A new program, funded through a federal grant, will work to encourage local high school students to seek careers in genetics and genomics. Rep. Brian Higgins appeared with University at Buffalo leaders Monday to announce a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. WBFO's Focus on Education reporter Eileen Buckley says hundreds area students will be selected to participate in a program through the Western New Genetics in Research and Health Care Partnership.
"This program actually allows the students to do research with the larger group of scientists that are there in the world," said Rama Dey-Rao, UB Research Professor
In 2009 Dey-Rao founder a teacher training program in Bioinformatics at the University. It was part of the school's Summer Session for teacher training.
Dey-Rao is with UB's Department of Dermatology. She is trilled with this new round of NIH funding that will allow students to explore opportunities in genetics and genomics and it will begin with training of about 20-teachers a year.
"Students in high school -- they take science like something abstract -- like something you've just got to learn in textbooks," said Dey-Rao. "But when you teach students to actually take part in research -- the joy of discovery to actually be involved in actual research -- that is the spark they need. That is the spark that keeps them in science. That's the part that gives them the hook."
"Here at UB, once those teachers are recruited, and on board and understand what they are doing, we will kind of take over from the genomics and bioinformatics aspect of that," said Stephen Koury, UB's research assistant professor.
Koury said there are many different jobs in genetics within the medical field. "Genetic counselors, who have to really rely that information to a public that might not really have the educational background themselves to understand when they get a report," stated Koury. "This is a foundation of telling them about the field and there is a lot of different directions."
“Under the leadership of Dr. Koury, this program will provide hundreds of high school students with the skills they need to pursue a career in life sciences on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, where the UB medical school will be located in just a few years,” Cain said. - See more at: http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2014/09/023.html#sthash.zHw6tEoF.dpuf
The program is expected to target about 500 students to be selected to learn and study for careers in genetics and genomics. The program will cover urban and rural high schools across Buffalo and Rochester.
“Under the leadership of Dr. Koury, this program will provide hundreds of high school students with the skills they need to pursue a career in life sciences on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, where the UB medical school will be located in just a few years,” Cain said. - See more at: http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2014/09/023.html#sthash.zHw6tEoF.dpuf
“Under the leadership of Dr. Koury, this program will provide hundreds of high school students with the skills they need to pursue a career in life sciences on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, where the UB medical school will be located in just a few years,” said Michael E. Cain, MD, vice president for health sciences at UB and dean of the medical school
“Under the leadership of Dr. Koury, this program will provide hundreds of high school students with the skills they need to pursue a career in life sciences on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, where the UB medical school will be located in just a few years,” Cain said. - See more at: http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2014/09/023.html#sthash.zHw6tEoF.dpuf
“Under the leadership of Dr. Koury, this program will provide hundreds of high school students with the skills they need to pursue a career in life sciences on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, where the UB medical school will be located in just a few years,” Cain said. - See more at: http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2014/09/023.html#sthash.zHw6tEoF.dpuf
“Under the leadership of Dr. Koury, this program will provide hundreds of high school students with the skills they need to pursue a career in life sciences on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, where the UB medical school will be located in just a few years,” Cain said. - See more at: http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2014/09/023.html#sthash.zHw6tEoF.dpuf