Some 25 biology, chemistry, physics, and geology teachers this summer are getting an inside look at the latest scientific theories about evolution, geochemistry, genetics, and other features of the complex conditions that led to the emergence of life 4 billion years ago.
The program, titled “The Origins of Life: From Geochemistry to the Genetic Code,” runs June 21 to July 1 and draws from research of a five-year, five-institution project that includes SFI researchers. SFI hosted the program for the first two years; this is year it’s at George Mason University.
Teachers will take part in group projects on computer modeling, workshops with researchers, and discussions on how best to bring this knowledge back into the classroom.
“It is important that teachers take the excitement they’ve gained from this program back to the classroom to inspire the next generation of scientists,” says SFI External Professor Harold Morowitz, a biochemist at George Mason University, in a GMU news release.
Read the GMU news release (June 13, 2011)
Read the Albuquerque Journal article (June 20, 2011, subscription required)
More about SFI's origins of life research (May 2011)