EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Over the past year, all of us at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology have spent time reflecting on the past and looking forward to the future. It has been 15 years since HudsonAlpha opened its doors in 2008. Those 15 years have been marked by countless new scien- tific discoveries and the translation of those discoveries into applications that make the world around us a better place. I am thankful to have had a front-row seat to HudsonAlpha’s discovery and innovation story and am incredibly hopeful for what the next 15+ years will hold for HudsonAlpha as well as the fields of genomics and biotechnology. Stories of new discoveries and applications bring science to life. Learners of all ages can be inspired by the stories described in this year’s guidebook and celebrate alongside the brilliant scientists who made these stories possible. Since the last guidebook was published, Alabama adopted a new course of study for science in late 2023. The new standards retain many of the improvements present in the 2015 standards, such as an emphasis on three-dimensional science teaching, including science and engineering practices, and cross-cutting concepts with the core science concepts. The concept of inheritance is now explicitly intro- duced in the third-grade standards, and rather than genetic determin- ism, introduces elementary students to the concept that both genes and environmental factors influence many traits. The 7th-grade life science standards include more robust and scientifically accurate genetics and biotechnology standards. Genetics and biotechnology continue to have a prominent place in the Biology course of study, with direct ties to 8 of the 15 standards. HudsonAlpha’s Educational Outreach team strives to meet the needs of Alabama’s students and educators. The development of new kits, curricular materials, and training opportunities is already underway. The It’s All in the Patterns third-grade genetics module is being piloted in AMSTI classrooms across the state. Several newly developed kits for high school biology classrooms both support the new standards and bring cutting-edge genomics discoveries into class- rooms. New field trip experiences on HudsonAlpha’s campus connect- ing science content with career and technical education in agriscience and health sciences are being developed. New professional learning experiences for educators are available through new rounds of GREAT workshops for high school teachers and GPS workshops for middle school teachers. We invite middle and high school educators to join us for week-long summer workshops on HudsonAlpha’s biotech campus, including a newly developed workshop focused on unity and diversity concepts. The mission of the HudsonAlpha Educational Outreach team is to inspire and train students to become the bioscience workforce of tomorrow as well as to cultivate a genomically literate community. I hope that young (and young at heart) readers find themselves blown away by the knowledge and tools available to scientists in 2024 and dream of how they can be a part of making the discoveries of tomorrow. I’ve enjoyed gathering the stories included in this year’s Guidebook. I hope you enjoy learning about them as much as I have.
Kelly East
I’d like to give a huge shout out to the HudsonAlpha writers, reviewers, and designers who made this year’s edition of the guidebook both readable and visually compelling. Thank you Madelene Loftin, Marquasha Carter, Meagan Cochran, Jennifer Hutchison, Nikki Mertz, Sarah Sharman, and Cathleen Shaw. I am beyond grateful for your time, talent, and support.
Kelly East, MS, CGC Vice President for Educational Outreach HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology email: keast@hudsonalpha.org
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