In celebration of DNA Day 2014, on April 25, students at Pell City High School in the classroom of biology teacher Rachael Tawbush will interact virtually with some of the state’s top research scientists and biotech entrepreneurs.

From the comfort of their classrooms, students will interact via web cams with scientists, entrepreneurs and educators at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville, Ala. This unique event is the first-ever HudsonAlpha GeneChat during which HudsonAlpha and Huntsville biotech companies will interact virtually with 25 classrooms across Alabama.

HudsonAlpha is a nonprofit institute dedicated to innovating in the field of genomic technology and sciences across a spectrum of biological problems. Part of its three-fold mission is educational outreach and encouraging the creation of a genomics-literate workforce and society.

HudsonAlpha Vice President for Educational Outreach Neil Lamb, Ph.D., said, “Our goal for this year’s DNA Day is to connect Alabama students with other Alabamians who are actively engaged in scientific research and its applications. We want students to have a name, a face and a story that enhances the material in their textbooks.”

DNA Day is celebrated on April 25 of each year in commemoration of the discovery of DNA’s double helix structure by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953. It also commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003. The Human Genome Project was an international effort to sequence and map the more than 20,000 genes in the human body.

For additional information, including photo opportunities, for DNA Day GeneChat and HudsonAlpha, contact HudsonAlpha Communications and Marketing Director Beth Pugh at 256-327-0443 orbpugh@hudsonalpha.org.