Teachers and Students to Celebrate National DNA Day with a Wide Assortment of Events and Activities

From Kiara Palmer
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is celebrating the fourteenth annual National DNA Day this year. National DNA Day commemorates the successful completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, and the discovery of DNA's double helix in 1953. NHGRI began celebrating this day annually on April 25th after the 108th Congress passed concurrent resolutions in 2003 designating it as “National DNA Day”.

There are many National DNA Day events scheduled in locations throughout the country, but NHGRI’s goal is to make a celebration accessible to anyone interested in participating, so they are still seeking to add more events to their map. If there are no events in your area, consider starting your own. Their website provides free resources to help you launch your own DNA Day campaign in your community. The kit includes National DNA Day logos, PowerPoint slides, nametags, sample press releases, and other materials to help make your event a success.

For teachers and students interested in National DNA Day activities and resources, an extensive page of genetics educational resources is available on the genome.gov/DNADay website. The Get Activity Ideas page provides short explanations about each resource and is supported by a filter button for finding specific resources of interest (ranging from interactive web modules to standards-aligned lesson plans for the classroom). NHGRI will hold The Genome: Unlocking Life's Code Pinterest Challenge for the second year, inviting teachers to work with their classrooms to arrange Pinterest boards that focus on the theme of emerging genomic technologies.

As part of the celebration, NHGRI is leading the following National DNA Day activities:

• April 18-22 and 25: NHGRI is organizing an “Ask Me Anything" (AMA) series in collaboration with ASHG and pgEd. This AMA series will feature prominent geneticists answering questions in the reddit science community forum "/r/Science".
  
  
• April 25, 11am: NHGRI will host a National DNA Day Twitter Chat with the hashtag #DNADay16. This moderated discussion will focus on genomics/genetics topics related to career paths, technology development, and education. 
  
  
• April 25, 3pm: NHGRI will host Eric Spana, Ph.D., from Duke University for the inaugural National DNA Day Lecture for NHGRI staff and the public (through live telecast). The topic of Dr. Spana’s lecture is transmission genetics, as seen through the lens of Harry Potter and the genetics of wizardry.

Visit the Celebrate with NHGRI page for details regarding these events and more.

If you are planning an event, NHGRI would love to hear from you. Please contact dnaday@nih.gov if you would like your event featured on our website or for advice about holding an event.

Kiara Palmer is the assistant public affairs specialist with the National Human Genome Research Institute’s Communication and Public Liaison Branch. As the communications representative for National DNA Day, Ms. Palmer is responsible for media relations, writing features and managing the social media sites for DNA Day.

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