Genomics is a rapidly developing field that is often misunderstood by the general population. The information resulting from our lab’s program will be used to enhance teaching curriculum and will provide opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate level research. We partner with USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies (WIES) educators working to develop broad based educational outreach programs for “K through grey” audiences. The WEIS program is an extraordinary platform for education, and our research is ideally suited to enhance existing programs. The research team will also participate directly in an ongoing teacher education enhancement program (the NSF funded Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence; COSEE-West) run by the USC Wrigley Institute, UCLA and several informal science partners. The COSEE-West program has a proven track record for reaching middle and high school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District, most of whom are economically disadvantaged Hispanic, African-American or other ethnic minorities. In cooperation with COSEE-West, we develop modules to add to existing teacher enhancement and student enrichment projects.