School | Nyack | NY |
| Sandra Kamholz | Westlake HS | Thornwood | NY |
| Tricia Gasser | Thomas Worthington HS | Worthington | OH |
| Matthew Portnoy | Bensalem HS
William Tennent HS | Bensalem
Westminster | PA
PA |
| Marie Cudoc | Mars Area HS | Mars | PA |
| Timothy Day | Fort LeBoeuf HS | Waterford | PA |
| Esther Warshauer-Baker | Spring Valley HS | Columbia | SC |
| Renee Varga | Lennox HS | Lennox | SD |
| Geoffroy Sisk | Bennett County HS | Martin | SD |
| Kate Reed | Oakridge HS | Oakridge | TN |
| Sarah Smith | John B. Connally HS | Austin | TX |
| Carmen Paguirigan | Iowa Park HS | Iowa | TX |
| Robert Cornelison | E.C. Glass HS
Brookville HS | Lynchburg
Lynchburg | VA
VA |
| Suzanna Schott | Annandale HS | Annandale | VA |
| Lowell Umayam | Fairfax HS | Fairfax | VA |
| Tess Yannucci | St. Stephen and St. Agnes | Alexandria | VA |
| Emily Gottlieb | The Bush School
Cleveland HS | Seattle
Seattle | WA
WA |
| Erin Jones | Garfield HS
West Seattle HS | Seattle
Seattle | WA
WA |
| Elizabeth Gillanders | St. Mary's Spring HS | Fond du Lac | WI |
| Reid Prentice | Cheyenne Central HS
Cheyenne East HS | Cheyenne
Cheyenne | WY
WY |
To help teachers and students make the most of National DNA Day,
NHGRI also has developed free, educational tools on genetics and
genomics, which are available at www.genome.gov/DNAday.
NHGRI is one of the 27 institutes and centers at the National
Institutes of Health, an agency of the Department of Health and
Human Services (DHHS). Additional information about NHGRI can be
found at its Web site, www.genome.gov.
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