HANCEVILLE – Wallace State biology instructor Connie Briehn recently participated in the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) Short Course in Genomics at the National Institutes of Health.
Briehn was one of only 25 faculty members selected across the United States to participate in the course.
The course is designed to update educators on genome science, the ongoing efforts to elucidate the genomic bases of health and disease, and the ethical, legal and social implications of genomic advances. It also helps engage educators, inform the public about genomics and enhances genomic literacy. This year’s faculty was comprised of K-12 educators and community college faculty.
“It was a great experience. I wrote an essay to qualify and was honored to be chosen. There were a lot of smart people there,” Briehn said. “There were a lot of things discussed I’ll incorporate to make our courses at Wallace State even better.”
The following courses were offered at NIH: Health Disparities and Precision Medicine, Cancer Genomics, Genetics and Infectious Diseases, Tea and Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code Resources, HHMI Teaching Resources, Bioinformatics Workshop, Human Skin Variation, Human Microbiome Project and a Bioethics Workshop.
Briehn added that genome science is taught mainly in the BIO 103 classes at Wallace State.
Briehn made such a positive impression through her involvement in the program that Hudson Alpha in Huntsville has invited select Wallace State students to work on a molecular genetics research project with Doctor Jeremy Prokop.
Briehn has taught full-time at Wallace State since 2006 and been a part of the college since 2001.
For more information about Wallace State, visit www.wallacestate.edu.
