American Museum of Natural History and New York City Student Ancestry Project Reveal Genetic Snapshot of 200 College Students Today

The New York City Student Ancestry Project, led by The City College of New York, convened 200 undergraduate student volunteers from eight colleges and universities to trace their ancient family history with National Geographic's Genographic Project. On February 3, the students gathered at the AMNH to provide DNA cheek swab samples. Now, the students are invited back to learn about and discuss their collective DNA ancestry results. Throughout the semester the students have engaged in classroom learning focusing on the complexities surrounding genetic testing.

Today, April 23, 2014 from 3 -5:30 p.m.at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) there will be a presentation of DNA results followed by panel discussion with leading population geneticists and student roundtable discussions.

Spencer Wells, Genographic project director, National Geographic, and Mike Hickerson, assistant professor of biology, The City College of New York/Graduate Center-CUNY, will give detailed presentations on the results. A panel discussion with prominent population geneticists will follow. It will focus on personal genomics data and testing in general. Student participants will then have the opportunity to join smaller roundtable discussions with the expert panelists.

About The City College of New York: Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided low-cost, high-quality education for New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. More than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees. For additional information, visit www.ccny.cuny.edu.

About the Genographic Project: The Genographic Project is a multiyear global initiative that is gathering and analyzing the world's largest collection of anthropological DNA samples in the hope it will capture an invaluable genetic snapshot of humanity. Members of the public can take part in this real-time research initiative with the Geno 2.0 Ancestry Kit. www.genographic.com

About the American Museum of Natural History: The American Museum of Natural History, founded in 1869, is one of the world's preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. The Museum encompasses 45 permanent exhibition halls, including the Rose Center for Earth and Space and the Hayden Planetarium, as well as galleries for temporary exhibitions. Visit amnh.org for more information.

Photo Credit: D. Finnin

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