NEWS RELEASE 

Contact:

Steve Slater, scslater@glbrc.wisc.edu
Derek Wood, woodd1@spu.edu

Madison, Wisconsin (December 27, 2010) – The Genomics Education National Initiative (GENI), a project designed to provide high school science classes in Washington, Wisconsin, Arizona and Ohio with research kits that provide students with opportunities to complete advanced genetic experiments in their classrooms, recently announced that it has received a $251,941 grant from the Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company. Seattle Pacific University was awarded $237,763 to develop the research kits and course materials, and the University of Wisconsin was awarded $14,178 to oversee the project. GENI, which will run through July 2012, will reach high school students in both introductory and advanced science courses.

"The Monsanto Fund is pleased to support this program because it allows students to experience cutting-edge science firsthand and to compare unique results, which can generate a greater fascination with science among young people,” said Deborah Patterson, president, the Monsanto Fund.

This initiative, led by Dr. Steve Slater, scientific programs manager at the Department of Energy Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), and Dr. Derek Wood of Seattle Pacific University, allows teachers to easily incorporate genomics research into their curriculum. The program allows students to conduct real-life experiments and has already shown positive results. In previous work with Mesa High School Biotechnology Academy (in Mesa, Ariz.), we found that this approach often pulls kids into sciences who otherwise might not be interested,” said Dr. Slater. “This gives them a sense of ownership over their coursework.”

GENI is aligned with GLBRC’s Education and Outreach program, which utilizes data from the students’ experiments to teach about topics like bioenergy research, energy concerns and sustainability issues.

About The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center:

The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) is one of three Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Centers funded to make transformational breakthroughs that will form the foundation of new cellulosic biofuels technology. The GLBRC is led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with Michigan State University as the major partner. Additional scientific partners are DOE National Laboratories, other universities and a biotechnology company.

About The Monsanto Fund:

The Monsanto Fund is the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company. Incorporated in 1964, the Fund’s primary objective is to improve the lives of people by bridging the gap between their needs and their resources. The Monsanto Fund is focused on grant-making in three main areas: nutritional well-being through agriculture; science education, primarily on professional development for teachers; and improving the quality of life in communities where Monsanto employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at http://www.monsantofund.org/asp/welcome.asp.

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