Education
Education
Our project is committed to making synthetic biology accessible and engaging while raising awareness about the environmental threat posed by golden algae blooms. Through Instagram infographics, workshops, and conference presentations, we aim to inspire and educate diverse audiences, from high school students to academics, about key topics like environmental monitoring and innovative molecular tools.
Since January, we’ve been bringing science to your feed! To broaden our audience, we selected Instagram as our primary platform for sharing engaging, bite-sized educational content. Through visually appealing infographics, we covered topics ranging from the Oder River disaster to the development of our PrymChip fluorescence detection hardware. With our posts and stories published regularly, we gained over 350 followers who actively engaged with our content through likes, comments, and shares.
Additionally, our Team Leaders – Marta and Nina – together with our instructor, Dr Paweł Jedynak, were featured on the Polish Radio 4. They discussed the pressing need for a portable test that’s easy for anyone to use, especially with the ongoing golden algae issue in our water reservoirs. You can catch their insightful chat online anytime: (Available in Polish only).
While Instagram helped us reach a broad online audience, we focused on direct engagement with high school students – the next generation of scientists and innovators. We prioritized this group because they were close in age to us, allowing for a more genuine connection.
Our first venture into education was our workshop at the Night of Biologists hosted at the Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University. The event featured a range of interactive activities – lectures, workshops, and an exhibition of exotic animals, attracting biology enthusiasts of all ages.
We hosted a talk titled “What do Sherlock Holmes and the Oder River environmental disaster have in common?”, during which we introduced 20+ high school students to our project and the fundamentals of algal blooms, molecular genetics, and CRISPR-Cas, wrapping up with an interactive quiz to reinforce key concepts.
Our team after the presentation.
Continuing our engagement with this group, we also participated in the Jagiellonian University's Open Days, where we spoke with high school students interested in pursuing a degree at JU. We believed that showcasing opportunities like iGEM could help them make more informed decisions about their future studies.
In May 2024, we co-hosted the “Fascination of Plants Day” at the Jagiellonian University. The "Fascination of Plants Day" is an international event held every two years to highlight the importance of plant research in agriculture, food production, forestry, and industries such as energy and pharmaceuticals. Our university participated with a series of activities like workshops, lectures and a tour of the botanical garden, attracting hundreds of participants.
As part of the celebration, we engaged students through an interactivefortune wheel game and discussions about synthetic biology. With questions ranging from basic genetics to advanced biotechnology techniques, students of all skill levels found something exciting to learn.
Karolina and Joanna at our stand during the Fascination of Plants Day.
Our interactive game.
Karolina and Joanna from our team engage with participating high schoolers.
In September, just a month before the Jamboree, we decided to reconnect with our roots and give back to the high schools that inspired us and shaped who we are today. Our team leader, Nina, took this opportunity to visit her hometown high school – the Jesuit Education Center in Nowy Sącz. She wanted to inspire students who are at that crucial stage of choosing their career paths and studies. During her visit, Nina shared advice on following one's passions and spoke about her journey in synthetic biology and iGEM.
For many of the students, it was their first time hearing terms like "synthetic biology" and "iGEM," which sparked a lot of curiosity. Nina was more than happy to answer their questions and engage with these bright young minds. It was a rewarding experience for everyone involved.
Nina giving a talk at her high school in Nowy Sącz.
Our team leaders were invited to speak at a special iGEM panel during the 11th Intercollegiate Biotechnology Symposium "Symbioza", hosted by the Warsaw Society of Biotechnology. “Symbioza” (meaning “Symbiosis” in Polish) is an annual student-led event that brings together young researchers and students in biotechnology and related fields to exchange knowledge and experiences to foster collaboration and celebrate diversity in scientific disciplines across Poland and beyond. Held in Warsaw, Poland, the conference features plenary lectures, student presentations, and practical workshops, alongside social events like urban games and parties.
Our team leaders, Marta and Nina, along with Mateusz Rudnicki, the Team Leader of the 2023 IFB-Gdansk team, hosted a panel titled “How to Run a Project and Never Run Out of Ideas: Lessons from the iGEM Worldwide Synthetic Biology Competition”. The discussion, featuring insights from other iGEM alumni and ambassadors, sparked excitement among ambitious students who were unfamiliar with the competition, igniting a new passion for synthetic biology. Since iGEM is still relatively unknown in Poland, with only a few teams participating, the panel generated significant interest. We hope that by taking part in events like this, we can inspire more Polish teams to join the competition in the future.
iGEM Panel at “Symbioza”.
We were also invited to speak to the master’s students in Bioinformatics at our faculty as part of their “Synthetic Biology” course. They provided us with invaluable feedback on our project and showed great interest in our work. The discussion inspired many students to consider their own research in synthetic biology, and we hope this enthusiasm will lead to another team from JU participating in the competition next year.
Nina, Marta, Karolina, Filip and Joanna after the presentation at the “Synthetic Biology” course.
Sharing our project at conferences allowed us to reach a wider academic and professional audience. It also provided our team members with valuable experience in presenting and speaking to an audience, preparing them for the Grand Jamboree.
During the final gala of the Talents of Tomorrow grant competition, the team leaders presented the idea for the project and secured funding for their implementation.
Marta and Nina at the “Talents of Tomorrow” program gala.
At the Interdisciplinary Math-Science Student Conference "Sempowisko", our team presented posters and talks on the SHERLOCK method and PrymChip fluorescence detection hardware, while other members discussed other topics related to synthetic biology.
Iga and Kasia during the Sempowisko conference.
At the Diagnostic and Biotechnological Science Conference at the Medical University of Silesia, Karolina showcased our Cas13 protein-based detection method for golden algae, emphasizing its potential in environmental monitoring. She was even awarded 1st place for her poster!
Karolina and her poster about her work on Cas13b.
In May, Marta and Nina presented a project poster at the Genomica Student Conference, sparking particularly interesting discussion on Prymnesium parvum as an organism.
Poster on the project overview at the Genomica conference, presented by Marta and Nina.
At the Cracow Biomedical Forum, Marta presented on detecting golden algae in environmental samples and the broader applications of synthetic biology in tackling algal bloom challenges. Her insightful talk earned her 1st place in the “Biochemistry” category!
Marta giving a talk during the Cracow Biomedical Forum.
Through various outreach efforts, including Instagram infographics, radio appearances, and high school workshops, we inspired and educated a diverse audience on topics like environmental monitoring and innovative molecular tools. We also connected with students and professionals through conferences and symposiums, where we shared our innovations and received valuable feedback. These activities not only expanded our reach but also prepared our team for the Grand Jamboree. We believe our efforts have been successful and hope they will lead to increased awareness of synthetic biology in Poland.
