"The DOE, Gateway and CSHL Collaborate to Present Advanced DNA Science to Fifty Teachers"
By Dr. Morton Slater, Director, Gateway Institute for Pre-College Education
February 2, 2005

On Monday, January 31, Dr. Julia Rankin, Director of Science for the New York City Department of Education, took the lead to establish the infusion of molecular biology and hands on work with DNA in the teaching of high school science. This system-wide effort builds on the work of the Gateway Institute for Pre-College Education and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, which joined forces in 1996 to establish DNA laboratories in fourteen New York City high schools to serve students in our City’s schools.

Adrienne Rubin, the Gateway leader at Bayard Rustin High School for the Humanities has established a model DNA laboratory and has worked with Court TV and CNN to expand the students’ experiences in DNA and forensics. Dr. Rankin selected Ms Rubin to lead the professional development of fifty teachers in DNA for New York City's Living Environment course. Ms Rubin worked together with David Micklos, Director of the Dolan DNA Learning Center, at Cold Spring Harbor, in developing this intensive training session.

Gateway Institute's most recently established DNA laboratory was for the Gatewat program at Lafayette High School. Through the outstanding leadership of the principal Alan Siegel, Gateway coordinator Linda Rubino and Gateway’s liaison to Lafayette Paul Anderson, a cutting edge science environment has been created for Gateway and other students at Lafayette. Mr. Siegel invited two of his science teachers David Rosenfeld and Marlon Michel to participate in the high level workshop that was held at CSHL's Dolan DNA Learning Center on January 31. These two teachers and all the teachers who participated praised the quality of instruction, and Dr. Rankin is planning to continue to work with this dynamic group of teachers.