Education Key to Understanding, Acceptance

The increasing abilities to manipulate and analyze DNA are bringing profound changes to society, particularly in approaches to human health problems, personal identification, and agricultural development. To reap the benefits and avoid pitfalls inherent in DNA technology, the general public must have some understanding of DNA, how it is involved in heredity, and how it works in the cell, as well as the methods used to analyze and manipulate it. With complex genetic concepts and discoveries coming at an ever-increasing pace, what the lay person understands or believes to be true now will help determine how such scientific advances are evaluated and whether they are accepted by the public or not. Clearly, education is the key.

Education in the United States faces a number of challenges in promoting science literacy for the public, students, and teachers. Some public high schools do not even offer a biology course, and most high school and many college science teachers received their degrees before DNA technology was added to the college curriculum. Confident, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable teachers are desperately needed at all levels to convey the latest information on genetics and molecular biology to the first generation that will be influenced by the new genetics and the technologies springing from it.

One of the most efficient ways to foster productive interactions and update educators is to provide them with short courses and workshops in molecular genetics. Several educational programs sponsored by the Human Genome Project have developed effective, field-tested workshops for just this purpose. In addition, many scientists in public and private institutions serve as resources for the general community and help teachers understand molecular genetics and obtain necessary equipment, supplies, and know-how to incorporate genome technology into everyday classroom teaching.

This is a significant beginning, but much more needs to be done by investigators involved in genetics. The types of outreach described in the following article could serve as models for other education activities.

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Education Key to Understanding, Acceptance

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