National DNA Day is Friday and national organizations including the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) will host a variety of events and provide teaching resources to science educators.

Schools, museums and other educational institutions are encouraged to offer activities in human genetics using these resources and materials and to invite guest speakers to their facilities. The Congressional resolution designating National DNA Day passed on Feb. 23, 2003, in which April 2003 was recognized as Human Genome Month to recognize.

And celebrate several accomplishments: the 50th anniversary of James Watson’s and Francis Crick’s discovery of the structure of DNA, completion of the sequence of the human genome through the Human Genome Project, and development of a plan for future applications of genetic discoveries.

While the Greenwood Genetic Center fully supports DNA Day in its effort to promote the science, the Center’s aim is to provide genetic instruction and resources every day to encourage genetic literacy. As a nonprofit institute, the Greenwood Genetic Center is organized to provide clinical genetic services and laboratory testing, to develop educational programs and materials, and to conduct research in the field of medical genetics. The Center focuses on identifying the causes of birth defects and intellectual disabilities with a special interest in X-linked intellectual disabilities. With offices in Greenville, Columbia, Florence and Charleston, in addition to the main campus in Greenwood, we proudly serve patients in South Carolina and around the world. We are also committed to providing key educational opportunities regarding genetics for students, teachers and the general public.

Throughout the year, the Center’s education division provides speakers to middle- and high-school classrooms, undergraduate classes, and adult groups. Visitors are invited to tour our facilities. In 2009, for example, 45 tours and 184 lectures were given just from the Greenwood campus.Since 1994, the Center has offered a week-long course in human genetics for S.C. science teachers. The program has expanded from its initial course to now four courses which are offered on alternating years.New and exciting additions will soon be a part of the Center’s Outreach Education program.

Existing space has been renovated into an on-campus Genetics Education Center.This Center consists of a meeting/classroom space and a laboratory area where visiting groups can engage in a specific lab activity using modern equipment. In late June, the Center anticipates the arrival of the “Gene Machine,” a 40-foot coach-style vehicle outfitted as a science lab. The mobile lab will be available to travel to schools too distant for a field trip to Greenwood. Students will have available to them the same activities and equipment as are in the campus education center.