Genetics Education: Current Challenges and Possible Solutions

Professor Anat Yarden is Head of the Department of Science Teaching at the Weizmann Institute of Science, and Head of the Biology Group at this Department. She holds an undergraduate degree in Agricultural Sciences (from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem), a master’s degree and a PhD in molecular biology (from the Weizmann Institute of Science), and has carried out postdoctoral training in Genetics (at Stanford University). The primary theme in all of her academic activities has been adapting practices employed by scientists to the processes by which students and teachers accumulate and advance their knowledge within the discipline of biology.

Dr. Michal Haskel-Ittah is a senior scientist at the Department of Science Teaching at the Weizmann Institute of Science. She holds an undergraduate degree in Life Sciences (from Ben-Gurion University), a master’s degree and a PhD in molecular biology (from the Weizmann Institute of Science), and has carried out postdoctoral training in Science Teaching (the Weizmann-Abroad combined program – Rutgers University and the Weizmann Institute of Science). Her research group studies the learning and teaching of biological mechanisms and the development of mechanistic reasoning.