Faculty at the Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy believe that genetics is not just for geeky scientists with lab coats and pocket protectors.
Led by Margaret Pericak-Vance, director of the Duke Center for Human Genetics, 20 Duke researchers joined with other experts from across the country to publish the first genetics encyclopedia geared toward high school students and entry-level undergraduates not majoring in the natural sciences.
As the first encyclopedia on the field of genetics since the completion of the mapping of the human genome, the four-volume set of 300 illustrations and 258 articles - each signed personally by its author - is the newest addition to the Macmillan Science Library series.
"High school is where we have to start teaching genetics," Pericak-Vance said in a statement. "It's important that young people understand genetics, a subject that continues to have a bigger and bigger impact on our everyday lives. Now there is a resource available for them to do that."
Pericak-Vance was selected to be the associate editor for the encyclopedia after coming "highly recommended" for the position and being recognized as someone sitting at the top of the genetics field, said Helene Potter, spokesperson for the Macmillan Science Library series.
"The idea behind contributing to this encyclopedia is to try to share some of the excitement of the genetics field with the general population," said Dr. William Kraus, associate professor of medicine and author of an article in the encyclopedia on the genetics of cardiovascular disease.
Other topics found in the set include the genetics of addiction, Alzheimer's disease and cancer. These articles, replete with "marginal information such as boxed facts and unique biographical, career and practical information," explain the complicated field of genetics with minimal scientific jargon and "highly colorful" illustrations, said Dave Horvath, who is responsible for marketing and sales at Macmillan Publishers.
Students want materials that will better equip them to do well in these subjects than science journals and monographs that are too difficult to understand, he said. Horvath suggested that the encyclopedia can be useful as a source for writing research papers or "catching up and getting on track" in a science class.
Potter said that the encyclopedia is intended to fill the American student's deficits in genetics knowledge and its creation was a direct reaction to science teachers across the nation pointing to the need for students to have access to high-quality science references independent from their textbooks.
"The encyclopedia addresses what students are expected to know by the time they are finishing high school while delivering on the issue of accessibility and readability," Potter said.
Although it is too soon to determine whether students are benefiting from the new encyclopedia, there has been "good, strong positive feedback and strong reviews" from Library Journal and the American Library Association's Booklist Magazine, Horvath said.
The Duke researchers who authored articles in the encyclopedia volunteered without compensation for their contributions and wrote "because they care about their field and are interested to see their field promoted," Horvath said.
Involvement in projects such as the genetics encyclopedia reinforces IGSP's commitment to education and research, said Pericak-Vance.
"Part of the mission of IGSP is the education of not only scientists, but the general population," Kraus said. "To be a leader, you have to act like a leader. We want to be a leader and being a part of the genetics encyclopedia is one way to act like one."
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