Project helps students, faculty identify genetic footprints
Project helps students, faculty identify genetic footprints
January 9, 2009
Jocelyn Steinfeld is just dying to find out where her DNA has been.
"I'm really curious where my family falls on the grand scheme," says Steinfeld. "I only know really recent history-Austria and Hungary. But I wouldn't be surprised to find out Asia as well."
Steinfeld, a freshman biology major at Rowan University, is one of 60 students participating in The Genographic Project, an international research project organized by National Geographic. Rowan's participation is being sponsored by the Thomas N. Bantivoglio Honors Concentration.
Through the project, participants send a DNA sample to the genographic lab. The lab tests the sample, which is provided through a painless cheek swab, to determine a participant's ancestry through a line of direct descent.
Women are able to learn their mitochondrial DNA, which shows maternal ancestry. Men, because of the existence of the Y-chromosome, can choose to have either their maternal ancestry or their paternal ancestry documented.
Last month, samples from Honors students and 10 faculty members, including Dr. Kathleen Pereles, coordinator of the Honors Concentration, were mailed to the Genographic Project. Results of the tests will be returned to the University later this month, kicking off what promises to be an enlightening semester for the Honors community.
According to The Genographic Project web site, results from the testing will reveal the anthropological story of participants' "direct maternal or paternal ancestors--where they lived and how they migrated around the world many thousands of years ago."
"This is not really about your heritage. It's about where your DNA traveled," said Steinfeld, co-coordinator of the project. "As time goes on we'll be able to see where our DNA has traveled as our family trees have progressed."
"This is really about your migration pattern," said project co-coordinator Patty Bodak, a biology and education major who serves as one of the chairs of scholastic programming for Honors. "We're planning a series of lectures around this project for the spring semester."
The first lecture, Feb. 2, will provide participants who aren't science majors with information about genetics. Biological Science Professor Cristina Iftode, who teaches genetics and also joined the project, will present the lecture, which will be held at 11 a.m. in Room 126 of Science Hall.
"Dr. Iftode will discuss DNA sampling. She'll give people who aren't biology majors an idea of what they're involved in," Bodak said.
The program will produce a map of all participants, showing how the migration patterns intersect-and diverge.
"It will be really cool to see the migration map," says Bodak, who knows her ancestors were in Poland and Ireland, but doesn't know anything beyond that. "I want to find out the unexpected.
Bodak and Steinfeld said enthusiasm and participation for the project have been high at Rowan. The $77 cost of each sampling kit was paid for by the Honors Concentration Bantivoglio Endowment, which received an educational discount, Pereles said.
"I've been surprised by the reaction," says Bodak, who is considering a career in either nursing or genetic counseling. "We were limited to just under 70 students."
"It was really hard to turn people away," said Steinfeld, who became interested in the project last summer during freshman orientation.
Participants in The Genographic Project also can submit their results to a global database maintained by National Geographic, which will utilize the results to help uncover "some of the lingering mysteries of our history as one human family," according to the project's web site, found at www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic.
"I'm really curious where my family falls on the grand scheme," says Steinfeld. "I only know really recent history-Austria and Hungary. But I wouldn't be surprised to find out Asia as well."
Steinfeld, a freshman biology major at Rowan University, is one of 60 students participating in The Genographic Project, an international research project organized by National Geographic. Rowan's participation is being sponsored by the Thomas N. Bantivoglio Honors Concentration.
Through the project, participants send a DNA sample to the genographic lab. The lab tests the sample, which is provided through a painless cheek swab, to determine a participant's ancestry through a line of direct descent.
Women are able to learn their mitochondrial DNA, which shows maternal ancestry. Men, because of the existence of the Y-chromosome, can choose to have either their maternal ancestry or their paternal ancestry documented.
Last month, samples from Honors students and 10 faculty members, including Dr. Kathleen Pereles, coordinator of the Honors Concentration, were mailed to the Genographic Project. Results of the tests will be returned to the University later this month, kicking off what promises to be an enlightening semester for the Honors community.
According to The Genographic Project web site, results from the testing will reveal the anthropological story of participants' "direct maternal or paternal ancestors--where they lived and how they migrated around the world many thousands of years ago."
"This is not really about your heritage. It's about where your DNA traveled," said Steinfeld, co-coordinator of the project. "As time goes on we'll be able to see where our DNA has traveled as our family trees have progressed."
"This is really about your migration pattern," said project co-coordinator Patty Bodak, a biology and education major who serves as one of the chairs of scholastic programming for Honors. "We're planning a series of lectures around this project for the spring semester."
The first lecture, Feb. 2, will provide participants who aren't science majors with information about genetics. Biological Science Professor Cristina Iftode, who teaches genetics and also joined the project, will present the lecture, which will be held at 11 a.m. in Room 126 of Science Hall.
"Dr. Iftode will discuss DNA sampling. She'll give people who aren't biology majors an idea of what they're involved in," Bodak said.
The program will produce a map of all participants, showing how the migration patterns intersect-and diverge.
"It will be really cool to see the migration map," says Bodak, who knows her ancestors were in Poland and Ireland, but doesn't know anything beyond that. "I want to find out the unexpected.
Bodak and Steinfeld said enthusiasm and participation for the project have been high at Rowan. The $77 cost of each sampling kit was paid for by the Honors Concentration Bantivoglio Endowment, which received an educational discount, Pereles said.
"I've been surprised by the reaction," says Bodak, who is considering a career in either nursing or genetic counseling. "We were limited to just under 70 students."
"It was really hard to turn people away," said Steinfeld, who became interested in the project last summer during freshman orientation.
Participants in The Genographic Project also can submit their results to a global database maintained by National Geographic, which will utilize the results to help uncover "some of the lingering mysteries of our history as one human family," according to the project's web site, found at www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic.