Patient to Planet: Genetics, Environment & Human Health

July 20-24, 2026

Day Program Cost: $600
On Campus Accommodations Experience Cost: $1,200

This hands-on precollege program is designed to introduce high school students to the relationship between genes, environment, and human health.

You will explore how biological traits evolve, how environmental exposures like microplastics influence gene expression, and how these interactions contribute to diseases such as cancer.

This session integrates laboratory experimentation, field-based environmental sampling, case-based learning, and team-based scientific problem solving. The experience culminates in a BioInnovation Showcase, where participants present solutions connecting environmental exposures to human health outcomes.

Takeaways and competencies:

1. Explain how genes and environment interact to influence human traits
2. Describe lactase persistence as an example of evolution and adaptation
3. Distinguish between genetic mutation and epigenetic regulation
4. Interpret environmental data and connect it to biological outcomes
5. Explain how disruptions in gene regulation can contribute to cancer
6. Communicate scientific ideas through structured presentations

Requirements:

Students must be entering grades 9-12 in the 2026-27 academic year. No prior experience necessary.