Up for the Genomics Education Challenge
The challenge:
Genetic exploration sounds exciting, but it has a bit of a PR problem. When most people hear the word “genomics” they don’t exactly know what it means. Society is familiar with the concepts of DNA and even GMOs, but due to mis- and disinformation, may have a negative attitude towards them. Mass appeal has continued to evade the study of genomics, especially for high school and college students, and that’s partly because it’s considered a health sector related expertise, which is not entirely accurate. Genomics has vast impact across many different fields, including agriculture.
What are we doing about it:
According to Ontario Genomics’ 2021 Cellular Agriculture Report, food biomanufacturing alone could explode to become a $7.5 billion industry creating 86,000 jobs by 2030, and a $12.5B market that creates 142,000 jobs in the longer term. Even so, traditional agriculture isn’t going anywhere but it could definitely use the helping hand of science for increased sustainability.
This is where Ontario Genomics comes in, thanks to help from AgScape. We’ve joined forces to create Genomics in Agriculture educational content for grade 7-12 teachers across the province and country. The idea is to get kids of all ages comfortable with the concepts of genomics and to see and be inspired by all the ways it impacts life, including in the world of agriculture.
Building on that, AgScape’s thinkAg Career Competitions are for high school students and meant to show them all the different jobs that are available in the agriculture sector. Ontario Genomics has taken part in multiple thinkAg events over the past two year. Since there’s a waitlist for this program, it’s clearly hitting the mark with students!
To date, our Genomics is Agriculture resources have been used by over 600 Ontario teachers, representing over 25,000 student engagements, while our work at thinkAg Career Competitions have included over 1,000 direct student engagement.
What's next:
Since biomanufacturing will continue to grow as the world looks for smarter and less harmful ways of producing food and products, Ontario Genomics is working with Lambton College and Loyalist College to train people for jobs of the future. The quickest way to do that is to get students acquainted with the science in an accessible and hands-on way. Through e-Bits and micro-credential courses, students can learn how to become fermentation technicians which can lead to a new career path for people who aren’t sure what to do or who want to change careers.
To increase our accessibility to Ontario’s French speaking community, we’re currently working on French language translations for all the AgScape resources and Ontario Genomics’ wasteCANcreate program will also be featured on French language educational television channel TFO in a series dedicated to explaining the origins of food. Stay tuned for more details!
Funded by:
Ontario Genomics, Genome Canada, and the Agricultural Adaptation Council
