DNA Day celebrates the discovery and understanding of DNA and the scientific advances it has made possible. It is celebrated each April 25 and commemorates the day in 1953 when James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin, and colleagues, published papers in the journal Nature on the structure of DNA.
In the United States, DNA Day was first celebrated on April 25, 2003, by proclamation of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each year since, annual DNA Day celebrations have been organized by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).
DNA is in all living things and contains the instructions necessary for life. The human genome, or all our DNA, is a complete set of genetic instructions that helps us understand more about our health and the health of our communities and planet.
Learning about DNA, the human genome and genomics from an early age gives us tools to understand the world around us through exciting, cutting-edge science. You can learn more about the basics of DNA in this video.
Illumina, a biotech company with a mission to improve human health by unlocking the power of the genome. Illumina is also committed to igniting genomic curiosity in students and empowering the next generation of scientists and engineers through educational opportunities and resources like what you find on DNADay.org.
This year, participants are encouraged to utilize the digital resources and activity guides available on this page, along with materials that best fit their classroom or group setting. These resources are supported in partnership with STEM Next and Discovery Education and are designed to be flexible and accessible across learning environments.
We have had successful in-classroom experiences from 2nd grade through 12th grade. The biggest difference is how you share the content with the students. If students are in elementary school, we recommend highlighting different traits we can see in the world around us (i.e. who has dimples, hair color, eye color, right/left-handed, etc.). When we are talking to middle/high school students, we discuss traits, genomics applications, and emphasize different careers that are possible at Illumina. Many of them do not know that there are related non-scientist jobs available or how many different types of scientist and engineering jobs there are.
We focus on celebrating DNA Day in April with special activities and events, but there are activities, programs, and resources available all year-round. On our activities page you will find options not tied to April, and you can also find additional educational resources on DNA and genomics at illumina.com/stem.
Anyone is welcome to participate in Future Is Bright. While most activities are designed to support K–12 students, opportunities are available across a variety of learning environments, including classrooms and after‑school programs. Illumina partners with Discovery Education and STEM Next to help bring genomics education and career exploration experiences to students through flexible, accessible resources.
For any additional questions, please use the Contact page to reach out to the Illumina Future is Bright team.
