Description:

The Center for Genetic Medicine of Northwestern University welcomes you to attend an education seminar co-hosted by the Searle Center for Advancing Learning & Teaching, featuring Sarah C. R. Elgin, PhD, Victor Hamburger Professor of Arts & Sciences, Professor of Biology, and Professor of Genetics, Washington University in St. Louis; and Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

This interactive lecture will be simulcast in Chicago and Evanston. Space is very limited. Registration is required by October 10 to Michelle Mohney at michelle.mohney@northwestern.edu or 312-503-5602.

The recent AAMC-HHMI report “Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians” points out the need for future physicians to develop an understanding of the process of scientific inquiry, of how scientific knowledge is discovered and validated – and points out our growing need to cope with “big data.” The advent of genomic technologies is changing both our research approaches and the possibilities for diagnosis and treatment of genetic disabilities. Happily, bioinformatics provides an outstanding way for students at all types of institutions to engage in research in an accessible and inexpensive manner, while at the same time gaining an introduction to genomics. The Genomics Education Partnership (GEP) is a network of more than 100 colleges and universities serving over 1000 undergraduates annually. The GEP uses a central platform at Washington University in St. Louis to provide course-based research experiences that can be adapted to the specific needs of each class and institution type, including large universities, small undergraduate institutions, and community colleges. GEP curriculum utilizes the power of comparative genomics, focusing on the evolution of the Muller F element, a domain with unique hetero- and euchromatic properties, in multiple species of Drosophila. GEP undergraduates work to improve the draft genomic sequences and/or annotate these improved sequences. Their findings contribute to student co-authored publications, provide data for elucidating the patterns of genome organization underlying alternative chromatin structural states, and benefit the scientific community through data submission to public databases. We find that students who engage with GEP materials, regardless of institution type, show noteworthy learning gains as well as the ability to prosper in a research-intensive curriculum. A similar strategy of parallel research projects has been used successfully in a variety of curricula, some targeted specifically to beginning college students. These experiences help students develop analytical skills and habits of mind that should facilitate their development as thoughtful physicians and investigators.