Team:Shanghai HS ID/Communication
Education and Communication
We established a WeChat official account named 乳酸LAB (Lactic acid LAB). To make it
more relatable to the public, we decided to separate our competition and publicity. The acronym LAB has two
meanings-the most direct understanding of "LAB" stands for the laboratory where our experiments were
completed. The other understanding of the name"LAB" is the abbreviation of "Lactic Acid Bacteria", which is
the focus of our project.
Figure 1 Homepage of 乳酸LAB (Lactic acid LAB)
Our first official account post introduced the team and the potential that L.casei
has in relieving hypertension, hypercholesteremia, and gastritis. In less than 2 weeks, the post had
received nearly 3000 views and roughly 400 likes. We received more than 450 active followers within the
first week and many of them sent us relevant personal health questions and scientific inquiries.
Figure 2 Introduction of Team & L.casei
Our second article focused on our trip to Bright Dairy & Food Co., Ltd and a brief
record of our interview with the director of the company. We debunked myths regarding the milk production
processes and gained insight into the application of probiotics in dairy products. Bright Dairy and Food,
contrary to the stereotype of a large corporation, had already planned used CRISPR technology to resolve
hardships that they encountered, namely unacceptable costs and lengthy production time.
Figure 4 Visit to Bright Dairy & Food Co., Ltd
Our WeChat Public Account also released an article briefly introducing the field of
synthetic biology. We discussed a wide variety of topics, including gene editing, CRISPR, and GM foods. This
allowed people who are interested in our team to have a basic understanding of the core principles that our
project was built upon, while also giving people an opportunity to understand the broader field of synthetic
biology and its social implications.
Figure 5 Science Popularization of GMO and Synthetic Biology
Lectures were also held by our team to advertise for ourselves and educate the
general public about synthetic biology. We discussed topics ranging from our strain of L. casei to the pros
and cons of GM foods.
To do so, we designed merch sales for a variety of products we designed, including
tote bags, stickers, masks, notebooks, and other commodities. The intended effect is that these easily
accessible products can familiarize people with synthetic biology and L. casei.
Under the blazing sun of July, we set up a stall at WeWork -- an office building
next to the busy and popular shopping district of Jingan Temple-and started our first merch sale. We chose
to sell in front of an office during rush hours to maximize exposure and sales. After merch selling at
WeWork, we moved to a popular Korean restaurant in Lujiazui - the busiest CBD in Shanghai. (For more details
about our fundraising events, please refer to our fundraising page)
Not only were we selling our products, but we also advertised our public account
and the concepts of our project. By the end of our merch sale, we reached more than 450 followers,
When we were selling our merchandise, we were also providing information about the
benefits of L. casei with the intention of fostering acceptance and demand for genetically modified L. casei
products.
We also regularly update the latest team information on our WeChat account, for
instance, we released our latest peripheral products through our WeChat account, as well as our partnership
with an other iGEM team EV71 Terminator (Team Official Name:Shanghai_Metropolis)
