The project’s overall goal was to diversify and broaden participation in the scientific workforce by focusing on DNA-based applications for elementary and middle school students. The project aimed to prepare these students to follow pathways to basic research and associated applications of that research to address fundamentally important challenges. To achieve this goal, the project partnered with New Mexico elementary and middle school teachers to design and implement bioinformatics-based instructional materials in their classrooms. New Mexico State University contracted with Helix Solutions to oversee the project evaluation activities, including survey administration, focus group facilitation with teacher participants, quantitative and qualitative data analysis and production of mid-year and end of year evaluation reports.
