Nashville, TN - American Society of Human Genetics

PRESS RELEASE
Media Contact:
ASHG Press Office
301-634-7307
press@ashg.org
American Society of Human Genetics Awards First Place Prize to
Local High School Student in National DNA Day Essay Contest
Nashville Area Teen Awarded Cash Prize for First Place Essay; Winner’s High
School to Receive $2,000 Grant for New Science Classroom Equipment
BETHESDA, MD – April 23, 2010 – In celebration of National DNA Day, the American Society of Human
Genetics (ASHG) hosted its fifth annual National DNA Day Essay Contest to educate students and
teachers about important concepts in genetic science. ASHG is announcing this year’s prize winners
today at noon during a live online DNA Day Chatroom sponsored by the National Human Genome
Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health.
This year, ASHG awarded first place honors to a local high school student attending the School for
Science and Math at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., for the outstanding essay he submitted to the fifth
annual DNA Day Essay Contest.
Celebrated annually at the end of April, National DNA Day commemorates the discovery of DNA's double
helix and the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003. ASHG’s Essay Contest is designed
to excite students about human genetics and help them gain a better understanding of the underlying
scientific principles and research methods.
ASHG’s National DNA Day Essay Contest challenges science students in grades 9-12 to examine,
question, and reflect on important concepts in human genetics by writing an original essay that provides a
substantive, well-reasoned argument about inheritance patterns and the genetic basis of various complex
traits. This year, ASHG received a total of nearly 600 essay submissions from high school students in 44
U.S. states and other countries, including Canada and Bangladesh. More than 250 geneticists from the
ASHG membership volunteered to judge the students’ essays on the basis of scientific accuracy,
creativity, and writing quality.
High school students in grades 9-12 were invited to submit written essays on one of two questions that
asked them to explain the importance of traditional genetics concepts in the context of recent genomic
breakthroughs.
“Most genetics units in high school science classes contain little or no information about complex traits,
which are those influenced by many different genes and the environment,” said Michael Dougherty,
Ph.D., Director of Education for ASHG. “This year’s essay questions gave teachers a reason to talk with
their students about complex traits, such as height, which are inherited in less predictable patterns than
more commonly taught traits, such as widow’s peaks or cystic fibrosis.”
Local high school student Jyotishka Biswas, a sophomore at the School for Science and Math at
Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., won first place in ASHG’s National DNA Day Essay Contest for his

esponse that he submitted to the following question: “Genetic testing allows geneticists to determine an
individual’s DNA sequence, and research has identified a number of genes, such as HMGA2 and GDF5,
that are associated with height. Will such associations allow scientists and physicians to predict a
person’s final adult height from infancy”
Biswas’s prize-winning essay provided an insightful explanation of the relationship between genes and
traits. One example of this is the following statement where Biswas attempts to summarize the research
results from one important study on this topic. He writes, "The findings…reinforce the concept that human
height is polygenic. This is apparent due to the fact that height variation in populations is a continuum."
"Jyotishka’s essay provided an accurate and thoughtful explanation of complex traits that conveys his
thorough understanding of this topic. He recognizes that accurate prediction of common, complex traits
such as height will be very difficult because many genes with small effects contribute to those traits,” said
ASHG’s Education Director Michael Dougherty in describing why the ASHG judges selected his essay as
one of the top contest entries.
Jyotishka Biswas will be awarded $400 in recognition of his accomplishment as a first place prize-winner
in this year’s National DNA Day Essay Contest. In addition, Biswas’ science teacher, Angela Eeds, will
receive a $2,000 check from ASHG to purchase new laboratory equipment for the science classrooms at
the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt.
“ASHG’s annual DNA Day Essay Contest is an educational initiative that brings students and their
teachers together with some of the best geneticists in the world,” said Joann Boughman, Ph.D., Executive
Vice President of ASHG. “Our organization coordinates the essay contest and other educational activities
because, as the largest society for human genetics professionals, we feel that it is important for us to
raise awareness about the value of genetics education and research. ASHG is also committed to sharing
a broader understanding of human genetics by reaching out to students in science classrooms around the
world, in an effort to increase their excitement about – and interest in – the field.”
For more information about the National DNA Day Essay Contest and ASHG’s other genetics education
initiatives and resources, visit: http://www.ashg.org/education.
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About The American Society of Human Genetics
Founded in 1948, the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) is the primary professional membership organization for
human genetics specialists worldwide. The nearly 8,000 members of ASHG include researchers, academicians, clinicians,
laboratory practice professionals, genetic counselors, nurses and others involved in or with a special interest in human
genetics. The Society’s mission is to serve research scientists, health professionals and the public by providing forums to:
(1) share research results through the Society’s Annual Meeting and in the American Journal of Human Genetics (AJHG);
(2) advance genetic research by advocating for research support; (3) educate current and future genetics professionals,
health care providers, advocates, policymakers, educators, students and the general public about all aspects of human
genetics; and (4) promote genetic services and support responsible social and scientific policies. For more information about
ASHG, please visit http://www.ashg.org.