JCVI Promotes Science Literacy in the U.S.

The issue of our society’s science literacy continues to circulate through the media. Recently, reporters focused on results of the Pew Research Center’s Science Knowledge Quiz, which indicates that most Americans would score a grade of C on a basic science test. The gender and racial gaps revealed by the study were equally discouraging.

Our planet is in crisis, and we need to mobilize all our intellectual forces to save it. One solution could lie in building a scientifically literate society in order to survive.

- J. Craig Venter, 2015.

This latest examination of what we know about science literacy follows a report by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2014 that 26 percent of its respondents were unaware the Earth revolves around the sun. Results from that report on the more controversial topics of climate change and evolution also left scientists and science educators cringing.

Rapid developments in science and technology continually raise new questions for the public debate.  JCVI believes that it is critical that today’s students have an understanding of the basic facts and concepts of science. It is equally important that these students have an understanding of how ideas are investigated and analyzed so that they can develop a perspective on any issue up for discussion. We need to cultivate the next generation of scientists, and we need to ensure that these same generations who may not pursue the sciences formally remain informed and knowledgeable voters.

JCVI has been committed to K-12 and teacher science education since 1999 and is expanding its role in addressing the science literacy challenge. We recently hired Amani Rushing as our Education Manager.  Amani, a graduate of Stanford University, comes to JCVI from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Prior to NCMEC, Amani worked as a Project Coordinator in the Education and Human Resources Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).  Amani brings ten years of experience of developing and delivering education and training programs for educators and families. She will continue to expand JCVI’s reputation in the STEM education field and will manage and expand the following JCVI education initiatives:

• DiscoverGenomics! Mobile Lab (DG!). Established in 2006, DG! is a self-sufficient laboratory/learning center on wheels that provides middle school students and teachers the opportunity to learn current bioscience concepts and to master the use of laboratory equipment. JCVI is committed to getting DG! back on the road again in San Diego. We are actively seeking funding for DG! for the 2016/2017 school year.  Your name or corporate logo could be on display as DG! travels to San Diego area schools.
• Internship Program. The Internship Program provides opportunities to inspire young scientists and other science professionals to work in all areas of the Institute. Interns are assigned to a mentor who is a member of the Institute’s faculty or senior staff. This past summer, JCVI welcomed 24 high school students, college students, and high school science educators to our Rockville and La Jolla campuses. Interns on both coasts worked on fascinating projects on everything from helping to develop a high throughput sequencing and analysis pipeline to establishing a CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system in M. mycoides.
• Genomics Scholars Program. The Genomics Scholars Program (GSP) is a transition program focusing on the leap from a community college to a four-year college using a combination of activities including undergraduate research experience with mentoring and professional development. Our program incorporates multiple avenues of support for students through a multi-year research experience with the Principal Investigators as mentors, and supplemental professional development provided by the JCVI. Selected students can also participate in undergraduate research conferences.
• Zoo in You. Zoo in You is a new 2,000 square foot bilingual (English and Spanish) traveling exhibition that will engage visitors in the cutting edge research of the NIH Human Microbiome Project and explore the impact of the microbiome on human health. The first stop on the tour will be the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in San Diego, CA in 2016. JCVI will work with Fleet to introduce the exhibit to the San Diego community and raise public understanding of the science behind the microbiome.

For more information about our efforts and opportunities to partner with JCVI, please contact the JCVI development department at development@jcvi.org.