Science is research and the most effective and exciting way to learn about it is to do it.
The GENE project promotes collaborations between teachers and a group of research geneticists at Kansas State University. It started as a series of Teacher Enhancement workshops and an Instructional Materials Development project funded by the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Teachers and research scientists collaborate to adapt several genetics research organisms and modern laboratory techniques for use in the classroom. In addition to developing useful strains and techniques, they have developed effective strategies for using them to teach a wide variety of concepts. The emphasis is on learning techniques that students can use to investigate a variety of questions.