Overview
The human practices aspects of our project, FluoroFind, consisted of identifying stakeholders, educating the general public about synthetic biology, interviewing stakeholders, and collaborating with other schools to discuss and present. Through these different methods, we aimed to ensure that our project not only advances in scientific understanding of biosensors, but also engages in multi-directional communication with the community to make a difference for the future of synthetic biology.
Each of the stakeholders we interviewed provided us with a different perspective on our project, allowing us to adjust our project and our future directions to better align with our goal of creating a project that is useful in the real world. Talking with scientists working within the field of synthetic biology helped us determine our immediate next steps to make progress on the project. Interviews with farmers, government scientists, and private sector scientists helped us understand some of the ways FluoroFind’s findings could be implemented into the daily work of scientists.
Project Inspiration
FluoroFind started with our identification of the growing need for precise, real-time, and accessible detection of various molecules. Within healthcare, these detections can help with rapid, accurate, and minimally invasive medical diagnostics by detecting biomarkers for diseases such as glucose for diabetes management, cardiac markers for heart diseases, or proteins for viral infections. Another important field for detection is environmental monitoring. Monitoring pollutants include detecting heavy metals, pesticides, or plastics. These varying issues inspired us to focus on detection by building our research on the development of biosensors. We hope our project works towards the advancement in biosensors that can hopefully lead to improvements in the vast fields of healthcare and environmental monitoring. We made sure to include integrated human practices into every step of our project to ensure that FlouroFind aligns with the needs of our stakeholders and upholds our goal of creating positive change through synthetic biology.
Stakeholders
In order to determine the best way to engage with our community, we decided to classify our stakeholders by the influence they could exert on our project and their possible interest in our project [1]. This helped us determine which demographics we should prioritize our outreach towards.
Email Template
In order to start a conversation with our stakeholders, we relied on both previous connections and cold emailing. We tried to ensure that each email was personalized to the receiver and included sufficient information about our project and goals to increase the likelihood that the possible interviewee would respond.
Interview methodology:
While working with our stakeholders, we used a 4-step framework to help us stay organized with the communication completed with stakeholders. This framework also helped us reflect on and implement stakeholder suggestions in an effective manner:
Goal: Determine the goal of our communication. What information or feedback do we want to gain or give through this interaction?
Method of communication: Determine the method through which we could best communicate with and continue to connect with stakeholders. What would be the most effective medium of communication?
Analysis of suggestions: Unpack any recommendations made on our project. How does this stakeholder's unique perspective provide us with new avenues to develop our project?
Implementation: Apply changes to our project based on our analysis of suggestions. How might we incorporate what we have learned from this stakeholder's perspective into our project?
Interview Details
Dr. Ahmed Badran - PI of Badran lab and Assistant Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology at Scripps Research Institute
FluoroFind is a project designed to fundamentally advance the field of synthetic biology by creating tools that can be used by other scientists. For this reason, scientists involved within the field of synthetic biology are a key stakeholder with both high interest in our project and a high amount of influence on the final product of FluoroFind. Dr. Badran, as a distinguished innovator in the field of synthetic biology, was essential in shaping the direction our project progressed in. Dr. Badran suggested that we work on making more data available for scientists to use to build biosensors. Engineers require data to build systems, however, the lack of data and literature available on existing biosensors in certain fields can make it difficult to begin and continue projects. The data collected as a part of the FluoroFind project could be a great starting point to develop biosensor technology, opening the door for future research. His suggestions on investigating other molecules inspired us to develop a machine learning component to our project which could help push further advancement in the creation of a biosensor-related data repertoire.
Goal: Our goal for this interview was to understand the direct impact that our work on FluoroFind could have on scientists as well as determine the best path for our project to progress on.
Method of communication: We completed this interview through Zoom to foster clear communication and encourage delving deeper into any particularly interesting points.
Analysis of suggestions: Dr. Badran was able to give us insight into the way that a synthetic biologist might approach the creation of biosensors. He highlighted that FluoroFind could address the issue of a lack of quality data by generating valuable data repertoires for other scientists to use in their projects. His insights also pointed out the need for biosensors with a broad dynamic range and low cooperativity, which are crucial for accuracy.
Implementation: Dr. Badran's suggestions helped shape the foundational goal of our project. His contributions also inspired us to create a machine learning element that helps accelerate data analysis and expand the number of molecules that we can test against the promoters without actually conducting a physical screen. This element makes the process of testing much more accessible to scientists to make the process of biosensor creation more resource-effective. Overall, Dr. Badran's input confirmed the potential impact of our project on the field and prompted us to focus on expanding our data collection and optimizing biosensor performance.
David Lanster - PhD candidate, Skaggs-Oxford Graduate Fellow
Since FluoroFind's focus is to develop data that can be used by scientists to create biosensors in the future, we wanted to make sure that our project was easily applicable to the research activity of our main target audience. Mr. Lanster, a scientist working in the field of synthetic biology, stated that the data we collected is valuable information that could be used by other scientists as inspiration for their own projects. These scientists may use our data as a foundation for their own research and to prove replicability in their results, especially if they are working with the same molecules as us. Scientists interested in molecules beyond the ten we chose for our experiment can also use the same promoter setup to screen the promoter library against any other molecule.
Goal: Our goal for this interview was to determine some immediate future directions related to how FluoroFind could be applied to the creation of biosensors.
Method of communication: We completed this interview through Zoom to foster clear communication and encourage delving deeper into any particularly interesting points.
Analysis of suggestions: Mr. Lanster suggested that our project would be useful as a baseline foundation for scientists interested in a variety of molecules. Our project’s data could be either used as is or as a template for the analysis of other molecules beyond the scope of our project.
Implementation: This interview inspired us to create theoretical parts which could be used in the future by scientists who want to use our data to create their own biosensors. We would also like to design an open source data platform based on the work created in our project that scientists can use to create their biosensors.
Jenny Holtermann (Almond Girl Jenny) - Almond farmer in California's Central Valley
Farmers, especially those who may use pesticides within their work, are important stakeholders within our project's application stage. Mrs. Holtermann is a 4th generation farmer who considers herself to be a “steward of the soil” based on her motivation to farm in a sustainable manner to eventually pass on her farm to future generations. A key finding we took from Mrs. Holtermann’s interview was about the use of technology on a farm. Many aspects of her family’s farming techniques, like her water management and pesticide use, was managed through sensors and data analysis. Technology that helped bridge the gap between collecting data on the crops and taking action helped her make scientific decisions about her farming techniques. This helped us understand how data collected with biosensors alongside technology traditionally used on a farm could help her farm more efficiently and sustainably, showing us that our project could have reasonable applications in the real world. Ultimately, the interview inspired us to consider how our project might help improve pesticide monitoring systems in the agricultural industry within the future. Mrs. Holtermann also provided us with details on how pesticide and chemical use is regulated and monitored by the Department of Pesticide Regulation, opening up ideas for future stakeholder communication.
Goal: Our goal for this interview was to determine possible future directions related to how FluoroFind could be applied in the real world.
Method of communication: We completed this interview through Zoom to foster clear communication and encourage delving deeper into any particularly interesting points.
Analysis of suggestions: Mrs. Holtermann's interview provided deeper insight into the particulars of pesticide use in the agricultural industry. Specifically, Mrs. Holtermann provided us with an inside look into the technology used within a farm to monitor and apply pesticides as well as how applications made from FluoroFind may be incorporated into sustainable and effective farm practices. Her insights into pesticide regulation also sparked ideas for how our project could support broader industry monitoring efforts and align with environmental regulations.
Implementation: In the future, we would like to work more closely with the end users of the products created from FluoroFind's applications to ensure that our product is applicable to the specific needs of the end user (farmers in this case) and is compatible with their existing environmental monitoring technology. We also aim to work with regulatory bodies to ensure that our biosensors contribute to both farm efficiency and compliance with environmental standards, making them practical and impactful tools in agriculture.
Dr. Robert Budd - Environmental scientist at CA Department of Pesticide Regulation
After speaking with Mrs. Holtermann, we realized that pesticide monitoring and regulation is a complex field and requires the input of many different parties. For this reason, we reached out to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to understand how governmental agencies might be able to use FluoroFind's findings within their own environmental monitoring. Dr. Robert Budd, a member of the Department's Surface Water Protection Program, provided suggestions related to direct implementation of biosensors in environmental pollution detection. Particularly, he directed us to focus on the level at which we can detect chemicals which is important for determining toxicity. This inspired us to test the promoters over a range of concentrations. His comments also further confirmed a need for our project. Dr. Budd confirmed that monitoring the concentration of contaminants is key in protecting the environment. However, chemical analysis can be resource-intensive and the development of cost effective and quick methods that can be easily used within the field could be game-changing for the efficiency of environmental monitoring.
Goal: Our goal for this interview was to determine possible future directions related to how FluoroFind could be applied in the real world.
Method of communication: We completed this interview through email to enable us to reach beyond our circle and connect with scientists who might have different schedules than us.
Analysis of suggestions: Dr. Budd's interview helped us drill down to the specifics of how FluoroFind might be applied to environmental monitoring. He confirmed that our project is necessary and gave us suggestions on which areas to focus on (level of contaminants). Additionally, we recognized that real-world applications of FluoroFind must prioritize both accuracy and efficiency.
Implementation: Based on Dr. Budd's suggestions, we adjusted our approach to focus on testing the sensitivity of our biosensors across a range of chemical concentrations. This would allow us to better understand the detection thresholds for various contaminants, which is critical in environmental monitoring and pesticide regulation. The Department of Pesticide is a key stakeholder since regulatory agencies are essential parties in enacting environmental protection action, a goal that aligns with the goal of FluoroFind. We hope to further collaborate with these agencies to ensure that FluoroFind's applications are efficient and feasible to be used in field scenarios.
Dr. Yiwen Jan - Industry Scientist
Though many of the molecules we tested within our project were environment-related, biosensors as a whole have applications in many fields beyond environmental science, including biomedicine. Biosensors have been previously used within COVID-19 antibody tests, cytokine assays, and immunohistochemistry detection. FluoroFind could help the development of these applications by providing data for and a template procedure for the discovery of new pairings that could be used to create biosensors.
Goal: Our goal for this interview was to determine possible future directions related to how FluoroFind could be applied in the real world.
Method of communication: We completed this interview on Zoom to foster clear communication and encourage delving deeper into any particularly interesting points.
Analysis of suggestions: Dr. Jan's interview helped us consider what our project's applications could look like on a broader scale. Biomedicine is a key field we hope to explore within the future and Dr. Jan's suggestions helped us envision what steps we need to take to make our work applicable to the discipline. Dr. Jan also asked us about the safety of our use of E. coli in our project. This would be an important point to explore in both our agriculture and biomedicine applications as people may be hesitant to expose even safe strains of E. coli to food and humans.
Implementation: To apply our work to biomedicine, we would certainly have to expand our range of molecules being tested and consider the ethical and safety concerns that inherently accompany work related to biomedicine. The implementation of biosensors within medicine would require direct involvement and input of medical professionals and bioethicists. We would also like to ensure that our future product has the correct level of sensitivity to function with smaller amounts of samples so that we are not exposing soil, humans, and any other places we may gather samples from to E. coli bacteria.
Implementation
How have we implemented stakeholder info into our project, what reflection tools did we use, and how are we helping our community and mitigating harm?
At the start of our project, we focused on the immediate applications of FluoroFind by consulting with scientists, particularly those in the field of synthetic biology. Early conversations with experts like Dr. Ahmed Badran allowed us to refine our experimental approach and gather essential feedback on how our data could be used to develop biosensors. This scientific foundation ensured that FluoroFind’s initial direction was grounded in technical feasibility, addressing the needs of researchers who would use our findings for further biosensor development.
As we progressed, we explored future directions by broadening our discussions to include industry and government stakeholders, such as Mrs. Jenny Holtermann from the agricultural sector and Dr. Robert Budd from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. These interviews expanded our understanding of how FluoroFind could be applied in real-world scenarios, beyond the lab. For example, Mrs. Holtermann highlighted the importance of integrating biosensors with existing farming technologies, while Dr. Budd’s feedback emphasized the need for efficient and cost-effective environmental monitoring methods.
We implemented this feedback using a feedback loop approach, continually reflecting on stakeholder insights to adjust the project’s scope. For example, we plan to design future biosensors in a manner that only requires the testing of small amounts of soil to minimize bacterial exposure, ensuring responsible environmental practices.
Furthermore, we committed to open-source data sharing, making the data from FluoroFind accessible to a wide range of users, including farmers and local labs. This approach promotes equitable access to our findings, encouraging collaboration across different sectors.
Lastly, we remain focused on community engagement, taking care to align our project with environmental and societal needs. By incorporating feedback from various stakeholders, we ensure that FluoroFind contributes meaningfully to both scientific progress and sustainable practices, while proactively mitigating any potential harm.
General Public Engagement
Science requires funding and buy-in from the general public to achieve its purposes and create change in society as a whole. For this reason, we considered engaging the general public with content related synthetic biology and biosensors. Our main action within this category was our annual beach survey. Within this event, we headed to our local beach to interview and educate people about our project. The beach surveys helped us understand just how important it was to engage the general public within synthetic biology.
Most respondents, despite not knowing very much about synthetic biology, expressed an interest in the environmental applications of biosensors and our project as a whole. This shows that interest in FluoroFind and synthetic biology as a whole could be excited with proper engagement and clear explanations of the science. Many respondents also seemed a bit hesitant to say that they knew much about science or were confident in their ability to understand scientific concepts. Reaching out to these people to help introduce them to synthetic biology with care could be beneficial in improving visibility of the field and public participation in science.
This is why we created the FluoroFinders app. Our app, FlouroFinders, was created to promote education regarding synthetic biology. Because many people didn't understand or know a lot about synthetic biology, as gathered by our interviewing and surveying, we used our app as an education feature explaining synthetic biology in various areas. Examples of the applications we talked about were: farming, medicine, and protecting the environment. Through feedback from users of the app in the form of a multiple choice quiz, we found that those who interacted with the app showed a much higher comprehension of synthetic biology information compared to those that didn't.
We also included information about our detailed research project on biosensors, which helped serve as a way to teach generations about science and showcase our work. By sharing this information in a simple format, we hope to encourage more people to ask questions while learning about new scientific ideas. This app holds key value in starting those important conversations.
We also hosted a community symposium and presented our project at a STEM fair to facilitate more public engagement with our project and synthetic biology as a whole. These experiences further bolstered public participation in our project as they provided a place for us to both educate the general public and prompt discussion about what impact FluoroFind might have on society as a whole.
Interschool Symposium
Our team, along with three other local high school iGEM teams, CCA, Westview, and Rancho Bernardo, came together at a symposium in which we were able to share our project. Our goal for this meeting was to highlight and educate the importance of our project not only through a research lens but also through a human practices lens. Through this symposium, we had the opportunity to give and receive constructive criticism and educate about what biosensors are and their purpose. By sharing insights and strategies, we were able to harness different perspectives that enriched our understanding of the challenges we faced.
At the symposium, we also discussed the ethics and safety behind each project. Since our project is environmentally heavy, we explored the precautions behind the projects, to ensure that everything we did was environmentally safe and not disrupting natural habitats. Each school shared what they did to ensure that everything they did did not harm the environment, and gave each other feedback on our contributions to the environment.
We were also able to foster a sense of unity among the symposium participants. This way for upcoming years, opportunities for collaboration will be unlocked within San Diego iGEM teams.
Summary
Ultimately, our communication with scientists, industry and government stakeholders, and the general public was key in developing our project goals and our future directions. By consulting with synthetic biologists, we refined the scientific basis of our project, ensuring its necessity, feasibility, and relevance to the research community. We plan to take actions like creating an open source database of our project data to allow scientists to have equitable access to data that could expand their ability to create biosensors. Engaging with industry professionals and farmers, like Mrs. Holtermann, expanded our understanding of how biosensors could be integrated into real-world applications, especially in agriculture. Regulatory stakeholders, such as Dr. Budd from the Department of Pesticide Regulation, provided essential insights into environmental monitoring needs and confirmed the importance of our project’s practical outcomes. Through public engagement, including beach surveys and app development, we fostered broader awareness of synthetic biology, ensuring that our work contributes positively to both scientific and societal progress. FluoroFind's foundation in stakeholder-driven feedback and public engagement ensures it is positioned to make a meaningful impact across multiple fields.
Each of the stakeholders we interviewed provided us with a different perspective on our project, allowing us to adjust our project and our future directions to better align with our goal of creating a project that is useful in the real world. Talking with scientists working within the field of synthetic biology helped us determine our immediate next steps to make progress on the project. Interviews with farmers, government scientists, and private sector scientists helped us understand some of the ways FluoroFind’s findings could be implemented into the daily work of scientists.
References:
[1] Rabinowitz, P. (n.d.). Chapter 7. Encouraging Involvement in Community Work | Section 8. Identifying and Analyzing Stakeholders and Their Interests. Community Tool Box. Retrieved September 2024.
