New STEM Program Discusses Genomics

MCLEAN, Va. - March 17, 2022 - PRLog -- The Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) offered high school students a cost-free opportunity to learn about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, from 5-6 p.m. ET via Zoom. This month's theme was genomics, an interdisciplinary field of biology focusing on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes, an organism's complete set of DNA.

Distinguished speakers included:

Dr. Tshaka Cunningham is Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Polaris Genomics Inc. Dr. Cunningham earned a BA in molecular biology from Princeton University, received a PhD in molecular biology with a focus on virology and immunology from The Rockefeller University, and completed postdoctoral training at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France. He worked at the US Department of Veterans Affairs, overseeing a large neurodegenerative disease research program, and he served as a subject matter expert for the VA's Genomic Medicine Implementation Program. A leading voice in advocating for diversity and representation in the field of genomics, he serves as a volunteer for nonprofit youth programming in underserved communities.

Dr. Janina Jeff is a Staff Bioinformatics Scientist at Illumina. Dr. Jeff earned a BA in Biology with a minor in Spanish from Spelman College, a master's in Applied Statistics from Vanderbilt University, and a PhD in Human/Medical Genetics from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She was a postdoctoral fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Center for Human Genetic Research as well as at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Charles Bronfman Institute of Personalized Medicine in New York City. Janina is an educator, a motivational speaker and a podcaster who recently won the inaugural Spotify's Sound-Up Bootcamp (out of 18,000 applicants) for her "In Those Genes" podcast, a science and culture program.

Watch the recording at https://youtu.be/c7sAstrNbkw



This virtual event is part of CEE's STEM Lyceums, a series of monthly virtual meetings that engage high school students in discussion and exploration of STEM concepts and unique STEM career pathways, provided at no cost to schools or students. Students interact with STEM professionals and fellow students, both national and international. Meetings foster critical thinking skills, encourage excitement for science, and prepare students to enter STEM careers.

CEE recently announced it will partner with Virginia Bio to establish and sponsor STEM Lyceums in Virginia's rural and urban high schools to provide information and hands-on activities that encourage STEM studies and careers in science and technology. The United Negro College Fund and the Urban League of Hampton Roads will also partner in taking this project beyond Virginia to high schools throughout the U.S.