The NCHGR Office of Genetics Education plans, advertises and coordinates a week long course on genome technology each summer. The goal of this course is to update college faculty from institutions with substantial minority enrollment on the latest developments in genetic technology, medical genetics and ethics. Furthermore, the course facilitates the incorporation of this information into their everyday classroom teaching and cultivates minority student interest in genome research. Twenty participants have now attended, coming from diverse colleges and universities ranging from Puerto Rico to Montana. Participants are solicited from across the country from advertisement placed in the minority issue of Science, as well as direct mailings to MARC and MBRS grantees. Applicants provide a letter stating their interest, a letter of support from their department chair or supervisor and a resume. Participants are chosen by a four-member selection committee representing both NCHGR and the Office of Research on Minority Health. The course consists of didactic information on a variety of genome research areas, providing both an overview of the subject/technology and information on the latest developments in that area. Participants also tour the NCHGR Intramural laboratories and learn first-hand about technologies of interest. The course offers information on other topics too, such as the ethical impact of genetic research, career opportunities in genetics, uses of genetic databases and grantsmanship skills. The participants teach student populations which include: Hispanics, Native Americans and African Americans. Twenty percent of the participants were chairs of their departments, thus insuring more rapid implementation of their learning. Fifty percent of the participants were members of a minority themselves. Participants completed evaluations pre- and post-course to determine their knowledge levels as well as the effectiveness of the course and its impact on their teaching. Participants had from 1-37 years teaching experience and taught an average of 200 students/year. Not surprisingly, the participants reported learning the most about the topics they originally understood least. They saw gene therapy and cloning technology as topics which are most important to their teaching. Furthermore, they cited gene therapy, databases, complex inheritance and sequencing as the topics most likely to be brought back to their classrooms. This shortcourse impacts a wide range of students, as these faculty members disseminate the information they learned at NIH. It will have a national impact and will help to foster minority student interest and participation in genetic research.
