A Summer 2025 Program · Gene Editing

CRISPR: Editing the
Code of Life

A one-week deep dive into the molecular scissors that won the Nobel Prize — read the book, watch the scientists explain it, and wrestle with the questions that don't have easy answers.

✦ TED Talks by the Nobel Laureate ✦ 5-Day Reading Program ✦ 2020 Nobel Prize Science ✦ Real Ethics Debates

What Is CRISPR?

CRISPR-Cas9 is a molecular "find and replace" for DNA. It was borrowed from bacteria — who have used it for billions of years as an immune system — and turned into one of the most powerful tools in the history of biology. In 2020 it won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

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CRISPR: A Powerful Way to Change DNA
Yolanda Ridge · Illustrated by Alex Boersma
The textbook for this week. Written for curious teenagers, it covers how CRISPR works, who discovered it, where it's being used right now, and why scientists are still arguing about whether some uses should be allowed at all. The "Cutting Questions" at the end of each chapter are a deliberate pun — and the exercises for the week.

Speak the Language

Eight words every CRISPR scientist uses. Build up this vocabulary as you read — by Day 5, you should be able to use all eight without looking them up.

The 5-Day CRISPR Journey

Each day has a TED Talk to watch (Monday through Wednesday), chapters to read, Cutting Questions from the book to answer, and a journal prompt to end the day. Day 5 brings it all together. Expand each day to see everything.

Careers in CRISPR & Genomics

CRISPR isn't one career — it runs through medicine, agriculture, computing, law, and philosophy. The scientists, doctors, ethicists, and coders working on this right now were all 13 once. Here's who's doing the real work.

Discussion Questions

Questions to sit with during the week — and to fuel the Saturday conversation. Some have answers you can look up. Most don't.

The Saturday Meetup

By Saturday you've read a whole book, watched three Nobel-level scientists explain their field, and spent a week with questions that don't have easy answers. Now you show what you understand — and share what you're still thinking about.

Your Two Videos

The final project for this week is two videos, recorded on Day 5. Both are about communication — figuring out what you actually understand well enough to explain it. Make them on the same day; they're complementary, not separate assignments.

Meetup Agenda

Here's how to run the Saturday session together.