Primary School

To promote our project in a wider range, stimulate children's interest of synthetic biology and encourage them to throw themselves in related field in the future, an activity was held in a primary school. We entrusted several local teachers to illustrate our project and popularize gene circuit and synthetic biology after our training. This spectacular class began with our project problem: shortage of sleep, which aroused children's interest and introduced following popularization of synthetic biology. We than interpreted synthetic biology with popular metaphor, encouraging children to share their understanding of gene circuit.The children were concentrated during speech and actively engaged in interaction part, seem deeply attracted. Some children also drew pictures to show their harvest. We spoke with teachers present and they expressed that atmosphere on spot was lively and the activity was intriguing and meaningful.

In order to promote our project on a wider scale, stimulate children's interest in synthetic biology and encourage them to pursue a career in related fields in the future, we organised an event at a primary school. We enlisted the assistance of several local teachers, who were duly trained to elucidate the fundamental tenets of our project to the children. The objective was to disseminate a basic comprehension of synthetic biology. The intriguing lesson commenced with an examination of the project problem, namely sleep deprivation. This proved an effective method of capturing the children's attention, facilitating a comprehensive and engaging presentation on the subject of sleep. Synthetic biology was elucidated through the use of accessible analogies, and the children were encouraged to articulate their comprehension of the material covered in class. The children displayed a keen interest in the presentations and actively engaged in the interactive sessions, thereby demonstrating a notable increase in knowledge about synthetic biology, which was the primary objective of the event. It is hoped that this meaningful activity will encourage more children to learn about synthetic biology and to consider pursuing careers in this field, thus creating a pathway for their own achievements.

Senior High School

The Lecture in Changjun High School International Department

We have organized a series of lectures for high school students, aimed at helping them gain a better understanding of synthetic biology and showing its social benefits. On September 26th, we delivered a lecture on synthetic biology at Changjun High School International Department in Changsha. During the event, we introduced the fundamental concepts underlying synthetic biology and its practical applications to the students. We also encouraged them to share their thoughts and make connections between synthetic biology and what they learn in their high school biology curriculum. Additionally, we engaged in discussions about their opinions on the iGEM competition and why it is so fascinating to us. Our objective was to ignite their curiosity in the field of synthetic biology and cultivate their interest in participating in the iGEM competition.

The Lecture in The First High School of Changsha

After the lecture in Changjun High School International Department, students gained a better understanding of synthetic biology. Based on their suggestions, we adjusted the content and added a brief introduction of our team project to the lecture at Changsha No.1 Middle School on September 27th. The lecture provided the high school students with a more visualized understanding of the research significance, development history, and research areas of synthetic biology while introducing the iGEM competition from a more interesting perspective - the history of web interface development.

Figure 1. Questionnaire data analysis chart

Before the lecture, we assessed the students' understanding of synthetic biology through a brief questionnaire. 78.13% of the students indicated that they were familiar with the subject but lacked a deep comprehension, while the remaining students had no prior knowledge of synthetic biology at all. However, to our delight, there has been a significant improvement in their understanding after our engaging lecture. Today's lecture content was fully comprehended by 37.50% of the students, and most of it was understood by 56.25%. Our lecture successfully ignited their enthusiasm for learning about research related to synthetic biology.

National Science Popularization Day activities

Summarize

The National Science Popularization Day is a significant event in China that aims to promote the spread of science. It takes place during the last two weeks of September and involves a variety of activities throughout the country. On September 20, in response to the national call, we collaborated with five competition teams from various directions and organized a "Popular Science Bazaar" at the library. As one of the initiators of this event, we meticulously designed a plethora of engaging activities that not only disseminated knowledge on synthetic biology and sleep hygiene to the general public but also fostered their curiosity towards synthetic biology while raising awareness about sleep health.

Preliminary preparation

In the initial phase of the event, we collaborated with other teams to create promotional posters and disseminate tweets in order to comprehensively publicize the event.

Activity details

Our team devised three distinct activities: watching a promotional video for check-in purposes, participating in a synthetic biology knowledge quiz for a chance to win prizes, and engaging in an enjoyable "biology turtle soup" activity. The diverse and captivating content facilitates participants' effortless and active acquisition of knowledge about synthetic biology. Simultaneously, due to our efforts in raising awareness about sleep hygiene and safety, participants have also displayed significant interest in our project.

Regarding prize design, apart from incorporating relevant literature and innovative items, we will include aromatherapy essential oils that have been scientifically proven to be effective as one of the rewards. This approach will enable the public to genuinely experience the significance of this project and even synthetic biology's potential impact on their future lives, thereby ensuring continuity and fostering far-reaching influence.