Texas A&M will celebrate DNA Day on Wednesday with a talk and book signing by an award-winning journalist and exhibits highlighting the importance of public education about the role of genetics in health care.
A&M’s DNA Day will take place in Rudder Exhibit Hall. Events will include an educational booth and research poster fair that covers a variety of topics related to genetics and DNA such as extracting DNA from a strawberry and debunking GMO myths.
A talk and book signing from journalist and author Bonnie Rochman will follow. The DNA Day event is sponsored by Texas A&M Institute for Genome Sciences and Society, the College of Liberal Arts, and the Department of Communication in hopes of transmitting knowledge on genetics to a lay audience.
National DNA Day, April 25, is an annual celebration of the completion of the Human Genome Project and the discovery of the double helix. According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, DNA Day is celebrated to increase public knowledge of advances in genomic research and how the advances might affect their lives.
The first event of DNA Day, interactive booths and research posters, is hosted by Assistant Professor Emily Rauscher’s COMM 470: Communication in Health Care Contexts class.
“The booths are put on by the class with research conducted by them and graduate students from the Texas A&M Genetics Department,” Dr. Rauscher said. “Undergrad and graduate students worked together on the posters to communicate the importance of the student’s research to a non-scientist audience.”
After the booth and poster fair, guests will move to Rudder Theater to listen to Rochman discuss her book, “The Gene Machine: How Genetic Technologies Are Changing The Way We Have Kids – And The Kids We Have.” Rochman will speak about the research from her book about how genetic advances are reshaping the experiences of families and the ethical challenges of modern medicine.
Post-talk, a reception and book signing will follow where copies of Rochman’s book will be available for purchase.
More information on National DNA Day is available at genome.gov/10506367/national-dna-day/. Rochman’s book is available for purchase at bonnierochman.com.