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Event report
Second annual Gengage network conference: New frontiers in teaching genetics
Tuesday 15 June 2010
Over 100 delegates, including biology teachers, upper year students and Gengage members, gathered at the John McIntyre Conference Centre, University of Edinburgh, on 15 June 2010 for a day of talks and interactive workshops.
Event details on the Gengage website
‘Meet the Gene Machine’ workshop
Prof Kenneth Boyd welcomes delegates to the conference
Plenary Presentations
The plenary presentations addressed current and future trends in genetics, including the effects genes have on our health; the development of a treatment for Pompe disease, recently fictionalised in the Harrison Ford film, Extraordinary Measures; and the implications of technological developments for the patient attending a genetic clinic.
David Porteous gives the keynote address
Keynote speech: Prof David Porteous, ‘Our genetic inheritance - for better or for worse, in sickness and in health’
Dr Kevin O’Donnell, ‘Pompe disease: a case study of the development of a successful treatment for a rare disease’
Professor Mary Porteous, ‘From theory to practice - how developments in the laboratory affect patients in the genetic clinic: hypothetical examples’
Workshops
A series of parallel workshops on the morning and afternoon of the conference gave delegates the opportunity to explore issues around genetics through various interactive activities. These activities ranged from facilitated discussions about the ethics of recent advances in genetics to simulated DNA profiling, and featured unique and innovative teaching and learning resources.
Particpants at the Nowgen Schools Genomics Programme workshop
Prof Jack Jackson discusses ‘Genes - diseases and dilemmas’ with delegates