Scientist Proves Better Genetics Lessons Reduce Racism

Brian Donovan did something education researchers thought was nearly impossible: he proved that teaching genetics differently could actually reduce racist beliefs in high school students.

Fresh from Stanford, Donovan assembled a team to reimagine how American teens learn about human genetic variation. Instead of just covering Mendel's peas, his curriculum dove into the complex ways genes and environment interact to create differences between people.

The goal was ambitious. If students understood the science accurately, could it protect them from believing in biological essentialism, the false idea that races are fundamentally different? Could education be a weapon against prejudice?

For years, Donovan's team navigated an obstacle course that would make most researchers quit. They needed buy-in from school districts, teachers, students, and parents while maintaining scientific rigor. Then COVID shut down schools, and George Floyd's murder turned race education into a political lightning rod.

Through it all, they persisted. In February 2024, Science magazine published their results: yes, genetics education can reduce racism. The study used randomized experiments across multiple schools, a design so difficult that education experts told STAT such research is "exceedingly rare."

"This guy is a generational talent," said Jon Shemwell, a science education professor at the University of Alabama. Colleagues saw Donovan as the future of education research, someone brave enough to tackle genomics, race, and prejudice with rigorous science.

Then everything changed. Last April, both of Donovan's NSF grants were terminated in a mass cancellation of science education projects. Without grants, there were no salaries for his team at the University of Colorado. By summer's end, they were unemployed.

Donovan now lives in rural Colorado, taking classes and preparing for nursing school. At just over 40, his research career ended before most scientists hit their stride. The Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence in Education, typically given to near-retirees, arrived this February as bittersweet recognition.

The Ripple Effect

But Donovan's work lives on. His published curriculum is available to teachers nationwide, and his tenured collaborators are continuing pieces of the research with scraped-together funds. Hundreds of educators already trained in his methods are bringing accurate genetics education to their classrooms.

The study proved what many hoped but few could demonstrate: that facts, taught well, can fight prejudice. In an era of rising misinformation, that's a blueprint other researchers can follow.

"What I really wanted was to take a sledgehammer to prejudice," Donovan told STAT. He may have left academia, but he built that sledgehammer, and he's passing it to the next generation of teachers and scientists who will keep swinging it.