Judson College has sponsored a program for the past three years whose purpose is to interest high schoolers in science, and thus far, the program gets an A+.
“GENEius at Judson” is an outreach program designed to teach high school students molecular biology and to interest many of them in science careers,” said Brian Burnes, director of the program.
GENEius programs began almost 10 years ago at the McWane Center in Birmingham.
The Judson College GENEius program is a satellite program of the McWane Center and the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
UAB chose Judson for its outreach site because of the need in the area and the availability of the new Charlotte G. Lowder Science Building on the campus.
“Most of the students who come to participate in the GENEius program are 11th and 12th graders,” Burnes said. “They enjoy the lab. They get to investigate objects using microscopes and can see things such as DNA and proteins. Plus, they get to be on a college campus where there are better labs and equipment.”
Previous labs included “DNA: A Person’s Ultimate Fingerprint” and “Sickle Cell Anemia — Tracking an Inherited Trait.” The current study is “HIV — The Life Cycle of a Virus.”
Hundreds of students have participated in Judson’s GENEius program in the past and many have returned several times.
Dallas County High School in Selma participates in GENEius every year.
Dallas County School Superintendent Wayne May recently presented Judson College a “Partners in Education” plaque to thank the school for giving students the opportunity to learn about science.
Other local schools participating in Judson’s GENEius program include Cahaba Christian Academy in Centreville, Morgan Academy in Selma, Marion Academy, Hatch High School in Uniontown as well as Southern Academy in Greensboro.
Judson hosts the labs once or twice a month throughout the year. Students are divided into small groups and assisted by a Judson student in the experiments.
According to Burnes, the United States doesn’t produce enough scientists today.
“The long-term goal of the GENEius program is to make more science majors in the United States,” he said. “This is a great program.The students have said so and many have actually considered going into the science field afterward.”
The GENEius program motto is: “Molecular biology is changing the way we live. GENEius changes the way we learn.”
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