November 2024 Newsletter

This month, in collaboration with the Boston Museum of Science, Rob and Marnie co-organized and facilitated a screening of the Museum’s 2022 planetarium film, “God, Science, and Our Search for Meaning” with a diverse array of faith leaders, scientists, educators, and students from Harvard Divinity School, Harvard Medical School, and other institutions in the Boston area.

Following the screening, attendees discussed the film and also shared and learned with other attendees about PGED’s new “Share Your Stance” card activity.  The event was very well received, and the PGED team looks forward to future collaborations with the MOS in 2025 and beyond.

PGED is thrilled to announce a new 18-month project to develop and pilot a model for gathering people across professional sectors, communities, and cultures to enhance understanding and yield insights to cultivate an ethical and equitable genetics future. We are excited to pursue this work in collaboration with amazing partners, including the Social Impact and Acceleration Design Team led by Holly Truitt, who is a federally-funded researcher and lecturer at the stanford d.(esign) school, as well as project advisors and evaluators.

This project is made possible thanks to a grant from the Responsible Design, Development, and Deployment of Technologies (ReDDDoT) program. PGED is delighted to be in the inaugural cohort of the ReDDDoT program, which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation in collaboration with philanthropic funders Ford Foundation, The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, Pivotal Ventures, The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation, and Siegel Family Endowment.

Gill was invited back to UConn on Wednesday, November 13th to present about PGED, ELSI in genetics, and her early genetics career path to a class of 180 allied health freshmen and sophomores. She had a blast sharing her stories and insights with curious students!

PGED’s Community Spotlight series showcases some of the remarkable people we’ve connected with through our mission to expand education and dialogue about genetics, health, and society. You can find all of our current and future Spotlights on our website!

Gill met with long-time PGED collaborator, Michael Friend, to learn about his work in patient advocacy and education for people living with genetic health conditions.

We have a wonderful group of educators, community organizers, and science communicators piloting Share Your Stance on Personal Genetics. Thank you to everyone who reached out to support this effort!

Though this round is full, we may open up a second round of pilot testing for any future iterations of the game. Stay up to date on game-related announcements by reading our monthly newsletter!

Opinion: It took years for my Black son to be diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Then it happened to my family again (STAT News). “The health care system is ill-equipped to recognize and treat cystic fibrosis in non-white patients.”

Article: CRISPR builds a big tomato that’s actually sweet (Nature). “Growing sweeter tomatoes is possible by editing just two of the fruit’s genes. Deleting the genes increased the engineered fruits’ glucose and fructose levels by up to 30% over mass-produced tomatoes, according to a study published today in Nature.”

Article: ‘What’s your pain right now?’ Sickle cell, loss, and survival in America (STAT News). “Part 5 of Coercive Care, a yearlong examination of the denial of reproductive autonomy for people with sickle cell disease.”

Article: Will South Africa become first country to accept controversial form of human genome editing? (Nature). “Scientists raise the alarm following updated research ethics guidelines on heritable human genome editing.”

Are You a Fan of Our Free Resources? PGED expands the dialogue on personal genetics by creating free lesson plans, videos, conversation guides, and more. 

Please consider making a gift to PGED to help us keep our resources free. 

We are grateful for any contribution you wish to make.

PGED is always looking for opportunities to engage with new audiences. Would you like to host a group to talk about the implications of personal genetics? What about a professional development workshop for teachers in your district?

We have staff in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Washington, DC – and we are willing to travel when possible. Contact us to find out about scheduling an event in your area!