The crowd of students was restless and loud, an excitement brimming in the air, as the presentations on Tay Sachs, Sickle Cell Anemia, Turner’s Syndrome, and many other genetic disorders were lined up and presented. Genetic addresses, symptoms and treatments were some of the main aspects discussed. Genetics Night, one of the many highlights the AP/IB Biology students get to experience in the year, had just begun.

Every year for the past eight years, AP/IB Biology teacher, Anna Loonam, had celebrated her Genetics Unit with Genetics Night, where students give presentations over an assigned genetic disorder to all their classmates after weeks of group research and cooperation. The purpose of this educational night is to educate and engage the students in a greater understanding of various genetic disorders that can affect individuals of all ages.

Loonam commented on her favorite aspect of Genetics Night.

“My favorite thing about Genetics Night is listening to the students present the content,” Loonam said. “I find a certain level of excitement about learning their discoveries on these genetic disorders and how knowledgeable they have become.”

Not only does this exposure to new knowledge increase the range of understanding for all the students but it also opens them to a new setting of learning, rather than just a classroom one.

As an added bonus, the students got to hear feedback from Dr. Fernando Scaglia, who has a M.D. in Molecular and Human Genetics and is a professor at Baylor University. Scaglia commented on his favorite aspect of Genetics Night.

“I always enjoy attending Genetics Night,” Scaglia said. “My favorite thing about it, I think, is the interaction with the young people because the young minds everywhere have a fresh perspective on these genetic diseases. There’s just so much enthusiasm in the air.”

Genetics Night was a huge success, and yielded new knowledge for the Biology students of this school year.