An essential part of our team's agenda for education was visiting schools in Bangalore and also across the country, to speak to students about our project and also inspire them to take up research in STEM and Synthetic Biology.
Avani, Parth, Anurag, Suvam and several other members from the team undertook this task over the course of the summer of 2024, when they went back to their hometowns, as well as in various schools in Bangalore. Across several sessions in different schools, we covered several key areas, which are outlined below.
One of the first presentations we curated focused on showcasing research and academia as burgeoning, attractive fields by talking about some of the impressive ongoing work in the world. One of our presentations, targeted towards 10th grade students, aimed to encourage them to take up the Science stream in 11th and 12th. Another presentation was geared towards 11th and 12th grade Science stream students, with the aim of making them realise that research is a legitimate career path, and there is much more to do beyond engineering and medicine, which are the traditional career choices in India.
In several schools, we also spoke about Synthetic Biology and its massive contributions to making our everyday lives more facile. We introduced basic concepts in an accessible way without using jargon, with the goal of exposing bright young minds to new prospects. We explained the principles of genetic engineering, and also laid due emphasis on the importance of ethical practices, and understanding Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC).
School visits also gave us the golden opportunity to present AptalXero to students from grades 9th to 12th. We explained the rationale behind our idea of choosing neurodegenerative diseases as our focus, and went on to talk about how we later shifted our focus to proteinopathies in general. The students were excited to learn that we, as young undergraduates, were making an effort to contribute to existing endeavours to cure a long-standing problem. We also spread awareness about Alzheimer's Disease and some of the misconceptions surrounding it, such as how many Indians mistake Alzheimer's and dementia for 'simple aging.' We explained the importance of early diagnosis in controlling the severity of the disease. The audience was saddened to hear some of the stories we had heard about patients of neurodegenerative disorders, and we encouraged them to spread awareness about such diseases in their local environments.
We emphasised the importance of Foundational Advance as our track, and how research is never done in silos. There is an increasing need for awareness and continuity in research. As we talked about what the research sector looks like, we explained that every scientist has a fundamental duty to be honest and ethical about his work, and that a good scientist is always well-aware of other ongoing work in the field.
