Pilot Program at Brookhaven Lab: Long Island Middle School Teachers Offered Instruction in Teaching Genetics

September 26, 2005

EVENT: The U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research have teamed up to offer a pilot program in which Long Island middle school teachers in select school districts will participate in a three-day fellowship at Brookhaven Lab. Hands-on laboratory work will provide the teachers with new insights into genetics research, while participation in the Lab's Science Learning Center activities will provide them with effective tools for teaching inquiry-based science at the middle school level.

WHEN: September 29 and September 30, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. each day, and October 1, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WHERE: Brookhaven National Laboratory, Bldg. 801, second floor. The Laboratory is located on William Floyd Parkway, one-and-a-half miles north of Exit 68 of the Long Island Expressway.

DETAILS: A total of 12 teachers from four school districts -Longwood, Roosevelt, William Floyd and Wyandanch - will participate in a curriculum called "My Genes" developed by Brookhaven Lab's Science Learning Center, which focuses on advances in modern genetics. The teacher-fellows will then collaborate with Brookhaven teaching staff to offer an in-class student DNA workshop at the fellows' own schools. The workshops will introduce students and faculty to laboratory experiments, equipment, and computer resources to illustrate major concepts in gene analysis. The participating schools also will be provided with equipment needed for the "My Genes" curriculum, which they will be expected to share with other faculty.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Please call Diane Greenberg, 631 344-2347, or Mona S. Rowe, 631 344-5056, if you would like to attend this event, or if you wish to interview key administrators of the program. All visitors to the Laboratory age 16 and over must bring a photo ID.

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