Collaborative Research: The Geneticist-Educator Network of Alliances (GENA) Project

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The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG), the Genetics Society of America (GSA), the National Science Resources Center (NSRC) and the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) are using the broad theme of genetics to build a framework to form long-term collaborations between educators and scientists and a sustainable infrastructure to support meaningful outreach by scientists in the high school science classroom. The Geneticist-Educator Network of Alliances (GENA) Project provides the partnering scientific societies with tools to instruct, facilitate, and measure the meaningful engagement of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty members in secondary science education. The GENA Project is exploring ways in which a professional society-monitored secondary science education outreach effort can play a positive role in the career development of both junior (pre-tenure) and senior (post-tenure) level genetics faculty. The project is developing a network of 92 master Geneticist-Educator alliances to design teaching strategies related to standards and misconceptions in genetics that can decrease the time required for scientists to prepare for outreach, thus maximizing the effective and meaningful interaction between the geneticists and students. Geneticists and high school biology teachers attend workshops to examine genetics content inherent in state science education standards and key misconceptions in genetics education and to review exemplary educational materials in genetics and receive guidance in implementing lessons. Exemplary inquiry-based educational materials in genetics are being utilized to design methods to facilitate meaningful interactions between scientists and their local education community. The nationwide cadre of 92 master high school biology teachers serve as training leaders in their local school districts. Detailed teaching strategies and case studies are being disseminated nationally through current Math and Science Partnerships and a publicly accessible website sponsored by both ASHG and GSA. The project is developing a model program, adaptable by other disciplinary scientific societies.