TERRE HAUTE —
A Vigo County high school teacher studying genetics and DNA sampling this summer hopes to take what he learns back to the classroom.
“My passion is to get kids excited about science,” said Mike Williams, a biology and anatomy teacher at Terre Haute North Vigo High School.
He is working with Indiana State University’s Center for Genomic Advocacy, and his faculty advisor is Rusty Gonser, associate professor of biology. Williams is working on a master’s — his second — in biology.
He is involved with research in the molecular ecology lab, one of the labs that supports the Center for Genomic Advocacy. The research involves gene sequencing for the white-tailed deer and measuring their evolution.
While Williams is a graduate student, he is doing the research along with undergraduate students who are biology majors in the rural health program.
“I’ve learned a ton,” he said. He has a much better understanding of how DNA extractions and other procedures are done.
While the research involves animals, the same techniques are used for human DNA, Williams said.
High schools may not have the technology for lab work that ISU does, “but we can talk about how these techniques take place,” he said.
In addition, he hopes to get some of his high school students interested in ISU’s Center for Genomic Advocacy, which eventually hopes to offer a program in genetics counseling — an emerging field with great job potential, Williams said.
A genetics counselor can talk to parents about genetic disorders their children might have, especially if there is a history of genetic problems or if a woman has had a troubled pregnancy, he said.
According to Kidshealth.org, genetic counselors can help identify and interpret the risks of an inherited disorder, explain inheritance patterns, suggest testing and lay out possible scenarios.
They will explain the meaning of the medical science involved, provide support and address any emotional issues raised by the results of the genetic testing.
Williams also suggests that in the future, there will be more personalized medicine, in which doctors develop a treatment specific to a person’s genetic makeup. The treatment might be for such things as cancer or depression. Physicians will need “a pretty intense knowledge” of human genetics, he said.
It’s a topic Williams can incorporate into his biology classes and something students should be aware of as they consider different careers, he said.
Gonser also may touch on ethical questions to get students thinking, said Williams, who shared some of his own thoughts.
“The safest, surest way to start is with a medical issue, but at what point in time do you draw the line and say, ‘We’re not about making a perfect human,’” Williams said. “That’s one of the ethical questions. Where do you draw the line and where does it stop being preventative medicine, and where does is start being playing God?”
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
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North teacher looks to ‘get kids excited about science’
Educator looks to bring genetics, DNA study to classroom
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