Synthetic biology education has seen remarkable growth in recent years. Especially with the recent development of STEM education in Hong Kong, more students are now being introduced to biotechnology and synthetic biology. At ResiSense, we prioritise quality over quantity. Rather than offering generic workshops, we collaborate with different communities to identify gaps and shortcomings in the system, carefully craft each outreach event to address the specific needs of the target community and make a meaningful impact.
Regional Symposium
Building a community beyond the bench
Summertime is a peak for collaboration in iGEM, yet no official events were available for teams to mingle and exchange ideas. To fill this void, we took the initiative to form an organising committee with four other teams, co-hosting a regional symposium tailored to our specific needs.
Traditional symposiums are often less effective because each team has different areas of expertise, making it challenging to provide meaningful feedback or gain valuable insights. That was why our symposium was themed "Beyond the Bench: Bridging the Gap Between Research and Community". Rather than focusing solely on technical research presentations, our symposium raised two critical questions to each team: how they can ensure their project to be instrumental in its intended field and how they can educate the public on the issue their project addresses. We believe this approach fostered deeper discussions on the real-world impact and outreach of our synthetic biology projects.
Held at the HKU campus on 5 August 2024, our symposium accommodated ten teams and over 100 participants, creating the perfect chance for collaboration and knowledge exchange. The event was structured into three parts: team presentations, poster presentation cum networking, and expert sharing.
Team Presentations
For the team presentations, we invited experienced science communicator Dr Helen Ma and our very own PI Professor Jacky Ngo as guests to provide feedback to the participating team. A short Q&A session and targeted feedback by our guests followed each team's presentation. While Professor Ngo's insights focused on how effectively each team could address their target problem in addition to various technical critiques, Dr Ma advised us on how best to present our findings in a compelling and accessible manner, highlighting multiple effective communication strategies.
Poster Presentation cum Networking
We set up a venue at InnoWing, a free collaborative space at HKU, to allow teams to display their posters as an interlude after the presentations, and it proved to be the perfect opportunity for insightful exchanges and mingling. Teams were encouraged to visit others' panels, discuss project ideas, and offer suggestions, inspiring one another to think outside the box. This networking segment was designed to foster potential collaborations, allowing teams to form connections that could lead to future partnerships in iGEM or beyond.
Expert Sharing
Last but not least, the expert sharing segment featured Dr Helen Ma, who shared her extensive experience as a science communicator. She provided practical tips on engaging the general public with specific scientific concepts and lectured us on important considerations when presenting scientific data. The second speaker was a former iGEM team member from HKUST, who discussed the challenges they faced during their iGEM journey and how they overcame them. He offered valuable advice on progressing their projects beyond the confines of iGEM, encouraging us to think critically about the broader impact of our work.
CUHK Arts Fair
Bringing science closer to the public
In our efforts to address the misconceptions surrounding antibiotic resistance, as highlighted to be a problem in our prior discussions with Dr Helen Ma and Dr Victor Lau, we decided to start at the university level. University students are future leaders and professionals who play crucial roles in spreading accurate knowledge about the severity of antibiotic resistance. By equipping them with scientific concepts, we hope they can act as a beacon for spreading information in their household and community, raising awareness of this critical issue while combating misinformation.
Fun and Games
To further our goals, we opened a booth at the CUHK Arts Fair, a vibrant three-day promotion event where we presented information and engaged participants in conversations and interactive activities. Through informative posters and a simple card game, we educated them about the severity of antibiotic resistance and cleared up some common misconceptions surrounding antibiotic use. We also shared our project findings and methodologies with interested students, while some postgraduate students and staff engaged with us to exchange research ideas and approaches related to antibiotic resistance.
Souvenir Mini-workshop
Additionally, we wanted to introduce synthetic biology as a subject and explain the methodologies and processes involved in an iGEM project. Participants had the opportunity to get (tangential-related) hands-on experience in synthetic biology by creating Petri dish keychains. The miniature Petri dishes contained a mock culture medium made with resin, and we allowed them to design their custom bacterial patterns and draw them using white markers. This small souvenir workshop proved to be an effective way of attracting people to visit our booth, and we used the opportunity to introduce them to the streaking technique and various culture media commonly used in microbiology. We believe this interactive experience fostered a deeper understanding of synthetic biology and empowered them to become ambassadors for antibiotic awareness and education in their communities with a small trinket as a reminder.
Community Centre Children's Workshop
Inspire curiosity for synthetic biology
With the growing emphasis on STEM education, biotechnology has become a significant focus in higher education. To explore educational initiatives for younger students, we interviewed Mr Cian Wu from the Hong Kong Amgen Biotechnology Experience about their outreach programme. They offer hands-on activities, such as pipetting and gel electrophoresis, to both primary and secondary school students, as well as at community centres. For younger students, the emphasis is on engaging them in hands-on experiments rather than delving deeply into concepts. In our discussion, we proposed a more conceptual workshop centred on the underlying principles of biotechnology, with Mr Cian recommending that we start with the fundamental concept of DNA. Our workshop aimed to introduce DNA and biotechnology entertainingly and interactively. Through this initiative, we aimed to lay a solid foundation and create a positive first impression of biotechnology in the minds of young learners, paving the way for their future education in this field.
On 14 September 2024, we conducted a children's workshop at the Tsung Tsin Mission Full Grace Service Centre, a community centre located in Sham Shui Po. Using logo-like models and cartoon references, we introduced the concept of DNA and its basic structure engagingly. With the assistance of our team, participants performed the classic strawberry DNA extraction experiment, which helped illustrate how DNA exists in all organisms and convey its relevance in their everyday lives.
We also explored what a day in the life of a biotechnologist or microbiologist looks like, explaining how bacteria play a crucial role in synthetic biology and introducing the concept of streaking. In the arts & crafts session, participants had the opportunity to mimic the streaking technique by creating Petri dish keychains, similar to during the Arts Fair. This hands-on approach reinforced their understanding of microbiology and fostered excitement about the biotechnology field.
Secondary School Gel Electrophoresis Workshop
Tailoring to the local education system
School schedules are often tightly packed throughout the year in Hong Kong, where students spend much of their secondary school years preparing for the public university entrance exam, HKDSE. Many students elect to spend their weekends and after-school hours attending tutorial classes to improve their exam results.
Biotechnology was incorporated into the biology curriculum as an elective topic. As a subject that highly involves experiments, the HKDSE biology exam frequently includes experiment-based questions. However, not all schools have adequate equipment or class time to provide students with hands-on laboratory experience. Based on our past experience, students often struggle with understanding experimental principles without practical exposure and, hence, tend to perform poorly on troubleshooting questions.
Workshop Design
This workshop was held at the CUHK Life Sciences Lab on 21 September 2024. We designed it specifically for HKDSE students and tailored the teaching approach to align more closely with the exam format, making it highly relevant to their needs. Our goal was to deepen students' understanding of gel electrophoresis and equip them with the critical thinking skills required to tackle troubleshooting questions. By allowing them to experiment hands-on, we aim to solidify their conceptual grasp and boost their confidence in experimental questions.
Gel Electrophoresis Lecture and Experiment
The first part of the workshop focused on the basic understanding of gel electrophoresis, with references to past HKDSE exam papers to provide students with a sense of familiarity. We used example questions, such as the use of gel electrophoresis in forensic science, to connect theory with real-world applications. In the hands-on portion of the workshop, students started from the basics, learning essential lab skills like pipetting under the guidance of our team members and eventually loaded their gels for the experiment.
Troubleshooting Workshop
The second part of the workshop focused on developing troubleshooting skills. A brief lecture was given to teach them the fundamental steps involved in troubleshooting an experiment. Students were then given multiple images of problematic gels, and in small groups, they discussed potential issues and suggested solutions. With guidance from our team members, they learned to approach troubleshooting methodically, simultaneously enhancing their practical lab skills and exam problem-solving abilities.
Afterword
We are proud to say that we successfully filled the class, teaching over 20 students from multiple schools, with no small part attributing to us tailoring the content to align with the HKDSE curriculum closely. We were thrilled to have had the opportunity to connect with local secondary school students. We send them our best wishes for their public exams and hope we managed to spark an interest in synthetic biology that shall sprout in their coming years of study.
HKUST YSIP Guest Speaker
Guidance for future scientists
On 27 August 2024, we were invited to HKUST to participate in the Youth Scientist Incubation Programme (YSIP)'s final presentation and biotech career-building day. YSIP is a summer initiative by the HKUST iGEM team that aimed to deepen secondary school students' understanding of synthetic biology and provide them with first-hand experience working on a mini iGEM project. During the final presentation, the students showcased the projects they had developed over the summer, simulating the iGEM experience.
As iGEM participants and STEM undergraduates, we provided feedback on the feasibility and creativity of their projects, offering insights on how they could refine their ideas further. We also shared our experiences pursuing STEM majors, discussing the pathways to a career in life sciences and how to translate the skills gained from iGEM into undergraduate studies and the workplace.
Nearing the end of the event, we mingled with the secondary schoolers, answering their questions about academic pursuits and career planning and offering advice on navigating the world of synthetic biology. By speaking at this event as a guest, we hoped to guide these aspiring young scientists as they take their first steps into the world of STEM and synthetic biology.
CityU Synthetic Biology Talk Guest Speaker
Education beyond Hong Kong
On 27 July 2024, we collaborated with the CityU iGEM team as guest lecturers for their online synthetic biology talk "Biohacking for a Better World", aimed at global secondary school students. This workshop allowed students to understand better how synthetic biology can be leveraged to address real-world challenges while connecting with the passionate researchers behind this innovative field. Recognising that many secondary school students are often new to synthetic biology and may feel overwhelmed by the extensive research concepts presented, we aimed to provide a more accessible introduction as the first guest lecturers. Our goal was to guide them in navigating the day's lectures and understanding synthetic biology in a more relatable way.
Delivered by our very own biochemistry student Jeffrey Chau and biomedical engineering student Fiona Lam, our presentation shared our journey in iGEM and offered insights on how to enter the field of synthetic biology. We also provided an overview of synthetic biology, citing recent developments and other teams' and our contributions to the field. By emphasising practical applications and real-world relevance, we hoped to inspire students and encourage them to explore synthetic biology further, empowering them to become future innovators.
Instagram Posts
Garnering public engagement
We used Instagram as a platform for the public to engage with and learn more about our iGEM project. Beyond just updates, it also served as an interactive educational tool where we featured a series of posts dedicated to teaching synthetic biology to our target audience. Our first three posts covered the basics of synthetic biology (1, 2, 3), specifically designed for beginners who are new to the field. Once our followers have grasped these fundamentals, we introduced examples and shared news (1, 2) related to the latest developments in synthetic biology in subsequent posts, keeping our audience engaged and involved.
Our Instagram stories aimed to be approachable and relatable, offering a glimpse into our day-to-day work and team dynamics. This helped create a friendly and down-to-earth atmosphere where anyone can ask questions directly. Through this engagement, we hoped to foster a supportive community eager to learn about synthetic biology.