Team:Manchester/Communication
Communication
We set out to create a podcast where we could help spread the word about synthetic biology. Having come into the iGEM competition with limited idea of the depth of synthetic biology ourselves we thought it was important to showcase this exciting field to encourage more young researchers to pursue careers in synthetic biology and create conversations around topics such as genetic engineering and sustainability. We distributed the podcast via leading podcast platforms and reached over 200 listeners.
The Living Revolution Episode 1 With Prof. John Ward: 'What is Synthetic Biology?'
In our first episode of the podcast we spoke with Professor John Ward from the University College London. Our first episode aimed to introduce synthetic biology for those who may not have a strong idea what it was. The episode does this very well going into short detail about what synthetic biology is and how the field came to be.
The Living Revolution Episode 2 With Prof. John Ward: 'Applications of Synthetic Biology'
In episode two we had the second half of our interview with Professor John Ward. In this episode we covered some exciting applications of synthetic biology.
The Living Revolution Episode 3 With University of St. Andrews Team: 'Helping Our Oceans With Synthetic Biology'
The third episode of our podcast was a collaboration with the University of St. Andrews iGEM team. We talked to them about their project which aims to produce a sun screen which, unlike most commercial sun screens, was not harmful to coral reefs.
The Living Revolution Episode 4 With KCL Team: 'Treating Spinal Cord Injuries With Synthetic Biology'
In episode four we talked to the iGEM team from King’s College London about their project which uses synthetic biology to help treat spinal cord injuries.
The Living Revolution Episode 5 With Prof. Louise Horsfall: 'Rare Metals From Waste Streams Using Biology'
Episode 5 was with Professor Louise Horsfall who is the programme director for MSc Synthetic Biology at the University of Edinburgh. Prof. Horsfall talked to us about synthetic biology generally and more specifically about her area of research, which is obtaining metals from various feedstocks using biological organisms.
The Living Revolution Episode 6 With Prof. Simon Turner: 'Engineering Plants For a Better Future'
Professor Simon Turner from the University of Manchester joined us for episode 6. Prof. Turner spoke to us about plant engineering, why we would want to do it, the hurdles of public perception and biofuel production.
The Living Revolution Episode 7 With Dr Neil Dixon: 'Manufacturing Chemicals With Biology'
Dr Neil Dixon of the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology explained to us how synthetic biology can be leveraged to improve production of valuable chemicals with real world examples where this had been realised.