Newswise — As high school, college, and homeschool students hit the books this fall, free educational material produced by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), can help them better understand and appreciate the life sciences.
Covering topics like genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry, the award-winning booklets go beyond the classic textbook descriptions of DNA or proteins to describe research trends, studies underway in labs nationwide, and the scientists behind the breakthroughs.
The general public can read the publications or order individual copies free of charge at http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/order/. Teachers, who can order classroom sets at no cost, have used the publications to supplement lessons on biology, physiology, genetics, chemistry, pharmacy, and science technology and to spark discussions on science policy and progress.
By featuring cutting-edge studies led by scientists from diverse backgrounds, the publications also aim to inspire the next generation of researchers.
Here's a short list of the latest NIGMS science education publications:
The Chemistry of Health: a 66-page booklet that describes how basic chemistry and biochemistry research can spur a better understanding of human health.
Inside the Cell: an 80-page booklet that vividly describes the biological processes happening inside our bodies.
Medicines by Design: a 54-page booklet about pharmacology that explains how scientists unravel the many different ways medicines work in the body and how this information guides the hunt for drugs of the future.
The New Genetics: a 90-page booklet that explores how genes influence health and disease; it has a companion poster that shows a sampling of the model organisms that help advance basic medical research.
Findings: a twice-yearly publication that profiles two scientists per issue.
Doing Science: a curriculum supplement on the scientific process for use by middle school teachers.
Other components of NIH also produce educational materials. A list of resources available by topic, age level, and formats is available through the NIH Office of Science Education at http://science.education.nih.gov/.
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