John Cooper Sophomore earns Essay Award from American Society of Human Genetics

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Brian Lue, a sophomore at The John Cooper School, was awarded an honorable mention in the 8th Annual DNA Day Essay Contest sponsored by the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG). Lue’s essay, “The Fallacy of Junk DNA,” was one of just 13 award winners selected from nearly 6,000 entries submitted by high school-aged students from around the world.

The contest challenges high school students to examine, question and reflect on the important concept of genetics. The prompt for this year’s contest was based around 2013 being the 60th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix of DNA and the 10th anniversary of the first sequencing of the human genome.

Lue’s essay was based on the anniversary of sequencing the human genome. “My research was on transposable elements, or the remnants of DNA,” he explained. “It was previously thought that over 90 percent of DNA is not being used but recent discovery is showing that these remnants can be activated and can potentially create new genes.”

Lue plans to pursue a career in science and finds genetics particularly interesting. “I think it’s fascinating how our bodies really work,” he said. “DNA is the set of instructions for building our body; it dictates who we are, physically.” This is the second consecutive year that Lue has earned one of 10 honorable mentions awarded by ASHG.