K-12 Community Outreach

IGS has a sincere commitment to outreach to K-12 students. We have developed multiple programs and participated in many events targeted at middle and high school students. In particular, we are dedicated to reaching out to students from our west Baltimore neighborhood.

Here are some of our ongoing programs:

• UMB CURE Scholars Program - The UMB Continuing Umbrella for Research Experiences (CURE) mentoring program is funded by the National Cancer Institute and seeks to provide scientifically enriching programs for 6th-12th grade students from west Baltimore. IGS participates in the summer camp portion of this program. Rising 7th graders engage in hands-on activities that teach the basics of DNA structure and function, cell structure, genetics, ecology, and much more.
• Internship programs - IGS has a long history of hosting high school and college students for summer internships. Types of work students might engage in include: writing software, lab tasks (e.g. DNA extractions), analysis tasks (e.g. genome annotation), and outreach.
• The Center for Talented Youth Family Programs - IGS hosts a CTY Family Program targeted at students in grades 7-10. Our event provides instruction and hands-on activities in prokaryotic comparative genomics, microbiome analysis, and human genetic variation.
• The Maryland Microbiome Project (MMP is an outreach program targeted at high school students from around the entire state of Maryland. This program teaches students about microbiomes and their importance to both environmental health and human health. Students participate in field work to sample both built environments and natural environments around the state. To find out how your high school can be part of the program, contact Michelle Gwinn Giglio.