Education’s very first project was centered around spreading real world applications of synthetic biology to others; more specifically, we wanted to show them the presence of GMOs in our food industry. Therefore, we created a GMO Handbook, describing 9 foods that were modified in a lab and sold in stores today. Ranging from the purple tomato to cheese, this handbook gives a detailed summary of what the problem is, how the food was modified, and what its impact is on the world today. We created and distributed this during future events, like the GMO bake sale and the workshops. 

After our interview with Ms. Chrisitna Agapakis, we were really inspired by the influence of Bioethics and Biotechnology on our day to day life and how there are so many overlapping ideas that we could use in Human Practices. This impact inspired us to create a Bioethics handbook, explaining background information on bioethics and its relation to Heparin and synthetic biology. This handbook provides an introduction to bioethics, heparin and heparin’s applications. We then explain the ethical implications and issues of sourcing Heparin from pigs. We address these issues in relation to all of our interviews and implement expert’s comments into this handbook. We further explained the ethical benefits of synthesizing heparin specifically addressing the ethical issues centered around Heparin. Case studies, real world applications and future directions and plans of Heparin wraps up our handbook!

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To further expand followers’ knowledge about synthetic biology, Education co-leads Ashley Choi and Vidyuth Sathish created a podcast talking about a variety of topics ranging from their group’s project, heparin, to artificial intelligence and its effect on the healthcare industry. Each episode is about 4-7 minutes long, and talks about the situation and zooms out to give the listener the “big picture” and how said topic is influencing that industry. From their very first episode on the 10th of August, 2024, to about a month later in September; this podcast has reached nearly 400 people in our community.

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On the 16th of August, the Education and Design teams went to BioBuilder and presented a milk protein separation lab, along with their project pitch. Before the presentation, Michael and Vidyuth prepared the protein separation lab (procedure below). While they were prepping the lab, Mana and Nico presented the design aspect of our heparin project. 
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Education followed up the presentation with the milk protein separation lab, and handed out the protocols to each group. After the students returned to their seats, Michael explained to the group what had happened in the experiment, noting the enzyme in pineapple (bromelain), and how it separated the milk proteins. Afterwards, Nico and Michael walked around the room offering advice on their research projects while Vidyuth created a graph with the students’ data. A few parts of the graph are inconsistent with the desired result; but we can attribute this to human error, as most students conceded that they had run into problems during the experiment. We also adjusted the protocol with feedback from the students and teachers of BioBuilder (also below); and sent a survey for the students to fill out, asking about their thoughts on the experiment and the lecture. After spending about 30 minutes asdareflecting on their ideas, the BOSLab team thanked the group and left.

Below are the procedures for the lab and the results of the lab data with a photo comparing the solutions of concentration 0.0mg/mL and 0.9mg/mL.
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To reach younger audiences, BOSLab hosted a workshop centered around synthetic biology; specifically, we wanted children ages 9-12 to learn about what synthetic biology is, how it feels to run experiments while following protocols, and ultimately give them a deeper understanding of science’s influence on the world today. On Wednesday, September 25, 2024; we hosted The Art of Synbio: A BOSLab Workshop. 

The workshop started with an understanding of what DNA was, and how it makes us who we are. Through two quick activities, the Line Up Game and This or That, we were able to get this message across, before starting our Strawberry DNA Extraction Experiment to give the children a sense of what it feels like to follow protocols and conduct experiments. We also gave them the opportunity to make origami DNA double helices if they finished early. Following this, we conducted our final activity: Make Your Own Superhero. This was a competition between two groups to find a solution to 2 hard-to-solve conflicts: oil spills and global warming. The key to this exercise was mixing and matching parts of different objects to create a solution, something commonly done in synthetic biology. Using their collaboration skills to creatively draw up a solution, each group tested their skills in terms of working together to create a masterful product (as shown?). We ended the workshop with a reflective conversation on how the activities corresponded with the real world, and gave out the comics about our heparin project to teach them about a real-world application of synthetic biology in a fun way.

To target a college audience, we plan on presenting a 30-45 minute presentation of the design of our heparin project in the next month to give college students insight into the presence of synthetic biology in society with the goal of showing Northeastern students an idea of a real-world problem and how synthetic biology can influence it. Our goal is NOT to tell people that it is going to save the world, but it gives them an idea of how much power synthetic biology can have on the world.

Another future project that we are planning is an event with the Youth Development Organization (YDO) at Phillips Academy Andover, where we would interact with 7-9 year olds through fun projects like the Strawberry DNA Extraction Lab and coloring the comics that we handed out at the BOSLab Workshop. Through this engaging workshop, we aim to introduce young students to engagement with scientific experiments, the process of heparin sourcing, and awareness about the significance of biosynthetic heparin in medicine; and ultimately foster curiosity and an early interest in science to future generations.

“Synthetic biology, just like any other science, is a concept that shouldn’t be gate kept in any way; it should be a mural visible from all parts of the world. And our project is just one step in the direction of attaining that goal. Synthetic biology isn’t something that will necessarily “save the world”, but it will most definitely influence our world dramatically, hopefully for the better.“‍ 
~ Vidyuth Sathish, Education Co-Lead

Communities around the world are so impoverished that the concept of synthetic biology has never taken precedence over what their next meal is going to be. In fact; most communities, impoverished or not, aren’t exposed to the tools required to become interested in the world of biology; our goal was to change that. Giving the gift of knowledge to the world, whether adults or children, is a huge part of being an educator; and our subteam strived to create spaces where mutual learning and shared knowledge is celebrated. Even after the competition ends, we hope to continue on this educational journey and influence thousands of people in Boston for the better.