Gene Team

August 23, 2006 Issue

Hampton High School junior Alison McKelvey examines a culture of nematode worms as part of Pitt’s “Gene Team,” a summer program aimed at engaging high school students and instructors in cutting-edge genetics research and developing hands-on methods for science instruction.

Created by Lewis Jacobson, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in Pitt’s School of Arts and Sciences, and Alison Slinskey Legg, the department’s outreach coordinator, the program is funded through a five-year, $1.27 million Science Education Partnership Award from the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Research Resources.

This summer, participants did genetic experiments on nematode worms and other organisms, looking for new mutations. Their work, with potential applications for treating and preventing tuberculosis, birth defects, cancer, and tissue degeneration, is expected to provide novel research materials for Pitt research labs.

—Karen Hoffmann