Online Program

LI Course
Oral

Partnership: Our staff represents the Community Outreach Engagement Core of the MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences. This Center is one of about 20 research centers across the U.S. funded by the National Institutes of Environmental Health. Liam R. O'Fallon email: ofallon@niehs.nih.gov Program Analyst Division of Extramural Research and Training National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences National Institutes of Health

Statement of Purpose and Institute Overview: The purpose of this course is to help participants recognize that the environment around you can alter your DNA! Did you know that DNA is constantly being damaged by the environment? DNA is, after all, but a fragile molecule found inside the cells of our bodies. Healthy cells under normal living conditions have an amazing ability to repair the daily damage that exposure to rogue molecules and radiation can inflict on our DNA. Unrepaired DNA damage leads to cancer. It makes sense then-- that a person’s cancer risk is related with geographic proximity to environmental health hazards. An increased exposure adds to the DNA repair work a person’s cells must accomplish and some cells may not be up to the task. The function and fidelity of normal, healthy DNA is the prime objective in this course, and this base will make it possible for the function of some commonly recognized genes, such as BRCA to be discussed. Participants in teams of two will use a novel toolkit containing molecules of DNA and proteins designed from LEGO components. Additionally the hands-on learning methodology helps participants to recognize their prior misconceptions and to formulate and ask questions relevant to their own work in public health.

Session Objectives: Demonstrate a specific structural protein created by constructing and folding a protein chain from molecular models of amino acids and explain why the order of the amino acids matters. Demonstrate the cell processes of replication, transcription and translation for a DNA sequence using molecular models of amino acids, tRNA, and DNA and RNA nucleotides and explain how a change in the DNA can change the functionality of the protein it codes for. Explain how the inheritance of a defective DNA repair protein combined with additional exposure to environmental health hazards can increase the risk of cancer and contributes the variability seen in epidemiological studies.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)