High school students participate in authentic research projects. (A) Through a project developed at the Human Genome Education Program at Stanford University, local high school students participate in an experiment called DNA Snapshots—Peeking at your DNA. Students use PCR to amplify DNA from their own cheek cells and examine human relatedness through DNA similarities, in parallel to the process used to help locate lost children from the “Dirty War” in Argentina. Through this compelling human story, students learn DNA basics while exploring issues of privacy, family, and legal issues surrounding DNA typing and its uses. (B) The High School Human Genome Program enables teachers and students in the Seattle area to sequence human DNA in their classrooms. In the sequencing ladders shown here, students analyzed short segments of DNA from human chromosome 5, in collaboration with the laboratory of Mary-Claire King (Lynch et al. 1997). Students also explore some of the ethical issues of DNA technology through an ethics unit that focuses on presymptomatic testing for Huntington’s disease.