The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute has been partnering with the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology since 2009. Over the years, they have worked to create several citizen-science programs that bring in people over 50 who are curious about scientific research, but have never had the chance to try it. In 2023, OLLI will be partnering with different researchers across the Illinois campus to introduce a new workshop “What’s in my blood? Genomics Testing and You.”

Since the inception of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, its slogan has been “where science meets society.” This highlights the institute’s deep commitment both past and present to communicate the research and discoveries happening at the IGB with the public, and promote scientific thinking to encourage a new diverse generation of scientists and science-informed citizens. “We established a comprehensive outreach program within a few years of opening the IGB, for several reasons,” said IGB Director Gene Robinson (GNDP).