DNA Day Activities from UVA Genome Sciences Department Educational Outreach

Calling science educators! Are you interested in engaging your students with fun, hands-on activities that teach them about DNA and genomics?

To celebrate National DNA Day on April 25th, the UVA Genome Sciences Department is excited to offer a series of educational outreach activities aimed at introducing young students to the fascinating world of genetics and genomics. These activities are designed to be interactive, educational, and fun! This service is free and is part of our ongoing effort to bring genomics education to local schools and educational organizations. We are excited to inspire the next generation of scientists and help demystify the world of DNA!

What We Offer:

• Expert Instructors: Our instructors include faculty members, graduate students, or teams of faculty members with students from the UVA Department of Genome Sciences in the School of Medicine
• Activity Duration: Each activity typically lasts approximately 30 minutes. We can also be flexible, and pair multiple activities, or adapt to local needs.
• Group Size: Activities are designed for 8-20 students. For larger groups, we can also run simultaneous activities.
• When?: On DNA Day (April 25th) each year.

Some of the engaging activities we offer include:

• What are Chromosomes?
• Strawberry DNA Extraction
• Genetics and Medicine
• History of Genomics
• Traits, Biodiversity, and Conservation Genetics
• Genetic Variation Wheel
• Careers in Genomics

It’s a win-win-win

We will make this easy for you! All you have to do is let us know when and where to show up, a bit about the age group and number of students, and anything else you want us to know. Then, we’ll do the rest!

You get external enrichment from experts for your students, your students get an exciting activity on a fascinating subject, and we get the joy of spreading education about a field we are passionate about.

Interested?

1. Fill out the form below to register your interest in a personalized visit from expert DNA researchers.
2. We will contact you if we need additional information.
3. If we have availability, we will pair you up with an expert instructor who will work with you to coordinate location, timing, and the specific activity.

We will try to accommodate as many groups as we can each year, depending on faculty involvement.

Fill out this Google Form to register your interest by March 15!

We look forward to hearing from you!