Congratulations to the 2009 winners and thank you all for participating. Happy DNA Day!
This year, we received 300 essays from high school students in the U.S., Canada, and other countries, such as China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Ghana. The geneticist judges enjoyed reading the essays, and it is refreshing to see what the younger generation thinks about genetics.
2009 Questions
Question 1
Some traits come in two varieties (for example, Mendel’s round and wrinkled peas with the green and yellow colors). Do all traits for all species come in only two varieties? Justify your answer by explaining the relationship between genes and traits.
2009 Question 1 Winners
1st Place: Mehera Emrich
Teacher: Jay Chugh
School: Acalanes High School
Location: Lafayette, CA
2nd Place: Laura Molina
Teacher: Cyndi Hoffman
School: Viera High School
Location: Viera, FL
3rd Place: Stephan Wang
Teacher: Beenu Gupta
School: Charter School of Wilmington
Location: Wilmington, DE
Honorable Mentions
| Will Kovacs Winston Churchill High School Potomac, MD Teacher: Virginia Brown |
Melanie Jorgenson Incarnate Word Academy Bel-Nor, MO Teacher: Trudy Swan |
| Sawwon Lee Bergen County Academies Hackensack, NJ Teacher: Carol Zepatos |
Labib Rahman Manarat Dhaka International College Dhaka, Bangladesh Teacher: Abu Hayat, Md. Sharif |
| Jonathan Ho Windward School Los Angeles, CA Teacher: Simon Huss |
Yi “Amy” Xiao Montgomery Blair High School Silver Spring, MD Teacher: Elizabeth Duval |
Question 2
What is (are) the cause(s) of human health and disease? Explain your answer using one or more specific examples.
2009 Question 2 Winners
1st Place: Michale Kovacs
Teacher: Virginia Brown
School: Winston Churchill High School
Location: Potomac, MD
2nd Place: Jennifer Li
Teacher: Chad Ogren
School: Enloe High School
Location: Raleigh, NC
3rd Place: Sharon Hartzell
Teacher: Tina Giovenco
School: Chenango Forks High School
Location: Binghamton, NY
Honorable Mentions
| Anika Ahmed Midwood High School Brooklyn, NY Teacher: Denise Aubrey |
James Evans Crystal Springs Uplands High School Hillsborough, CA Teacher: Chris Read |
| Jyotishka Biswas School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt Nashville, TN Teacher: Kimberlie McCue |
Darren Mensch Muncy High School Muncy, PA Teacher: Mark Temons |
| Leah Buchman South Side High School Rockville Centre, NY Teacher: Todd Russo |
Jon Moller Walnut Hulls High School Cincinnati, OH Teacher: Rajni Harsh |
| Wenjing Chen Montgomery Blair High School Silver Spring, MD Teacher: Angelique Bosse |
Travis Stewart Heathwood Hall Episcopal School Columbia, SC Teacher: Lisa Norman |
About the Contest
The contest aims to challenge students to examine, question, and reflect on the important concepts of genetics. Essays are expected to contain substantive, well-reasoned arguments indicative of a depth of understanding of the concepts related to the essay questions.
Essays are read and scored by at least two independent judges. A 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner are chosen for each question.
Questions/Comments: Contact dnaday@ashg.org