OVERVIEW

How science benefits the society is the main concern of scientific researchers outside the laboratory. We hope that the molecular machines produced by our project can be used in the real world so as to truly improve the existing situation of plastic pollution. And, let synthetic biology techniques benefit everyone's life.

However, in the process of promoting our project, we found that different social groups performed different levels of understanding of synthetic biology technology and expectations of our project. The general public often pays attention to the pros and cons directly brought about by projects or products, companies pay more attention to the profit potential, and the majority of students pay more attention to science and technology itself.

During this season, with the COVID-19 pandemic raging around for another time, public health crisis impacted the whole world greatly. Aiming at those three major social groups, we chose two forms containing face-to-face communication and new media interaction, for science popularization, with the help of 12 methods including souvenirs, serial comics, and on-line art exhibitions. By doing so, we hoped that they can get a better understanding about synthetic biology technology through our projects.

Fig 1. Various science popularization methods suitable for different people during public health threat

In the process of publicity and promotion, we held redemption activities and issued souvenirs to help the public without professional knowledge to better accept the convenience brought by synthetic biology. At the same time, eliminated their possible misunderstanding in unknown scientific fields. By serializing comics, filling in color cards, wandering around the laboratory, interacting through video and other methods, we hoped to help students of different ages to better understand the life and world, feel the creativity brought by technology, and seek a realization method of self-worth. In addition, we also hoped to connect laboratories and companies through the exhibition, so as to help companies find new ways of profiting through synthetic biology technology, and further tap the commercial potential of synthetic biology.

When facing social groups with different knowledge structures and social backgrounds, choosing an effective way of expression and delivery will effectively optimize people's feelings when experiencing new things.

THE PUBLIC

Community：Fun knowledge contest

In interviews with plastic recycling companies, they generally said that China's garbage sorting system still needs to be improved. Therefore, CPU_CHINA has carried out garbage classification publicity activities in Laiquan Community---a local residential community.

Fig 2. CPU_CHINA's peripheral gifts

We introduced to residents how to classify common garbage in daily life, and inform them how our project applies synthetic biology to the threat that white pollution poses to the world. The promotion uses a combination of introduction and interesting Q&A. The participant with the highest score will get the souvenirs awards: a Meddy model carefully prepared by us, and all participants will receive CPU_CHINA peripheral gifts.

Souvenirs Awarded

In order to achieve a wider range of popular science, we also went to the Zhangjiacun Garbage Sorting Experience Center in Shuangtang Community, established by the Nanjing Government, and participated in a variety of fun games in the experience center with the villagers. In addition to some fun games inside the experience hall, there is also a supermarket with a point reward system. The classification of other garbage and kitchen waste in residents' homes is evaluated by collectors using smart devices, and the system automatically gives users different points. Residents can use the points to redeem small commodities in the point supermarket.

Fig 3. Redemption area of the Garbage Sorting Experience Center

The person in charge of the experience center told us that despite the promulgation of a series of policies such as plastic restriction orders and garbage classification, the effect was not obvious. Replacing traditional plastics with biodegradable materials completely still needs a long time, so how to deal with the plastic pollution that has been generated is of great importance. The ideas of synthetic biology brought by our project may be one powerful answer to the problem of plastic pollution.

THE STUDENTS

Children's Enlightenment

We hoped to lead primary school students into the kingdom of synthetic biology and intrigue them, so we carried out a popular science activity with the theme of microbial factory in Zaozhuang Experimental Primary School. Since biology has not been systematically studied in primary school, we think we should choose more vivid ways of education.

Microbial Factory and Comic Strip

Human language and characters are an abstract symbol system. So, using words to express complex biological concepts is way too difficult for children who have just started to learn language to understand. However, picture books present a series of images and rich details related to stories or words. They can not only effectively help children understand the basic content of biology, but also help children to recognize things and enrich vocabulary through the combination between language and pictures. In addition, children's natural curiosity is the starting point of science learning, so by maintaining students' curiosity and thirst for knowledge, students' learning motivation can be stimulated.

Our team members recorded a popular science video for students to introduce the safety regulations, layout of the laboratory and demonstrate the use of some instruments.

Fig 4. Vision of Microbial factory

Fig 5. The production process of microbial factory

In addition, we transform the over-complicated and awkward concepts of synthetic biology into a more accessible form of serial comics. From Chapter 1 to Chapter 3, we created "Meddy", the personification of our molecular machine. And turned the degradation into a fight between Meddy and the polyethylene witch.

Fig 6. Vision of Microbial factory

By this comics, we analyzed and explained the working principle of the molecular machine generated by our project and the scientific problems hided in the experiment process, so as to help children and a wider range of readers learn and understand new concepts of unfamiliar subjects.

Color Cards

In addition, we also prepared microbial factory color cards to encourage them to use their imagination to draw their own microbial factory.

By instructing students to do experiments, we created space for them to imagine and practice and cultivated their habits of thinking and practice, in order to improve their hands-on ability and creativity. Besides, help maintaining and developing students' desire to understand the world, such as trying new tasks, willing to explore and discover the mystery of things around them.

Fig 7. Children's work

All the students gave us positive feedback and we received a total of 100 color cards.

Words from children

"Just like yeast can be used to make wine, maybe one day we can use yeast to make plastic that can be eaten."

Interest Guidance of Teenagers

We hope that middle school students who already mastered basic knowledge of biology can better understand synthetic biology and iGEM, so we launched an online presentation to introduce them to synthetic biology and how it could be used in our daily life.

Fig 8. Discussion live or screening live

We introduced the differences between synthetic biology, traditional biology and genetic engineering by means of a slide show, and connected them with real life.

On-line Travel to Laboratory

In order to help students better understand this abstract knowledge, we conducted an online lab visiting activity. Through our lens, we guided teenagers to a further understanding of synthetic biology in the lab.

Video 1: Traveling online.

This kind of tour is intuitive, which can help students break through the limitation of vision and observe the objects mentioned in the theory from multiple angles. It is conducive to reflect the concepts and processes, and can effectively overcome the teaching difficulties of the subject.

Interactive video

We also showed students the creative inspiration and concept of Meddy: Relight My Star public art exhibition.

Video 2: Prescription For The Earth

Team:CPU CHINA/MeddyRelightMyStar - 2021.igem.org

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we have created a special online art exhibition, using interactive video and other technologies to ensure visitors' sense of experience while completing the normal progress of epidemic prevention and control work.

The exhibition revolves around the life cycle of plastic, from its creation for the convenience of human beings to its abandonment and finally becoming pollution. We presented this cycle with special artistic effects, so as to inspire human beings to reflect on their own behavior and think deeply about environmental issues. At the same time, we presented a synthetic biology approach to solving the problem of plastic pollution to help visitors understand this emerging science.

Our explanation aroused heated discussion among the students and received a great response.

Coil Game

In the offline part of the art exhibition, we also designed two forms of games to guide students to explore how our molecular machines are produced and assembled using synthetic biology methods.

Fig 9. Coil game: Blueprint for Life Sciences

With this interactive form, students can be more engaged in this activity and learn more actively. By creating the reflective environments, it is easier for them to form new cognitive structures.

Creativity Development of College Students

Preach in Club Carnival

We cooperated with CPU Bio-X Club to carry out synthetic biology activities on campus. During the annual club carnival, we showed students our project design and introduced them with the development potential of synthetic biology in various fields. At the same time, our members also warned the students about the hazards of white pollution, reminding everyone of them to protect the environment and contribute to a better world.

Fig 10. Club Carnival in China Pharmaceutical University

Laboratory Visit Experience

We invited undergraduates from China Pharmaceutical University who are interested in synthetic biology to visit our lab. During that, we introduced them to our project and they were shown basic experiments in synthetic biology, such as gene editing. With the popularization of synthetic biology, we hope to attract more undergraduates to devote themselves to this field.

Fig 11. Visiting of our laboratory

Interviewee's heart

The invited students said that instead of learning theoretical knowledge in textbooks, the visit allowed them to truly experience the beauty of scientific research. Witnessing a wild-type strain acquiring new functions after gene editing, it made them feel the secret of the code of life, and also made them itch for it. The students also said that they will actively prepare for the next iGEM's season.

THE ENTERPRISESHIP

When we visited various companies related to the production, processing, and recycling of plastic products, we noticed that the current companies in the plastics industry generally suffer from unbalanced revenue and expenditure and unstable capital chains. There are three reasons for this situation. First, there are quality problems in the raw materials of the plastic recycling industry, making it difficult for downstream products to break through; second, there are technical bottlenecks, and efficiency and quality are difficult to meet the requirements. In addition, high technology development costs and equipment operation and maintenance costs have caused companies to face expense dilemmas. In this case, a stable biological treatment system with low cost and high yield will increase the company's production capacity and reduce costs, giving the company stronger market competitiveness. We contacted Lanzhou Golden Land Plastic Products Co., Ltd. to help them analyze the commercial potential of developing synthetic biology products based on their needs. The past decade has been a period of vigorous development of synthetic biology. Based on the two major characteristics of synthetic biology-environmental protection and sustainability, various products developed around it have also ushered in the harvest period. For modern enterprises, synthetic biology is undoubtedly a trump card, an important technology for realizing corporate benefits and assuming social responsibility. From the perspective of the development of the plastic degradation and recycling industry,firstly, synthetic biology technology can realize the process of converting complex raw materials such as biomass into various basic chemical raw materials, and secondly, it can obtain usable energy by designing and constructing specific metabolic pathways. Or renewable materials, extend the life cycle of plastics, increase the utilization rate of plastics, and avoid air and soil pollution caused by incineration and landfill. At the moment, the use of synthetic biology methods to construct green bio-based plastics is also a current hot topic. The manufacturing capabilities of complex organisms have expanded the boundaries of biological applications, and have also leveraged huge economic value. The market and capital have gradually surrendered their attention to the development of synthetic biology-related industries. For capital, this is a risky long-term investment, but the economic value it can create in the future is incalculable. However, we believe that environmentally friendly products created by synthetic biology technology have more important social value than monetary value. Under the global carbon neutrality goal, the use of sustainable raw materials to replace unsustainable raw materials is a general trend. Synthetic biotechnology can reduce the carbon emissions of raw materials while maintaining the performance of materials. Compared with traditional incineration landfill methods, it can be recycling, renewable, and sustainable development are the significant advantages and characteristics of the cell factory realized by synthetic biology. Looking at synthetic biology from a long-term investment perspective and tapping the huge social value behind it is a prerequisite for humans to learn and use synthetic biotechnology. At the same time, we must also realize that synthetic biology is an important means for mankind to pursue sustainable development and carbon neutrality, and it is a treasure of infinite value.

After understanding our project in detail through this analysis, the person in charge and technicians of Lanzhou Golden Land Plastic Products Co., Ltd. affirmed the practical significance of our project, and made it clear that they can provide relevant technical support for our next research.

SPECIAL EVENTS

--"Into CHINA, Into iGEM"

ICII, namely "Into CHINA, Into iGEM", is a summer tour activity to publicize synthetic biology and iGEM, jointly sponsored by CPU_CHINA and NAU-CHINA. As an Education&Collaboration activity hosted by two teams, 18 iGEM teams from all over the country were invited. The teams showed the project information and posters of all the cooperating teams when they preached in their locations, and shot vlogs to record the interesting process of preaching and urban culture.

With the collaboration of multiple teams throughout the country, the impact of synthetic biology is hoped to be wider, broader and more profound. By approaching more cities and larger scale audiences, presenting new technology and new ideas in more specific forms, we aimed that our operation would achieve the common aspiration of projecting science popularization and iGEM event publicity, making synthetic biology more acceptable and impressive.

The sponsors compiled the vlogs of all the teams, and combined the presentation process and urban cultural publicity to edit a summary video. We hope to unfolded the culture of different cities in China to the iGEM world through the final video, showing the scientific and technological strength of China and the enthusiasm of the Chinese people for the development of biotechnology. Meanwhile, ICII could act as an entry point for the world to have a more comprehensive understanding of China.

These lectures are like a large-scale sowing, laying the seed of using synthetic biology to benefit society and change the world for children and adolescents. We are looking forward to their germination and growth tomorrow.

For more cooperation details, click the button below to view another separate page.

Team:CPU CHINA/Collaborations - 2021.igem.org

--"Meddy: Relight my start"

In this miniature exhibition, we do not want to show the value of art by concocting serious concepts, choosing difficult subjects, or making public artworks into fragmented creative gimmicks. While these techniques serve a different purpose, this is not the purpose of popularizing science. We wanted the show to embed a fully logical and easy-to-understand story for people of all ages. These people can naturally participate in the experience of using science to solve real problems, even if they do not have the relevant knowledge reserve, so as to achieve a win-win situation of popular science, environmental protection and aesthetics.

 

The significance of this exhibition is that we use public art to expand different ways of connection: one is induction of thought, and the other is two-way interaction. We use interactive animation, 3D printing, scrap, walls, floors, metal, lighting and other public art media to inspire people to think about the environmental crisis and enable them to experience the magic of using synthetic biology to solve real problems.

Team:CPU CHINA/MeddyRelightMyStar - 2021.igem.org

CONCLUSION

At the end of this season, we developed the most appropriate preaching plan for specific groups through audience analysis, and took into account the material and spiritual needs of the group. Finally, the ideal education effect was successfully achieved, benefiting all kinds of groups.

Here is team CPU_CHINA, Nice to meet you in 2021!