Heureka is a non-profit Finnish Science Centre, which opened its doors in 1989 after many years of collaborated planning. Heureka shares the Joy of Discovery with an average of 300 000 visitors annually and is one of Finland’s most popular recreation centres, offering a huge variety of different interactive exhibitions, science programmes and events throughout the year. In March of 2024, our team kickstarted the educational activities by holding a workshop as a part of Children's Medicine Day. On this day, Heureka was filled with approximately 3000 people and different workshops and activities ranging from teddy bear hospital to learning about ocular prostheses. Our workshop “Let’s explore and build: DNA”, was about teaching the basics of what we are made of, how is it researched and importantly –why. Significantly, we wanted to give children the opportunity to learn this by doing, so we introduced the basics of the DNA function and structure with DNA models and some basic lab-skills by pipetting. Before starting the activities, we engaged with each child and their family explaining the topics in simple terms.

Our first activity, building a DNA model, provoked a lot of questions among people, such as: How do nucleotides stay together?”, “How much DNA do we have?” and “How does my body understand the code of DNA?” We were thrilled to receive so many questions and discuss DNA in more depth with these curious visitors. What amazed also many parents, was that how the model was able to represent the properties of stability and packaging DNA for example. Many people seemed to feel accomplished after completing their models and were encouraged to keep building beyond the one set provided.

Our second activity, pipetting different food coloured water onto a 96-well plate, was very popular among the youngest visitors of our workshop. This activity encouraged creativity in our visitors, and we saw many children mixing the pink and blue into different shades of colours and drawing pictures onto their plates by pipetting. Some of the children had never used a pipette before, so now they got to add this fundamental skill to their science skill set! After completing their titre plate creation, we surprised each child with a bit of science magic by turning their plate up-side down without leaking the liquid. This amazed many children, and they got to learn a bit about surface tension on top of our main workshop topic.

All in all, we were happy with how our workshop turned out and we received a lot of positive feed-back from the visitors, adults and children alike. People genuinely seemed to have fun while learning by doing. Our workshop also provided some calming focus-requiring activities for people in the middle of a buzzing day full of learning and excitement at Heureka. We also want to thank Laura Ahvenjärvi a lot for volunteering to help us out!

More about Heureka on our sponsors and collaborators page here!

TuKoKe (in Finnish Tutki, Kokeile, Kehitä, i.e. Explore, Experiment, develop”) is a non-profit science, technology, and invention competition, organized by the Development Center Opinkirjo and TEK, the organization for academic engineers and architects in Finland. TuKoKe aims to support 4–20-year-old people in exploring their curiosity and developing their skills in the field of science and technology. In the competition students develop their own long-term focus on their desired research project individually or in a group while their supervisors support them throughout. The competition is judged by a jury made of a wide range of specialists.

In April of 2024, the Aalto-Helsinki team collaborated with TuKoKe by forming the student jury, making decisions on the following TEK special prizes: the Best Presentation Material, the Best Presentation or Presentation video, the Most Scientific Project, the Most Practical Project, the Most Innovative or Creative Project and the Most Enthusiastic Participant.

During the poster sessions we were pleased to see projects from a wide range of fields including biology, physics, chemistry, environmental sciences, mathematics, engineering and more. Examples of project topics include computer vision models, microplastics in mussels, epidemiology of gliomas, counting with domino computers, formation of snow crystals and urban development. Working in their projects the students had developed their skills in areas such as research, coding, data analysis, project management and group work.

The quality of the projects was impressive, and therefore we had a really challenging time deciding on the winners of the special prizes. Eventually we got to celebrate all the projects in the final ceremony, where all the finalists were rewarded for their efforts and successes.

We were happy to contribute to such a learning experience, and to provide the participants with further feed-back on their projects and presentations to help them continue their journey of research and innovation. Being part of the jury also provided us with a judge perspective that hopefully helps us with our own participation in iGEM 2024.

As part of European Biotech Week, we held a fun and interactive workshop at Heureka on the 24th of September 2024, together with ABOA iGEM 2024. The children learned about drug delivery in the body through engaging activities. This week also happened to be Heureka’s Robotics Week, so we took inspiration of that to our activities!

Interactive Learning Stations

We had three main activities, two of which were ongoing throughout the event:

Coloring and Problem solving -Exercises: These were creative and educational tasks provided by the Aboa iGEM 2024 team. Children could drop by anytime to color, solve problems, and complete exercises designed to challenge their thinking and keep them engaged.

Medicine Boat Activity: This was the highlight of the workshop. We explained to the kids how drug delivery in the body works and why it’s important for medicine to reach specific parts of the body. The kids then made their own “drug delivery boats” using colorful cardboard and paper. They also created their own "drugs" and attached them to the boats using glue, string, or by simply placing them on top.

After building the boats, the kids aimed them at a target, which represented a cell, inside a water basin. When we added a drop of soap to the water, the boats started moving towards the target, illustrating how drug delivery systems work. This demonstration also introduced the children to the concept of surface tension, explaining why the soap made the boats move.

Codon Bingo – Exploring Biological Code: In this activity, we introduced the children to the idea that, just like robots and computers are controlled by code (ones and zeros), our bodies are also controlled by a biological code made up of A, G, C, and T (or U). This code determines how our bodies react to illnesses and how we function overall. This task was first a bit challenging, but once the bingo started properly, the kids were extremely fast at figuring the code out!

What the Kids Learned

Through these activities, the children learned:
- How drug delivery works in the body and why targeted delivery is important.
- Basic principles of surface tension through the soap boat experiment.
- Creative problem-solving and hands-on learning by building their own boats.

This workshop provided the children with a fun, hands-on way to understand scientific concepts while sparking their curiosity in biology and technology. The activities were simple yet effective in explaining how science helps solve real-world challenges.

Towards the end of the summer, one of our team members engaged in a discussion about how beneficial it is that various organizations provide free workshops for school classes. However, it soon became clear that these workshops often come with a distance limitation. This means that if an educational institution is located outside the designated area, it is not offered free workshops, except remotely.

Inspired by this, we decided to offer at least one small school in a remote area the opportunity to participate in an on-site workshop. Our goal was to ensure that learning would be accessible, even to schools in the most isolated locations. We also wanted the content of the workshop to be something that could be easily replicated independently, whether in other schools or even at home. This became the foundation of our workshop concept.

In our workshop, we aimed to encourage creativity in the children, which led to the name "BioArts." We thought a great way to combine the principles of synthetic biology and creativity was to allow them to explore, much like scientists do—through research. Inspired by petri dish paintings, we structured the workshop to include a mini-lecture introducing microbes (covering good and bad bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.) and followed this with hands-on research using petri dishes.

To ensure the children got the most out of the experience, we decided to split the workshop into two parts, held on separate days.

Day 1

The first day focused on both the theory of microbes and an introduction to scientific research, followed by a hands-on session with petri dishes. The teaching materials used are available through open-source materials (link in Wiki). We prepared two plates for each student, resulting in over 40 agar plates for the 18 students, aged 9–12.

After the mini-lecture, the students moved on to the practical research portion. Before beginning, each student was provided with their own goggles, protective gloves, and shared lab coats. The children were explained what petri dishes are and how they are used in synthetic biology research (to grow desired organisms etc.). They were also taught how to mark samples and collect them.

Once everyone understood the process, the children were allowed to explore a designated area to investigate where microbes might be found- like door handles, shoes, the teacher's chair, benches, keys, and other commonly used objects. Afterwards, they imprinted their dirty hands on the agar plates and used Q-tips to streak the surface of the plates with their samples. In addition, one plate per pair was reserved to test how handwashing with soap affects microbial presence.

At the end of the session, the petri dishes were sealed with parafilm and set aside to grow at room temperature for five days (Friday to Wednesday). The workshop host took the plates home to monitor their progress. Some students were eager to apply the parafilm themselves, which went smoothly with a little assistance.

Monitoring the Growth

Between the days, the plays were kept under surveillance to see that they started growing properly and nothing odd happened to them. Before showing them to kids, a picture was taken of each of the plate so that we could print them out for the kids to keep as a memory, since the plates were going to be discarded at the Aalto faculty afterwards.

Day 2

The second day was when we got to look at our results and discuss how everything connected together!

The kids were astonished by what they saw and were beyond excited (excited might even be an understatement) as they compared samples from different places, such as the teacher's chair, their own desks, shoes, computer mice, keyboards, sinks, outdoor handles, and many more locations. The teachers were equally surprised to see the results, especially when discovering how much bacteria was present in everyday spaces.

We thoroughly compared the plates from washed and unwashed hands. The children observed noticeable differences in the number of microbes, as well as the colors and shapes of the colonies. Interestingly, our team prepared a reference plate using hands washed with soap and disinfectant, and the plate with disinfectant had zero colonies.

We also compared plates taken from the same locations, such as door handles, benches, and discussed the concept of human error in scientific research and how it affects reliability. The kids were also explained why they couldn't keep the plates and what would happen to them, specifically how they would be disposed of through autoclaving. Some children even asked if they could do the experiment again. We aimed to inspired curiosity and engaged students in the wonders of synthetic biology, making science accessible and enjoyable for all.

It was truly a delight to see how excited the kids were to explore the school in order to find microbes. Many of the kids were really happy with the activity, and the teachers were pleased too. This experience was something we wished we had initiated earlier, as it would have allowed us to visit even more schools.

In the future, we hope that upcoming teams will undertake similar projects that emphasize hands-on learning and scientific inquiry. It would also be exciting to incorporate microscopes for further analysis!

From May 24th to May 26th, we attended the first BFH European Meetup, hosted by teams from Bielefeld-CeBiTec, Hamburg, and GU-Frankfurt. It was a fantastic experience and came at the perfect time for our team, as we were just starting our project.

This meetup not only helped us learn more about the key deliverables and expectations of the competition, but it also gave us the chance to communicate the importance of our iGEM project to the community. Sharing our project with other teams and receiving feedback from judges helped us refine our ideas and improve our approach.

We also learned a lot from the other teams’ projects, which gave us fresh ideas and inspiration. The event allowed us to network and make important connections with other teams, opening the door to future collaborations. Workshops, scientific talks, and expert panels provided valuable insights into synthetic biology and the iGEM competition, helping us prepare for the challenges ahead.

Overall, the BFH European Meetup was a great opportunity to both educate and learn from the iGEM community, and it strengthened our motivation and direction as we continue our project.

Each month, we actively engage our community and followers by sharing updates on our iGEM journey through our newsletter. From introducing our team members and providing insights into our project development, to showcasing the conferences we’ve attended and sharing the excitement of receiving our team hoodies, our newsletters offer a comprehensive look into our progress. We also take this opportunity to express our gratitude to our sponsors and collaborators, highlighting their vital contributions to our work. Below, you can explore all our newsletters.
Newsletter 1
Newsletter 2
Newsletter 3

The Nordic iGEM Conference (NiC) is an annual event that brings together iGEM teams from across the Nordic countries, along with invited teams from other regions. The conference focuses on fostering connections within the Nordic synthetic biology community, offering participants the chance to meet fellow researchers, hear inspiring career stories, and explore synthetic biology in practice. NiC provides a platform for sharing insights on how synthetic biology can be used to address global challenges.

In 2024, the NiC was held in Finland’s oldest city, Turku, from July 26th to July 28th. The event featured lectures, workshops, and numerous networking opportunities. One of the highlights was a talk by Kelly Raita on scientific communication, which provided valuable insights into effectively conveying scientific ideas. There was also a presentation by iGEM alumni on future career prospects after iGEM, offering helpful guidance for navigating post-competition opportunities.

Additionally, the conference included project presentations from the attending iGEM teams, along with a poster session where we learned about their progress and how their projects aim to benefit society. This session was particularly rewarding for us, as we were able to explain the importance of developing more effective therapies and educate other teams about our project’s potential impact. The exchange of ideas helped us to disperse scientific knowledge among the participants and was a highly educational experience.

We also received constructive feedback on our posters and presentations, which helped us improve our science communication and presentation skills. The event concluded with an academic dinner, allowing for further networking and deep discussions with other iGEM teams. These interactions were thought-provoking and broadened our perspectives on each other’s projects and the field of synthetic biology.

As a tradition, the best presentation at the conference was evaluated by a panel of judges. The team with the highest score received the prestigious “Golden Pipette” award. This year, the honor went to iGEM Copenhagen, who will host the Nordic iGEM Conference in 2025.

At the Münster iGEM Meet-Up (August 16-18, 2024), we actively engaged in education and outreach by presenting our project during both the poster session and judged presentations. Through these activities, we communicated our project’s societal impact and received feedback to enhance our approach. The event also featured expert talks, including insights from David Baker and Nemanja Stijepovic, helping us further understand synthetic biology's role in solving global challenges. A fun guessing game by Promega encouraged interaction, with one of our team members winning.

Our participation encouraged public engagement by educating peers about our project while practicing our science communication and presentation skills. We also introduced our peers to our cancer survey, this contributed to broader outreach and, at the same time, ensured that our message was effectively shared with other teams, aligning with iGEM’s goal of making synthetic biology accessible and impactful.

1. Podcast

Our team collaborated with The Science Basement, a non-profit organization that focuses on science communication to educate the public about science overall. We took the initiative to impart knowledge about synthetic biology in therapeutics and how our project could be a step closer to developing an effective cancer treatment.

With the increasing popularity of podcasts, we recognized their potential to reach a wide audience regardless of geographical constraints, making this medium highly accessible. By creating a podcast in collaboration with The Science Basement, we aimed to educate listeners about the basics of synthetic biology and its applications in medicine, specifically in cancer research. In our episode, we delved into how synthetic biology enables precise drug delivery systems and highlighted our team's work on a targeted therapy for cancer. Our goal was to engage people from diverse backgrounds, encouraging them to learn more about how innovations in synthetic biology can lead to breakthroughs in healthcare.

This outreach initiative not only increased public awareness but we also believe to have sparked interest among younger audiences, showing that science is not just limited to laboratories but is connected to real-world problems and solutions. The podcast provided a platform for open conversations, where listeners could grasp complex scientific concepts in an easy-to-understand manner. By leveraging digital media, we’ve expanded our reach and made science more approachable and inspiring to future generations of researchers, engineers, and innovators.

Tune in to our podcast episode on Soundcloud or on Spotify to learn more about synthetic biology and our project!

2. Blog

In addition to our podcast episode, we are contributing to a blog post for The Science Basement (TSB), a platform dedicated to science communication. Each year, TSB selects a specific theme for their blog, and this year’s theme is “Trials, Errors, and Breakthroughs”. which talks about how mistakes and challenges in science often lead to important discoveries. Our blog will explain this idea by using our project- COALES as an example, making science easier to understand for people of all ages.

This blog, along with our podcast, aided us by reaching out to the public and teaching them about science in a fun and accessible way. Once the blog is ready-to-be-published, we will link it here, so you can learn more about the ups and downs of scientific research!

3. “Afternoon with the Science Basement” at Think corner

We collaborated for an event called "Afternoon in the Science Basement" with the help of TSB (The Science Basement) and Think Corner. The event featured presentations by our team members, where they talked about our iGEM project, COALES, and introduced the audience to synthetic biology. The session was very interactive, with lots of questions from the audience, which included members of the public, bachelor students, and even some experts. People were really curious about our project and wanted to know more about its future possibilities. It was a great opportunity to share our work, spark interest, and get valuable feedback from the attendees.

As part of our educational outreach, one of our team members will be pitching our iGEM project at the Y Science event during Slush 2024. This event connects scientists, entrepreneurs, and investors to explore how scientific research can be turned into real-world solutions.

By pitching at Y Science, we will show how synthetic biology can help solve important problems, such as in healthcare and the environment. We want to educate people about the potential of biology to create new innovations, like medicines or sustainable products.

We regard this as a great opportunity for us to share what we’ve learned and inspire others to think about how science can be used in the world of startups. We hope to connect with new people, share ideas, and show how research can lead to big changes.

Stay tuned for updates on our experience at Slush 2024!

Presentation In Finnish

Presentation In English

Presentation In Finnish

Bingo sheet in Finnish

Presentation in English

Bingo sheet in English

Presentation in Finnish

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Protocol in English

Our presentation

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Our presentation

Our poster

Our presentation

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