Estratégia de extensão universitária visando a identificação de novos talentos para a genética

Abstract

In order to awaken the interest of high school students from schools in the municipalities near the Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA) for science, to identify new talents for Genetics, to encourage students who are completing high school to continue studying, to promote interaction between the university and community, to allow undergraduates and postgraduates of UFLA refine their knowledge of genetics and develop skills in teaching this subject, the present study was conducted. The interaction between UFLA with high school was accomplished through lectures in some schools, focusing on the 60th anniversary of the discovery of DNA molecule structure. Afterwards, high school students visited the University and took part in several activities, all focusing on teaching/learning genetics. At the end a questionnaire was applied to evaluate the methodology used for teaching/learning. A total of 12 schools participated in the activities, with approximately 2000 students, and it was shown that it is possible to motivate the interest in the subject. The methodology of teaching/learning was excellent, in which over than 80% of participants scored higher than 60% in the resolution of the questionnaire. It was also found that the experience acquired by UFLA’s undergraduates and postgraduates in coexistence with high school students was huge.