Jennifer Romano Selected for International Molecular Biology Institute

The goal of the institute, offered through a partnership between the Molecular Biology Department at Princeton University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, is to help teachers bring cutting-edge molecular biology into their classrooms. The summer institute for teachers is designed to give participants the hands-on laboratory experiences and tools to make a major impact in their own classrooms and schools.  

 

Teachers used sophisticated techniques and equipment to perform procedures such as DNA polymerase chain reactions (PCR), bacterial transformation and DNA sequence analysis. In addition, they transformed bacteria, tested foods to see if they were genetically modified and analyzed their own DNA fingerprints from cheek cell samples.

 

A highlight of the institute was the opportunity to interact with professors and leading researchers at Princeton University, including a Nobel laureate. Professor Fred Hughson, director of the program, said, “I think we succeeded in creating a stimulating, fun, and even inspirational experience for the teachers who were selected for the institute. They will bring a great deal of this excitement back to their classrooms in the fall, and with it, new skills that can make a major, long-term difference on the science they teach their students.” During the school year, Princeton will support teachers who have completed the institute in their efforts to enhance the molecular biology they teach.