Cold Spring Harbor, NY -- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) is the only New York metro area institution awarded a five-year grant for its pre-college science education programs from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). “The program we will pursue will be a model for how research institutions can interact with large school systems and transform science education for urban students,” said David Micklos, Executive Director of CSHL’s Dolan DNA Learning Center (DNALC).
CSHL’s program will add six genetics and biotechnology experiments to the curriculum of 820 New York public school teachers who will be trained at the DNALC’s state-of-the-art teaching facility on Long Island. Over five year the teachers will share a laboratory equipment footlocker and reagent kit, and will have access to a specially developed Lab Center internet site. As one of only 31 pre-college grants awarded by HHMI, CSHL’s program will have a major impact on area science education and how research institutions and local schools can work together to increase science education opportunities.
“The Pre-college Science Education Initiative for Biomedical Research Institutions aims to encourage research institutions to use their unique resources to stimulate interest in science,” according to Dr. Peter J. Bruns, HHMI’s vice president for grants and special programs, “The efforts of CSHL and other institutions provide a crucial link between research and education communities and play an important role in strengthening scientific literacy for all citizens.”
HHMI’s panel of leading scientists and educators awarded CSHL a grant based on its demonstrated record of success in stimulating interest in science, enabling its continued commitment to broadening access to science across diverse populations. The DNALC was founded in 1988 as the world’s first science center devoted entirely to genetics education. “With on-site and extensive interactive on-line learning opportunities, the DNALC demonstrates CSHL’s daily commitment to public education for middle to high school students and teachers as well as the general public,” said CSHL President Bruce Stillman, Ph.D.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is a private, non-profit research and education institution dedicated to exploring molecular biology and genetics in order to advance the understanding and ability to diagnose and treat cancers, neurological diseases, and other causes of human suffering.
For more information, visit www.cshl.edu and www.dnalc.org
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a nonprofit medical research organization that employs hundreds of leading biomedical scientists working at the forefront of their fields. In addition, through its grants program and other activities, HHMI is helping to enhance science education at all levels and maintain the vigor of biomedical science worldwide, and is one of the world’s largest philanthropies, with laboratories across the United States and grants programs throughout the world.
For more information, visit www.hhmi.org