The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) is proud to announce the winners of its DNA Day Essay Contest for students in Maine.  Students participated in the nonprofit biomedical research institution’s Teaching the Genome Generation (TtGG™)program, which provides a new way to teach genetics and genomics through the lens of personalized medicine. In TtGG™, students conduct classroom experiments, collect and analyze real data, and discuss of the ethical complexities of research. 

For the contest, students were asked to respond to the same essay guidelines from the 2019 DNA Day Essay Contest, sponsored by the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG).  The JAX winners will be awarded certificates and prizes in the amount of $500 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd place, and $100 for 3rd place.  The winners’ essays were also entered in the national 2019 DNA Day Essay Contest sponsored by ASHG. 

The winners for the regional competition are: 1st - Kylie Brown, Boothbay Region High School, Boothbay Harbor; 2nd - Marissa Paine, Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, South Paris and 3rd - Elizabeth Flanagan, Medomak Valley High School, Waldoboro.

The Jackson Laboratory’s Teaching the Genome Generation™ (TtGG) provides a new way to teach genetics and genomics through the lens of personalized medicine. In TtGG™, students conduct classroom experiments, collect and analyze real data, and discuss of the ethical complexities of research.  TtGG™ begins with professional development—teachers enter the program through a one-week short course taught during the summer months. The short courses (which will be offered this year in Brunswick, Maine and in Sacramento, California), and the academic year implementation of the program, are divided into three major topics: laboratory methods involved in isolating, amplifying and detecting human DNA; computational methods utilized in analyzing DNA, RNA or amino acid sequences, and ethics involved in DNA testing (both in the classroom and in the community).  

Winners of the ASHG national DNA Day Essay Contest will be announced on April 25.