Team:GreatBay United/Education
Education
After our investigation, we found that public awareness toward horseshoe crabs is still relatively low. In order to give the public a better understanding of synthetic biology and biodiversity , we conducted several educational activities, including holding lectures, workshops and seminars.
Participating in COP 15
COP 15 refers to the 2020 UN Biodiversity Conference. The theme of the conference is "Ecological Civilization : Building a Community for Life on Earth", which is the first global conference held by the United Nations under the theme of ecological civilization. During the conference, we participated in the "COP 15 Biodiversity Exploration for Youth" held by CEEC. We shared our project with several iGEM teams, professors, experts from different fields and discussed responsible innovation and biodiversity conservation using synthetic biology. We also studied the relevant discussions, statements and spirit of the United Nations Conference on Biological Diversity. Professor Guan said that the conservation of horseshoe crabs requires multidisciplinary collaboration, and he was glad to see that emerging technologies such as synthetic biology can play a role. He also praised us for raising awareness of the conservation of horseshoe crabs through scientific popularization and publicity. On the basis of preliminary discussions, a draft of the Declaration on The Protection of Biodiversity by Chinese Youth has been preliminarily formed.
It is considered one of the most unique experiences we have had during iGEM. We were all very grateful for having the opportunity to meet with experts excellent in their area and gain advice from them. We were also thrilled to have the chance to join the drafting of the declaration and to witness one of the milestones made in biodiversity.
Lecture at ULC
On October 14th, we collaborated with ShanghaiTech_China and doctor Steve from Tsinghua to hold a lecture for 9th grade and 10th grade students in Ulink Colledge. During the lecture, we shared synthetic biology, biodiversity and our lives as iGEMers.
First, we introduced them to synthetic biology by sharing the basics and development of synthetic biology. Aimed to let more people know about these emerging technologies. Then we shared our project for this year: Artificial Limulus Amebocyte Lysate. Not only did we talk about our experimental design, how it is linked to our daily life but also the conservation of this wonderful creature. Afterward, we welcomed iGEMer from ShanghaiTech to share with the audience how they use synthetic mussel foot protein to utilize the protein as a bone repair material. Last but not least, we connected with Steve, who was participating in COP 15 at the time. He explained the terms and the current situation of biodiversity which helped to give us clearer objectives to solve this issue.
Bacteria Painting
At GreatBay_United, we encourage people from all age groups to get their hands on synthetic biology. So on July 24th, we held a bacteria painting activity in the lab for kids. Our aim was to combine synthetic biology with simple daily activities so that the kids can be more motivated and experience life as scientists. We used microorganisms that contain pigmented protein to encourage them to make their own artwork, and demonstrated how to work on the clean bench.
After 24hours of cultivation, beautiful panting appeared on the mediums. After the activities, members of GreatBay_Unieted interviewed the kids who participated in bacteria panting, and they told us what they had learned about the amazing power of biology.
Seminar on Introduction to Synthetic Biology
On July 16th, we welcomed 40 students to come and join the discussion about synthetic biology. What we did was hold a seminar and shared our ideas for applications for synthetic biology. We also organised activities like the lab tour and some fun games that are topic related to help them better understand the life in lab.
By gathering young people who love biotechnology together, we voice our opinions and learned about the current development of synthetic biology, and gain the inspiration of using the basic code of life - DNA to build a new world order, a new era of life.
Articles on WeChat subscription
In order to expand our impact and raise public awareness toward conservation of horseshoe crabs, we decided to post articles that gradually develop according to our storyline. Form what horseshoe crab is to Limulus Amebocyte Lysate, not only do we hope more people to know about the scarify horseshoe crabs make, but also try to give them inspirations on solving problems using synthetic biology.
Video on horseshoe crabs protection
Members of GreatBay_United sterilized and reused microcentrifuge tubes and pipettor tips to build the model of horseshoe crab. The purpose of this video is to let more people knows about this wonderful creature who make great sacrifices to our needs each year. Then we made this little video for educational purposes.
Video on horseshoe crabs protection
We hope to promote our projects in a more vivid way to the public and call on people to care for biodiversity and adhere to sustainable development.
Conclusion
Overall, we gained a lot after conducting all these educational activities. We were not educators, we were all learners who shared and learned at the same time. We not only learned professional knowledge from others, but also communication and collaboration skills. Both are equally important. Though it wasn't an easy journey, we will never stop encouraging the use of synthetic biology and the conservation of all lovely creatures.