1. Overview

We are the first iGEM team at Shanghai North America International School, with approximately 400 high school students. We have established an iGEM club at the school to promote knowledge of synthetic biology. We regularly hold lectures on synthetic biology and iGEM corner science popularization columns at the school, which have sparked discussions on synthetic biology and received attention and praise from teachers and students.

As a school team, we have a significant advantage: we can carry out many activities within the school to enhance the impact of iGEM on the campus. Therefore, we have specifically applied for iGEM dedicated classrooms, set up iGEM corners, and regularly update our educational content every month. We are very united and actively participate in various science popularization activities both on and off campus, showcasing synthetic biology education and our research topic to a wider audience. We hope to make our school's iGEM corner a benchmark and a replicable promotional model. Our future plan is to expand to other international schools in the surrounding area, promote iGEM to enter the campus, and let more students understand synthetic biology and iGEM.

2. School Education

2.1 iGEM Corner

We have applied for a dedicated classroom at our school for our iGEM activities, where we discuss topics, plan events, and conduct research interviews. It is here that we carry out in-school science popularization and promotional activities. On our display wall, in addition to recording our work schedule, we have also launched a series of iGEM popular science courses. To date, we have released four sessions of these courses:

1. Safety: In our research, safety is of utmost importance, which is why the first session of our iGEM series of popular science courses focuses on safety. We introduce to the students the methods to ensure laboratory safety and the safety issues that individuals need to pay attention to during the experimental process. We hope that the students can understand the importance of safety and ensure that the research can proceed smoothly.

2. Research Methods of Synthetic Biology: Our main research area in participating in iGEM is the field of synthetic biology. We need to understand the research methods of synthetic biology so that we can better carry out our project.

3. CRISPR-Cas9: Taking the CRISPR-Cas9 technology in gene editing as an example, we conducted a popular science lecture on experimental techniques for the students. CRISPR-Cas9 achieves precise gene editing by designing specific sgRNA to guide the Cas9 enzyme to the target DNA sequence.

4. Amylose Science: Our research subject is sweet potato starch, hence we conducted a science popularization session on the types of starch, focusing on amylose and the differences between amylose and amylopectin, emphasizing the value of our research.

The iGEM series of science popularization courses have attracted a lot of attention in our school and have been praised by teachers. Introducing more students to iGEM and encouraging them to join is something we will continue to do in the future. We have also launched a synthetic biology science popularization suggestion box in school to collect scientific topics that students are interested in, in order to optimize our science popularization content and attract more interested students.

2.2 School Science Lecture

On September 3rd, we held a popular science lecture on our topic and synthetic biology at school. Many students and teachers interested in the field of biological gene editing technology participated in the event. We also showcased the peripheral products designed and produced by our team on site, which were loved by teachers and students who purchased them to support our iGEM activities. The teacher from the Student Development Center stated that the promotion of synthetic biology as an emerging scientific field in schools is limited, and our activities have filled this gap. We hope to hold more similar scientific lectures in the future, so that students can deepen their understanding of the application and development of synthetic biology from shallow to deep. We are also deeply gratified that this activity is very meaningful.

3. Public Education

3.1 Elderly Community Diabetes Health Lecture

The lecture was held in the elderly community, and the theme was around the basic knowledge of diabetes, healthy diet, anti-sugar food and the promotion of gene editing technology on the health value of food. In order to enhance the sense of participation, interactive Q&A and game sessions were also designed in the lecture, aiming to improve the elderly's awareness of diabetes and self-management ability.

We also asked the elderly who participated in the activity about their views and acceptance of anti-sugar foods, and conducted research on their potential customers for the development of anti-sugar foods. They were most concerned about the product's functions and features, which provided us with valuable suggestions for product design in the future and helped us open up ideas for business.

We received a lot of attention and praise from community workers. We hope to carry out more popular science activities in the community in the future to reach a wider audience. This approach has been recognized for its effectiveness, as demonstrated by the positive feedback from community workers and the active engagement of the audience during the live event. It's encouraging to see such enthusiasm, and we look forward to organizing more events like these to foster a greater understanding of iGEM and synthetic biology within the community.

3.2 Synthetic Biology: A Journey Through the Design of Life

On August 3rd, we collaborated with three other iGEM teams to conduct a joint iGEM popular science event. Starting with the social issue of diabetes, we introduced the background of our research and our goal to improve the yield of amylose in sweet potatoes through gene-editing methods, thereby developing healthy low-GI foods. This event also integrated fundraising activities; we designed products and brochures, hoping that visitors would gain an understanding of iGEM and provide support for our research.

At the end of the education, we interviewed guests on site, who spoke highly of our educational efforts. We will continue to bring more high-quality promotional content to the public.

3.3 WeChat Live

Network dissemination is currently one of the most efficient and widely spread forms, so we have chosen online live streaming to strengthen the popularization of synthetic biology and iGEM. We will start by introducing different types of starch, explaining the differences between amylose and amylopectin, and how to use synthetic biology research methods to improve sweet potato genes and increase the content of amylose, so that the public can understand the application of synthetic biology in practical problems.

During the live broadcast, it sparked lively discussions among the audience. Some viewers asked about iGEM competition related questions, and we also provided introductions to iGEM competition for interested students. We hope more people will pay attention to iGEM.

Our primary media platforms are WeChat Official Accounts, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu. The content mainly features our daily work with iGEM and popular science related to synthetic biology. Our live broadcasts are aired on the WeChat Video Account platform. This particular live broadcast attracted over 300 new followers. By consistently updating our content, we aim to attract more people to follow iGEM and engage with synthetic biology.