# Health in Our Hands:  Building and sustaining student engagement in genomic and environmental health sciences through a community-school partnership

> **NIH NIH R25** · MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $264,422

## Abstract

This proposed project intends to address challenges identified by and realize the full
potential of two earlier SEPA-funded projects: a project completed in 2012, Education for
Community Genomic Awareness (Grant Code: R25RR022703); and our currently project (2014-
2019), A New Genomic Framework for Schools and Communities (Grant Code: 8 R25
GM129186-05). These projects focused on addressing the critical need for modern genomics
curriculum for middle and high school students by connecting classroom instruction with the
community to give both students and community members opportunities to understand, explain
and apply ideas about health-related phenomena to their lives tied to gene-environment
interactions, natural selection, and evolution.
 The implementation of these projects has produced evidence of success in student
learning and interest, it has also produced three challenges to the realization of their full
potential: 1) Aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards, these units are vastly
different than those teachers are familiar with and making community connections are also
difficult to orchestrate; 2) The potential for maintaining and enhancing student engagement was
limited by short periods during the school year and lack of continuity from year to year; 3) The
extent of support provided by the project to schools suggests the need to develop a model for
sustained support from internal sources once the grant period is over.
 This research educational program plan outlines a novel design for science education
that combines three components: 1) high quality curriculum materials, 2) innovative professional
learning, and 3) a community health/science education consortium. These components work
together to support and sustain genomic and environmental health learning and inspire interest
in careers for underrepresented middle and high school students both in and out of school. The
result will be a new, innovative, sustainable educational program with the following
characteristics: 1) “Health in Our Hands”, a coherent set of curricula for secondary grades that
maximizes deepening of student understanding; 2) A “Community of Practice” linking teachers
with informal educators, learning new teaching practices, making seamless connections
between the classroom and community, and enabling students to apply what they have learned
to real-world health issues; 3) “Greater Flint Health in Our Hands” consortium of health-related
organizations, providing the mentors and the community-based activities, and support for future
growth of the learning program after the expiration of this grant.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9984449
- **Project number:** 5R25GM132964-02
- **Recipient organization:** MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Irene Bayer
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $264,422
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9984449

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9984449, Health in Our Hands:  Building and sustaining student engagement in genomic and environmental health sciences through a community-school partnership (5R25GM132964-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9984449. Licensed CC0.

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