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For Immediate Release
Two Connecticut science teachers are spending part of their summer in a police station and an agricultural company, learning the science of genetic engineering and related societal issues. Tamara Cohen, a biology and biotechnology teacher at Glastonbury High School, and Crystal Caouette, a physics and chemistry teacher at Crosby High School in Waterbury, were selected to participate in the Waterbury genetic engineering externships. The externship program is sponsored by the Waterbury Public Schools and administered by the Connecticut Business & Industry Association through a mathematics and science partnership grant from the Connecticut Department of Education. The program is designed to provide teachers with a look at applications of school work to the workplace and the tools to develop content in genetic engineering and other related fields. The teachers will get the business experience and hands-on training needed to develop lessons to bring back to their students this fall. “Technology and innovation help Connecticut’s companies remain competitive in today’s global marketplace, and that’s why training programs like this one are so essential,” said Lauren Weisberg Kaufman, CBIA vice president for education and job training and executive director of the association’s Education Foundation. “This genetic engineering externship allows us to educate teachers about technology, so that they can educate our children, the state’s future workers, so Connecticut will be able to retain its world-class workforce.” Cohen, a Glastonbury resident, will be working at the Monsanto Co. in Mystic in August. Monsanto is an agricultural company that uses innovation and technology to produce products that improve farm productivity and food quality. Cohen will be learning about genetic food processing and plans to introduce a unit on genetically engineered foods at Glastonbury High School this fall. Her lesson plan includes having students research genetically modified foods and write a persuasive essay about whether or not these foods should be labeled. Caouette, who lives in Wolcott, is interested in forensics. She will be working with the Waterbury Police Department in July, investigating traffic accidents and violations. She plans to use her externship to develop and implement lessons and laboratory activities in chemistry, forensics and physical science. As part of the two-week program, the teachers will write a work-related project summary to share with their students in the fall, as well as a summary report. ### CBIA is the state’s largest business organization with 10,000 members. For more information contact Nancy Andrews, CBIA media relations manager, at 860-244-1957 or andrewsn@cbia.com. 350 Church
Street · Hartford, CT 06103-1126 · cbia.com/newsroom
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