Team:ECNUAS/Human Practices
Integrated Human Practices
1 Integrated Human Practices Overview
Atrazine is a powerful herbicide that is widely used in cornfields and other farms.
Since it’s quite stable and difficult to degrade, its residue causes huge damage to the surrounding
environment.
Studies show that atrazine residue has already caused several kinds of animals to
occur gene mutation, especially for aquatic animals. Also, it will people’s health if atrazine residue is
occasionally absorbed by us.
The main idea of our team is to develop a biosensor to detect atrazine residues.
Our basic detection logic is to detect cyanuric acid, one of the major degraders of atrazine.
Here is the general engineering theory of our detection logic.
Now, we are trying our best to integrate experts’ opinions and public concerns in
optimizing our project.
This is our activity plan:
2 Stakeholders
2.1 Who are our Main Stakeholders?
In fact, as early as 2004, the European Union Food Chain and Animal Health Standing
Committee decided to stop the registration of atrazine, and required that after December 31,2007, the use of
products containing atrazine should be strictly prohibited. According to statistics, in recent years, the
domestic production of atrazine technical materials has exceeded 60,000 tons, and more than 400 preparations
have been involved, involving many manufacturers. In 2002, a study by the University of California at
Berkeley showed that atrazine can cause degeneration of frogs, and it also has varying degrees of harm to
other organisms. Moreover, atrazine can leak from farmland and enter underground drinking water, thereby
seriously destroying the human endocrine system and reproductive system.
Thus, atrazine is a serious hazard, however, many people don’t care about it, or
even have heard of it. Therefore, scientific research institutions and agricultural-related professionals
need to monitor atrazine residues to lower its potential risky leak that may cause. environmental damage and
health issues. In our questionnaire survey, for the sake of environmental protection and people’s own
health, many people are willing to buy detection devices for atrazine.
Currently, the testing equipment on the market is too expensive, people can’t afford
it. We will design a portable device that can be easily carried by people .It can detect the atrazine
residue without huge equipment, and it is inexpensive.
Two Major Stakeholders:
1. Farmers
Many farmers live in remote suburbs, and it is difficult to use high-tech equipment to monitor atrazine residues. Whereas, since they are frequent users of herbicides, it is necessary for them to monitor atrazine leaked in the environment. To save time for farming, it is better to give them an option to detect atrazine through a quick, convenient and affordable method.
1. Farmers
Many farmers live in remote suburbs, and it is difficult to use high-tech equipment to monitor atrazine residues. Whereas, since they are frequent users of herbicides, it is necessary for them to monitor atrazine leaked in the environment. To save time for farming, it is better to give them an option to detect atrazine through a quick, convenient and affordable method.
2. Researchers, environmental monitoring personnel
Researchers use the previous monitoring equipment, which cannot monitor large-scale samples and can only test a small amount of sample per time. To get a general conclusion, multiple experiments should be done, which is time-consuming and troublesome.
Researchers use the previous monitoring equipment, which cannot monitor large-scale samples and can only test a small amount of sample per time. To get a general conclusion, multiple experiments should be done, which is time-consuming and troublesome.
The diagram below shows that all of the farmers and researchers had used the
herbicide before. But they have different level of demand on it. Since both of them are concerned about the
safety of herbicide, it is expected that they will buy products to detect atrazine which is contained in
many herbicides.
3. Lawns in charge of schools, parks, and shopping malls
There will be some lawns in parks, schools, and shopping malls, and these places have a lot of people. There will be people walking their dogs in the parks, and there will be children in schools. If herbicides are sprayed in these places, atrazine residues may be left. Many people come in contact with it, and the person in charge needs a detector at this time. However, if people walk around with those huge instruments in these places, it is bound to be inconvenient, and it will also affect the people around them.
Therefore, our product design is relatively small and inexpensive. Using our product, people can easily and conveniently detect atrazine residues.
There will be some lawns in parks, schools, and shopping malls, and these places have a lot of people. There will be people walking their dogs in the parks, and there will be children in schools. If herbicides are sprayed in these places, atrazine residues may be left. Many people come in contact with it, and the person in charge needs a detector at this time. However, if people walk around with those huge instruments in these places, it is bound to be inconvenient, and it will also affect the people around them.
Therefore, our product design is relatively small and inexpensive. Using our product, people can easily and conveniently detect atrazine residues.
2.2 Questionnaire survey for public
In order to investigate the public's understanding of atrazine and other
herbicides, frequency of use, and testing needs, we published online "Do you know atrazine?"
The questionnaire was retrieved 48 hours after it was released, and a total of 694 responses were retrieved. Respondents to our questionnaire are widely distributed in age, basically evenly distributed from under 18 to over 55 years old.
The questionnaire was retrieved 48 hours after it was released, and a total of 694 responses were retrieved. Respondents to our questionnaire are widely distributed in age, basically evenly distributed from under 18 to over 55 years old.
Only less than 28.57% of survey respondents have a basic knowledge on herbicides, and nearly 70% of the
people know little about herbicides: most of them
The understanding of herbicides is only half-knowledge (I have heard of it). It is temporarily difficult to truly understand the use and hazards of herbicides. At the same time, more than one-thirds of the people consider that we can't eliminate herbicides at all，They have paid close attention to herbicides, but do not really care about it.
The understanding of herbicides is only half-knowledge (I have heard of it). It is temporarily difficult to truly understand the use and hazards of herbicides. At the same time, more than one-thirds of the people consider that we can't eliminate herbicides at all，They have paid close attention to herbicides, but do not really care about it.
However, less than 20% of the respondents have actually used herbicides.
In other words, most of the respondents’ knowledge of herbicides came from second hand information rather than personal experience or use.
In other words, most of the respondents’ knowledge of herbicides came from second hand information rather than personal experience or use.
If they want to choose a herbicide, the three most important qualities of the
respondents consider are safety (83.98%), environmental protection (75.9%), and efficacy (59.62%), which
means that respondents really pays attention to the selected herbicide.
Among all the respondents, only 20% of the respondents knew about atrazine, our
research topic.
It is not necessary for some survey takers to use herbicides, so these investigators may need relevant information to have a reasonable demand for testing products.
Even when it is assumed that herbicides need to be purchased, people will consider environmental protection and safety more. However, people lack for a basic understanding of herbicide-related information.
Therefore, we need to popularize the hazards of herbicides to everyone, so that people's awareness of safety and environmental protection can be implemented in actual actions.
It is not necessary for some survey takers to use herbicides, so these investigators may need relevant information to have a reasonable demand for testing products.
Even when it is assumed that herbicides need to be purchased, people will consider environmental protection and safety more. However, people lack for a basic understanding of herbicide-related information.
Therefore, we need to popularize the hazards of herbicides to everyone, so that people's awareness of safety and environmental protection can be implemented in actual actions.
We briefly introduced atrazine in the questionnaire.
After the simple popularization in the questionnaire, the number of people who need detection products is as high as 83.76%, that is, driven by the awareness of safety and environmental protection, people have a very strong willingness to buy test products.
After the simple popularization in the questionnaire, the number of people who need detection products is as high as 83.76%, that is, driven by the awareness of safety and environmental protection, people have a very strong willingness to buy test products.
71.5% of people think that they will consider buying new biosensor detection
products centered on our new research results, while the remaining 28.5% of the people who do not consider
purchasing most think that they have no detection needs in their lives.
The design of our questionnaire deliberately distinguishes between those engaged in agriculture,
environmental monitoring and other employed or unemployed persons.
The following is a separate analysis of respondents who have been working in agriculture and environmental monitoring. Industry.
Among the subjects engaged in related occupations in agriculture and environmental monitoring, we found that these subjects are generally older, and nearly 40% are older than 55 years old.
The following is a separate analysis of respondents who have been working in agriculture and environmental monitoring. Industry.
Among the subjects engaged in related occupations in agriculture and environmental monitoring, we found that these subjects are generally older, and nearly 40% are older than 55 years old.
These people are obviously aware of the use and harm of herbicides more than ordinary people, and have used
pesticides and herbicides, indicating that the development of modern agriculture has a great demand for
herbicides.
The demand for herbicides will give rise to the need for herbicide residue testing.
The demand for herbicides will give rise to the need for herbicide residue testing.
The 61% of people use herbicides occasionally Most of the agricultural related personnel are in order to
avoid or reduce herbicides.
In addition, their demand and focus on pesticides are biased towards use, and they pay more attention to the efficacy, safety and environmental protection of pesticides.
In addition, their demand and focus on pesticides are biased towards use, and they pay more attention to the efficacy, safety and environmental protection of pesticides.
The 92% of agricultural workers know little about atrazine, or have not heard of it at all. We believe that
this shows that the relevant personnel do not realize much about the substances involved in commonly used
herbicides, but this data is compared to the public already.
There has been an increase in the understanding of atrazine, and over 40% of the subjects who have understood but do not understand are in agriculture-related occupations.
The reason is probably because atrazine mainly acts on dicotyledonous plants, and focuses on closure, which is not ideal for large grasses. Therefore, farmers who grow corn and sugar cane use much than others.
There has been an increase in the understanding of atrazine, and over 40% of the subjects who have understood but do not understand are in agriculture-related occupations.
The reason is probably because atrazine mainly acts on dicotyledonous plants, and focuses on closure, which is not ideal for large grasses. Therefore, farmers who grow corn and sugar cane use much than others.
Most agricultural personnel think that it is necessary to test the content of this
herbicide, and are willing to buy more convenient detecion products.
To sum up, these agricultural personnel have a better understanding of the use and
operation of pesticides, and have a general awareness of the detection of pesticide residues, but are not
familiar with the details and principles of herbicides.
Therefore, after simple science popularization or understanding, they have the
awareness and need to detect atrazine.
In general, we can find that most of the subjects do not have a deep understanding
of herbicides, and the frequency of use is not high, but this situation is slightly different among
agricultural related personnel: the frequency of use and the degree of understanding are significantly
increased from the data .
After the related education of atrazine, most of the survey takers believed that a
special atrazine residue detection product would be needed, and showed a high willingness to buy.
There is a huge number of people don’t know much about atrazine, but in fact
atrazine is used very often in our lives, so it is necessary to educate the general public of the uses and
hazards of atrazine, so as to improve the environmental protection of the masses.
The more routine representative of similar living environment monitoring products
is the formaldehyde monitoring products. The importance of formaldehyde monitoring is deeply rooted in the
media, especially the direct casualties caused by excessive formaldehyde in the media propaganda. People are
deeply impressed.
It is also precisely because the concept of formaldehyde monitoring needs to be
deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, the number of related monitoring products has greatly increased,
and the products have a clear audience: people who are sensitive to household pollution, and the competition
of the products after the increase in sales also brings more convenience to the products.
In the questionnaire, even the simplest science popularization has caused the
subjects to have a high demand for testing products that are not often heard in life. Therefore, we must
strive to achieve effective and fair atrazine-related knowledge popularization. While preventing people from
turning a deaf ear to the harmful herbicides that may or have appeared in life, the atrazine-related
knowledge popularization may also expand the market audience of our products.
Meanwhile, we must continue to reflect and improve in popular science, and provide related companies,
scientific researchers, and families that need atrazine testing with good products that meet their
expectations.
2.3 Identify a new potential user
Since we’ve started our project, we're keeping searching for our potential users.
Our topic is to design a biosensor which is used for testing atrazine residues in plants. Obviously, the main part of the user to our product should be the farmers and others who are in the first sector of a production. But we still believe there’s still some potential users.
To discover more potential user, it is necessary to do promotions.
Through our research during the beginning of our project. We got to known how dangerous it is if there’s excessive atrazine. We want to make the public awareness of this situation. To reach this target we’ve did a lot of popularization
Our topic is to design a biosensor which is used for testing atrazine residues in plants. Obviously, the main part of the user to our product should be the farmers and others who are in the first sector of a production. But we still believe there’s still some potential users.
To discover more potential user, it is necessary to do promotions.
Through our research during the beginning of our project. We got to known how dangerous it is if there’s excessive atrazine. We want to make the public awareness of this situation. To reach this target we’ve did a lot of popularization
Questionnaire
In order to get known to people’s opinion on our topic. We designed the
questionnaires to get more information from the public.
For our topic, atrazine there’s even fewer people know about it. In our the result
of the questionnaire, it show’s that there’s only 20% of people who have already know about atrazine. While
there’s 71.43% people even didn't heard about anything about atrazine.
PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T KNOW ANY THING ABOUT ATRAZINE
PEOPLE WHO HAVE HEARD OF ATRAZINE
PEOPLE WHO KNOW A LOT ABOUT ATRAZINE
PEOPLE WHO HAVE HEARD OF ATRAZINE
PEOPLE WHO KNOW A LOT ABOUT ATRAZINE
So the result had warned us that without any introduction and popularization, there
might be few people have the demand to by our product. In another words, we are lack of potential users if
people don’t know about our topic.
PEOPLE WHO WOULD LIKE TO BUY
PEOPLE WHO WOULDN'T LIKE TO BUY
PEOPLE WHO WOULDN'T LIKE TO BUY
In our questionnaires brief introduction of atrazine is included. After a simple popularisation, there’s
83.76% of the people would like to buy our product.
It’s under the awareness of food safety and the protection of the environment. Our product have reached a great rate of demand among the public.
It’s under the awareness of food safety and the protection of the environment. Our product have reached a great rate of demand among the public.
As people begin to care about how excess remaining of atrazine in food products can
do harm to their health. They will have the demand to a product that can tell if there’s atrazine in the
food that they are going to eat.
2.4 Experts’ Opinions
2.4.1 Interview with Dr. Yibei Xiao, Professor, Ph. D Supervisor, China
Pharmaceutical University
Professor Xiao shared his experience of biosensor, and then he told us the difference between the chemical
method and the biological detection method, and also made some suggestions on the detection requirements of
our post-production biosensor.
According to his suggestion, our detection product will pay attention to costs and feasibility.
According to his suggestion, our detection product will pay attention to costs and feasibility.
2.4.2 Interview Hening Yu, Master of Agriculture, China Agricultural University.
Research Field: Rural Development
Mr. Yu told us that the most serious pollution in rural areas is pesticide residues. He believes that
herbicides can have a selective effect and specific targets, and cause no harm to people and other animals,
or less harm.
Our testing indicators should be richer, because there are no more than ten pesticide tests on crops in China, but more than 60 in foreign countries. It should also become comprehensive and increase the scope of monitoring.
Our testing indicators should be richer, because there are no more than ten pesticide tests on crops in China, but more than 60 in foreign countries. It should also become comprehensive and increase the scope of monitoring.
2.4.3 Interview Mr. Yong Hua, Champion of the "China-US Youth Maker
Competition
He is a youth popular science person, the champion of the "China-US Youth Maker Competition" sponsored by
the Ministry of Education in 2014 and 2015, and the head of the scientific research project of the Shanghai
Science and Technology Commission-popular science product development.
We showed him the design drafts of the three detectors. Finally he chose Kira’s design and made some modifications. To avoid liquid leakage in the connection part, you can design a color chart for color picking.
We showed him the design drafts of the three detectors. Finally he chose Kira’s design and made some modifications. To avoid liquid leakage in the connection part, you can design a color chart for color picking.
2.4.4 Interview Dr. Ran Yu, Professor, Ph.D Supervisor, Southeast University
Prof. Yu’s research expertise include biological immobilization and remediation technology of groundwater in
contaminated sites, water treatment biological denitrification technology, nitrogen oxide greenhouse gas
emission reduction regulation.
Prof. Yu discussed environmental issues with us, herbicides can be tested specifically, and there are testing standards, which allows us to consider the different plots of land when testing, and the standards of farmland. And hope our detection method is more selective and repetitive.
Prof. Yu discussed environmental issues with us, herbicides can be tested specifically, and there are testing standards, which allows us to consider the different plots of land when testing, and the standards of farmland. And hope our detection method is more selective and repetitive.
2.4.5 Interview Mr. Zhenfeng Su, Investment Manager, GoHigh Capital
He gave us an analysis of the main audience groups and publicity directions of our
products. He also shared us with possible industry analysis, market analysis and business plan frameworks.
Based on his explanations, we wrote a straightforward business plan
(Please see our Entrepreneurship page https://2021.igem.org/Team:ECNUAS/Entrepreneurship)
Short Conclusion
The strengths of our biosensor design should include
1) Delicate design and portable;
2) Affordable
3) Automation, integration, high sensitivity and specificity
4) Quick reactivity
1) Delicate design and portable;
2) Affordable
3) Automation, integration, high sensitivity and specificity
4) Quick reactivity
The potential client of our future product should be
1) Farmer
2) Research fellows in environment quality monitoring
3) Ordinary people caring about their environment quality
1) Farmer
2) Research fellows in environment quality monitoring
3) Ordinary people caring about their environment quality