Team CyanoVolt organized a series of educational activities for the Rochester community and a global audience. We centered our outreach on creativity and environmental themes, reflecting our project's focus on the climate crisis. Through both in-person and online engagement, we connected with over 4,000 individuals. CyanoVolt aims to demonstrate how synthetic biology can be integrated into everyday life, inspiring the public to embrace creativity and realize science’s potential for positive change in the world!
When developing outreach ideas, we knew we wanted to incorporate creativity and art since our team shares a strong appreciation for it. In our research, we discovered the significant role art can play in learning. According to the University of Florida’s Masters of Arts in Art Education program, art introduces K-12 students to problem-solving techniques, helping them view the world differently and offering creative ways to gain knowledge1. As many school art programs are being defunded, we saw the importance of ensuring students still have access to creative outlets. Additionally, the University of Florida notes that artistic approaches can be particularly effective for students who struggle with traditional lecture-based learning1. We also felt it was crucial to include environmental themes to align with our project’s goal of helping the environment. We feel that nature provides familiar concepts for children, allowing them to connect these ideas to a broader world perspective.
To ensure our projects effectively taught synthetic biology, we turned to Bloom’s Taxonomy, a framework for educational goals. Originally, the taxonomy outlined six categories—knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation—progressing in difficulty2. However, the taxonomy was revised in 2001 by cognitive psychologists and curriculum experts to emphasize active learning. The updated version includes categories like remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating, which better suited our goal of fostering dynamic, hands-on learning experiences2.
For our pedagogical theory, we adopted a constructionist approach, which emphasizes that children learn most effectively through hands-on experiences and reflective thinking3. Constructionism, developed by Seymour Papert, builds on Piaget's constructivism by focusing on learning through hands-on interactions with real-world projects4. In this model, learners actively learn by creating tangible objects, which helps deepen their understanding.
As educators, our role was to design projects that encourage exploration and student-led discovery. We aimed to create environments where students can be in-charge of their own learning, feel comfortable enough to ask questions, and be able to reflect on their own experiences. This aligns with the constructionism belief that learning should be dynamic and imaginative, with an emphasis on doing rather than just observing 5. By encouraging students to take control of their learning, we foster both curiosity in science and development of critical thinking skills. Our goal was to create engaging activities that allowed students to apply synthetic biology concepts in hands-on ways, making their learning experience both fun and educational.
To extend our outreach beyond the Rochester community, Team CyanoVolt launched the “SynBio Innovation Challenge,” a global initiative for high school students to explore the field of synthetic biology. Participants were tasked with presenting their own mini iGEM project pitches, allowing them to dive into current synthetic biology advancements while identifying and addressing real-world problems that they are passionate about solving. Overall, we had 92 students register for the program from across the world including Ghana, Nigeria, and Bangladesh.
Engage high school students from around the world, particularly those who lack the opportunity to participate in iGEM at their own schools, and provide them with a platform to showcase their own synthetic biology project pitch that they have created.
Offer students a comprehensive introduction to synthetic biology, equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to explore possibilities within the field.
Encourage students to unleash their creativity by identifying pressing global challenges and designing innovative, synthetic biology-based solutions.
Engage students in meaningful discussions about the ethical implications of synthetic biology and other scientific fields, helping them to understand the responsibilities that come with scientific advancement and the importance of considering the broader impact of their work. Using their new knowledge, having them criticize their own project in terms of ethical standards.
High school students worldwide
To promote the challenge, we utilized Instagram Advertising, having over 1,800 users worldwide see our ad on their feed with a post that linked directly to our sign-up form in addition to reaching out to local Rochester schools. All participants were invited to join a Google Classroom, providing a centralized platform for communication between the students and our team. This space housed essential materials, including the project rubric, lecture slides, and Zoom meeting details, ensuring everyone had easy access to the necessary resources.
We carefully designed the project rubric to reflect the key elements we prioritized in our own work. This included identifying a significant problem, proposing a solution that offers clear advantages over existing ones, incorporating synthetic biology into the solution, considering the ethical implications of the project using accurate and reliable supporting evidence, clearly communicating ideas, and showcasing creativity and innovation.
During our introductory meeting, we covered foundational concepts and applications of synthetic biology to help students grasp the basics. Our primary goal was to demystify synthetic biology by explaining that it involves engineering an organism’s genes to bestow it with the traits and functions of another. To inspire confidence, we shared our project’s early presentation, emphasizing that most of our team members had no prior background in synthetic biology, proving that anyone can learn and contribute to this field.
Additionally, we hosted office hours and encouraged students to reach out via email with any questions or concerns. This approach was designed to foster open, two-way communication throughout the challenge.
to download the SynBio Innovation Challenge First Presentation
Click Here!to download SynBio Rubric
After this event, some contestants reached back out to share their experiences. This is what one said, “Thank y’all for hosting this project—I learned a lot about synthetic biology. I never really even knew it was a field of study until IGem. This was my first “science fair” you could say since elementary school, and I’ve never been in a science competition like this before. I hope y’all continue hosting this challenge next year because it was a lot of fun!”
From the student’s feedback from the event, many students, like the one above, initially knew almost nothing about synthetic biology nor how prevalent it has become in today's world. However, through our presentation and by encouraging them to explore current synthetic biology projects, they were able to expand their understanding. All the projects presented to us had the general concept of synthetic biology intertwined throughout. They went through the different genes they would like to add to a different organism and why they are favorable for their project. One student suggested using the MSTD gene of a horse to insert into an electric eel in order for the eel to produce more electricity.
They also expressed that they appreciated the creative aspect of this science, which differed from the more memorization-based learning typical in school. This experience gave them an opportunity to apply their knowledge in a meaningful and enjoyable way.
Figure 1. Examples of students’ submission topics to the SynBio Innovation Challenge.
In the future, we hope to reach an even larger audience. Holding this event during the American school year (roughly September to May) might have been more effective, as schools could better advertise and encourage participation. Since our challenge started in July, many students have been out of school and not checking school announcements. Additionally, making the project more group-based would be ideal. One submission came from a group of students who collaborated, and this seemed particularly effective. The students were able to focus on individual aspects of the project while still learning about all parts. Working as a team better reflects how science progresses - through teamwork rather than just individual effort.
Figure 2. Some students at the STEAM fair participating in our “Make Your Own Flower” activity.
Our first in-person outreach event was to present an activity at a local elementary school for their first annual STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Fair. We developed a project focused on creating your flower through synthetic biology. We had multiple plant templates, cut-out accessories, and 3d craft supplies to add to their flower.
Provide elementary school students with a basic understanding of synthetic biology through a hands-on activity that encourages imagination.
Promote engagement with the broader STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) fields through an activity that combines scientific concepts with artistic creativity as that is the focus of the event.
Inspire excitement and interest in science, especially biology, by demonstrating its real-world applications in a fun, approachable way by having students create their own flower through the concept of synthetic biology.
Elementary School students (Pre-K to 4th grade, about 3 years old to 10 years old)
Since this was our first in-person outreach project, we looked for advice from an expert on how to best structure it. We met with Anjula Batra, the Instructional Development Assistant Director at the University of Rochester’s Teaching Center. She loved our idea of using a plant—something familiar to everyone—and making it personal to introduce aspects of synthetic biology. While not an expert in synthetic biology herself, she suggested incorporating 3D materials for the kids to add to their plants, rather than just having them draw. She noted that for younger children, creativity might be more challenging if they only had markers or crayons. She also recommended providing pre-cut accessories, like wings, paws, or ears, for the kids to add to their flowers.
In addition to teaching synthetic biology, we wanted to include information about other science topics to get the children engaged in our activity even if they were not initially interested or if they were possibly confused about synthetic biology. Giving the children an example of something, like a flower, that they can relate we felt would make them more likely to want to investigate more. So, we added details about how flowers grow and created an interactive diagram with flip sections that revealed what plants need to grow and the outcomes of photosynthesis. This also acts as an activity that can be changed for different age groups by providing different levels of difficulty and understanding.
Figure 3. Team CyanoVolt’s poster that we made to bring to different outreach events and the process of us making it all together.
During the event, about 30 children visited our activity, mostly from the Pre-K program. They enjoyed coloring and gluing their creations, with one child even commenting, 'the pom poms were my favorite part!' The kids also liked seeing the example flowers we had drawn, showing them that anyone could participate. All the children had fun adding googly eyes to their plants, along with various 3D objects like gems. The children, although young, were able to comprehend the concept of adding a characteristic of one thing to another through their use of adding faces to plants. Some even said they made themselves into a plant!
Figure 4. Artwork created by students during our activity.
Based on our activity with the students, we recognized the need for more structured and guided questions to prompt deeper discussions about synthetic biology. While the core activity was successful in engaging students, incorporating more intentional questioning we felt would encourage them to reflect their understanding of synthetic biology concepts more effectively. Additionally, we felt this project could become more advanced for older students.
Figure 5. Team CyanoVolt members teaching and interacting with students from the Rochester
As a part of our outreach and education efforts, we created and presented activities to children aged 9-11 years old enrolled in the Rochester Science and Museum Center Curiosity Camp. On Day 1, we based our activity on climate change by showing the effect of carbon dioxide. The activity involved mixing vinegar and baking soda together in a water bottle that was closed off by a small balloon. As the reagents mixed, carbon dioxide was produced, which blew up the balloon, and we had the kids wrap their hands around it for a few minutes to show carbon dioxide will trap heat. We then incorporated our own project into how we can solve this problem and gave them the basics of how synthetic biology can be used. We then challenged them to create their own bacteria that could help the planet!
Promote engagement with the broader STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) fields through an activity that combines scientific concepts with creativity as that is the focus of the event.
Inspire excitement and interest in science, especially biology, by demonstrating its real-world applications in a fun, approachable and visual way.
9-11 years old
To plan our activities, we started by focusing on the core of our project by explaining why we developed it and the problems we aim to solve. We decided to begin by addressing climate change, helping the kids understand why our project is important. We wanted the activity to be both hands-on and visual. While students often learn about climate change in school and hear about how excess carbon dioxide is harmful to the environment, we wanted to show them this in a more tangible way. We chose the classic baking soda and vinegar experiment but with a twist. We covered the bottle with a balloon, so the students could see the gas being produced. To demonstrate how carbon dioxide traps heat, we had each child wrap their hands around their own bottle for a few minutes, then discussed why this isn’t good for the planet.
We started by asking the kids what they knew about climate change and whether they thought it was good or bad. After a discussion, we shifted the focus to synthetic biology. We asked if anyone had heard of synthetic biology or could guess what it meant. After providing a simplified explanation, we encouraged the kids by asking, "Can you think of ways we could modify bacteria to help the planet? Draw a picture of your bacteria with its new superpower!"
Along with drawing their bacteria, we took inspiration from our "STEAM Fair" activity and used any extra time to let them craft their own bacteria and flowers using pipe cleaners.
to download the Climate Change Worksheet
The students really enjoyed the first activity, especially watching the balloon inflate with gas. While many had seen the baking soda and vinegar reaction before, most had never seen it combined with the balloon demonstration. Additionally, we had the kids decorate the balloons while waiting for the reaction to complete, which they loved. Since the students were at a science camp, they already had a good understanding of climate change and its harmful effects on the planet. They were particularly excited about creating their own plants and bacteria using pipe cleaners, drawing inspiration from their favorite characters, like Mario from Super Mario Brothers.
Figure 6. Two examples of student’s plants and bacteria they made to help save the planet.
When completing the worksheet we provided, which asked questions based on the scientific method, the students weren’t as enthusiastic about filling it out but enjoyed discussing it in smaller groups. In the future, we aim to make this activity more group-focused, giving each student the opportunity to participate and receive feedback from us.
Figure 7. Two members of Team CyanoVolt, Claire and Seeya, explaining the activity and interacting with students in small groups.
On our second day of working with the Rochester Museum and Science Center Curiosity Camp, we revisited our activity, “Make Your Own Flower”. We redesigned the talking points and difficulty of the activity to fit 9-11 years old compared to early elementary school age. We hoped to have the students use their understanding of synthetic biology to design a flower with any features or super powers they could imagine.
Provide elementary school students with a basic understanding of synthetic biology through a hands-on activity that encourages imagination.
Promote engagement with the broader STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) fields through an activity that combines scientific concepts with artistic creativity as that is the focus of the event.
Target Audience - 9-11 years old
After presenting this activity at our first event, a local elementary school’s annual STEAM fair, we decided to make some adjustments to increase participation and adjust for the grade level. The activity was still focused on creating your flower like you would through synthetic biology. by using multiple plant templates, cut-out accessories, and 3D craft supplies to add to their flower.
We began the lesson by asking the class, "Do you think cats can glow?" This question was meant to engage the students and get them thinking about what they already knew, allowing us to introduce synthetic biology in a relatable way. We then explained the details of synthetic biology by using glowing cats as an example and further asked if they were familiar with genes.
For the activity, we found that the students were more eager to participate when we provided clearer guidelines for making their flowers unique and divided them into smaller groups. We also added a talking point about giving the plant a "superpower," which led to a discussion on how their plants could help solve real-world problems.
Feedback - The students were intrigued by our discussion on synthetic biology and While conducting the activity, the team walked around and asked students to explain what type of flower they were designing.
Figure 8. Artwork by students representing plants with their own superpowers!
Overall, we found that incorporating more guided questions did in fact help the children think more deeply about the activity and engage with the concept of synthetic biology. However, we observed that most students were primarily focused on coloring within the lines of the provided templates. To foster more creativity and self-expression, we planned to include a wider variety of craft supplies and accessories, allowing the children more freedom to personalize their projects and explore beyond the boundaries of the template.
Figure 9. Students and Team CyanoVolt Members leading our photosynthesis focused activity.
On our third day of working with the Rochester Museum and Science Center Summer Camp, our activity focused on photosynthesis. We created an activity involving paper cutouts of all of the necessary components involved in photosynthesis. The students then glued the pieces together to create a diagram of the process of photosynthesis.
Inspire excitement and interest in science, especially biology, by demonstrating it in a fun, approachable way.
Promote engagement with the broader STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) fields through an activity that combines scientific concepts with artistic creativity as that is the focus of the event.
6-8 years old
Since we were working with a younger age group than before, we wanted to focus the activity on a concept they could easily grasp—photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is typically taught at this age, making it a familiar topic. and we could use our existing poster to give a visual demonstration. Our idea was inspired by an early elementary school teacher’s own photosynthesis activity6. Once the students were finished, they could come up to the board, look at the cat image, and ask questions, which could spark conversations about synthetic biology. Furthermore, we split into smaller groups where we were better able to further introduce synthetic biology, allowing the students to engage with the poster and see the concept illustrated in person.
To enhance their learning, we aimed to make the activity as hands-on as possible. However, due to limited time and not enough scissors, we provided pre-cut pieces for them to assemble the model. While distributing the materials, we took the opportunity to review the key components needed for a plant to grow. This helped reinforce the lesson in a practical, interactive way.
This was the youngest group of kids at the RMSC, and upon arrival we learned that the theme for the week was bugs so many of them were interested in biology concepts. They were very excited to put everything together and most kids had a background of what photosynthesis is. When we asked what photosynthesis is, one student responded, “air, soil, sun to make food for the plant”. Since there was a bug theme for the week, we added a small lesson on the spot about how important plants are to the ecosystem. We talked about how important plants are to the world and therefore how important photosynthesis is.
Once the kids had glued everything together, we encouraged them to write out what the plants need to grow to practice their writing and spelling skills. On top of this, we added that the kids could draw whatever they wanted on the plants and act like a scientist, which was a common theme for our outreach.
Figure 10. Examples of students’ work from our photosynthesis activity.
While the students enjoyed the activity, it did take shorter than expected. Therefore, in the future, we would like to add more 3D shapes for the students to glue to make their photosynthesis model more unique.
Figure 11. Team CyanoVolt members, Elina and Michelia, at Westside Farmers Market.
We hosted our own booth at the Westside Farmers Market, where we shared an activity with the children and presented our project to the adults. The farmers market provided a great opportunity to engage with a diverse audience, representing various educational backgrounds. For the third time, we ran the 'Make Your Own Flower' activity, which encouraged kids to design their own flowers through synthetic biology principles. This time, we enhanced the activity by offering more pre-made paper shapes and setting all the items out in front of the children, allowing the children greater creative freedom in their projects.
Introduce synthetic biology concepts to both children and adults from a variety of educational backgrounds in an accessible and fun way.
Raise awareness about synthetic biology among market-goers and demonstrate how it can be applied to the real world in a simple, engaging manner by having participants integrate synthetic biology concepts into their art piece. Build relationships with market organizers and attendees, with the goal of being invited back for future outreach events as we were last year.
Rochester community. Since the farmers market attracts people of all ages, we aimed to make our booth accessible to a wide range of age groups and backgrounds. We designed the activity to be engaging and enjoyable for everyone, from toddlers to senior citizens.
Similar to previous activities, we wanted to encourage the children to think creatively about engineering their own unique flower and even imagining a new plant species. We aimed to have them the synthetic biology principle of genetic engineering to put two or more different animals or species into their own plant. To give them as much creative freedom as possible, we gathered all the supplies we had used throughout the summer, including googly eyes, gems, and cut-out shapes like circles, rectangles, and cloud-like figures from Day 3 of the RMSC activity. We laid everything out on the table and in a bin, allowing the children to freely explore and choose what inspired them. This approach let them see all the available materials and use their imagination, rather than limiting them to specific items we deemed useful.
We also prepared different levels of dialogue depending on the age of the children. For toddlers, we focused on the simple concept of making their own flower, encouraging them to create whatever they wanted. For elementary school students, we added examples of what real scientists have done with synthetic biology, like making a cat glow using jellyfish genes7. For middle and high school students, we planned to go into more detail about the GFP gene inserted into the cat and explained how different parts of DNA allow us to perform these kinds of modifications. While the craft activity remained the same for all age groups, each child could design their flower with as much detail as they wished.
Figure 12. Children actively participation in our “Make Your Own Flower” activity and how we laid out the table for the children.
Overall, the children enjoyed the activity and were excited to have something fun to do. The parents appreciated that their kids were entertained while they explored the market. Some of the new plant species the children created included names like 'Super Pinky Pink' and 'Mr. Cool.' However, only children under 8 years old interacted with us, so we didn’t have the opportunity to see how older kids would have responded to the activity.
Figure 13. Several different art pieces made by children during our time at Westside Farmers Market.
In the future, we'd like to offer even more 3D shapes and objects for the children to use, such as popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners. We also want to provide scrap paper so they can cut out their own shapes; however, we were unable to do this due to a lack of scissors at this time. Additionally, we plan to have two separate tables—one for displaying all the supplies and another as an open workspace for the children. This would help prevent overcrowding, as the single table became quite cramped during the activity.
Figure 14. Title slide for our presentation we gave to seniors at Highlands Senior Center.
We presented our project at the Highlands Senior Center in Pittsford, NY, a senior residential center near Rochester. We planned a presentation to share our research with the residents, explain why we believe it is important, and allow time for questions and discussion.
Inform the audience about our specific research project, its goals, and how it could benefit the current climate crisis
Encourage the seniors to ask questions and share their thoughts, creating an interactive and open dialogue about the topic.
Senior Citizens
For this presentation, we decided to frame our research in the context of how much science has advanced, even in just the last twenty years. We did this to give the seniors some background as we assumed most of them were not as updated on synthetic biology as were. We began with the basics of synthetic biology and gradually built up to more complex aspects of our project. To engage a broader audience, we included not only the scientific details but also ethical considerations, in case some seniors had little background or interest in science. Additionally, we adjusted the physical format of our presentation to accommodate the needs of the senior audience. This included using large, easy-to-read text for visibility and providing enough written information on the slides to support those who might have difficulty hearing us.
Click Here! to download the Highlands Senior Center Presentation
Our presentation to the senior citizens went quite differently than expected. Much of our time was spent answering their insightful questions about our project, as they were curious about how we planned to address specific challenges. It turned out that many of the seniors had strong backgrounds in science and engineering, having worked for Kodak, a major company founded in Rochester that produced film and related products and was a key employer in the area until the early 2000s. As a result, they asked advanced questions such as, 'What’s the point of redistributing carbon out of the atmosphere?' and 'Why can't you just use algae from lakes outside?'
From the feedback forms we provided, most of the senior citizens expressed that they enjoyed learning about our research and appreciated our reasoning behind it. However, some felt that we could have included more background information for better context.
Figure 15. Feedback we received from seniors based on our presentation.
In the future, we plan to provide more foundational science background for those who may not be as familiar with the subject. We also want to allocate even more time for a Q&A session and perhaps include a “thoughts” section where we share challenges we're facing and invite their input. Additionally, we realized the importance of framing our project clearly, highlighting both its ability to generate electricity and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While we were aware of this the whole time, it's easy to overlook key points when you're so familiar with the project. This will be extremely valuable to remember for our final presentation at the Jamboree.
Figure 16. Examples of student’s bacterial art.
In July, our iGEM team had the amazing opportunity to collaborate with the University of Rochester's Upward Bound program, introducing local high school students to the world of synthetic biology. We covered the basics, shared real-world examples, and taught them how to plate bacteria. They even created their own glowing bacterial art while learning the science behind it. Additionally,the students were asked to get into groups and discuss a problem in the world and how they might use synthetic biology to solve it.
Facilitate an interactive lab session where students learn an essential laboratory skill in a safe and conducive learning environment.
Foster creativity by having students create glowing bacterial art, blending scientific knowledge with artistic creative expression.
Ensure students leave with a clear understanding of the basics of synthetic biology and its impact on various industries. Motivate students to consider pursuing further education and careers in science fields.
Local Rochester High Schoolers
To prepare for this event, our team observed a professor conducting a gel electrophoresis activity with another group of high school students. He demonstrated how dyes move through the gel, similar to how DNA would be used in actual lab settings. He explained how specific characteristics of DNA make this technique possible. We liked how the activity was hands-on, giving every student the opportunity to engage. We also appreciated that while the activity didn’t prove anything scientifically, it effectively translated to real-world lab methods. However, we did notice that the students seemed less engaged when they weren’t actively participating in the hands-on portion.
Taking this into account, we decided to design our activity around streaking bacteria on plates—a practical and fun skill for high schoolers, especially since many of us didn’t get to plate bacteria until college. To make the activity even more exciting, we engineered the bacteria to express GFP (green fluorescent protein), providing a real-world example of synthetic biology in action. This demonstrated to the students that synthetic biology isn’t a foreign concept, but something used in everyday science.
To spark creativity and keep them engaged, we encouraged the students to create bacterial "art" on the plates. We started with a demonstration of the proper plating technique, then showed them how to make different patterns and write words.
For the educational component, we used Kahoot!, a game-based learning platform where players answer multiple-choice questions in real time, as an interactive tool to introduce the background of our project. Between questions, we provided additional explanations about synthetic biology, making sure to keep the students engaged. This approach was a fun alternative to traditional slides or packets, especially since it was summer and we didn’t want the students to feel like they were stuck in a typical classroom setting. At the end of the session, we asked the students to get into groups and discuss a problem in the world and how they might use synthetic biology to solve it. This was to get the students thinking in our iGEM state of mind.
Figure 17. The top three scores based on the Kahoot! game Team CyanoVolt made to introduce synthetic biology to local high school students. Some of the questions asked in the interactive quiz.
Overall, the students thoroughly enjoyed working with real bacteria and creating their own bacterial art. They were excited to see the final results, which we shared with them by emailing pictures once the bacteria had grown overnight. Many commented that they felt like true scientists, especially when using a flame and handling actual bacterial cultures.
The Kahoot! quiz was also a hit as everyone was eager to participate, keeping track of who was answering correctly and anticipating who would win by the end. However, the students seemed less engaged when we asked them to brainstorm their own synthetic biology project ideas. Instead, they mostly chatted among themselves. We encouraged them to use the internet to research past problems solved by synthetic biology and even suggested looking at previous iGEM projects, but this didn’t spark as much interest as we had hoped.
Figure 18. Individual bacteria art made by local high school students participation in the University of Rochester’s Upward Bound program.
In the future, we hope to foster better dialogue between the students and us as instructors. To achieve this, we plan to incorporate more questions early on to engage the students in synthetic biology from the start and provide more opportunities for them to ask questions. Additionally, we ended up with more time than anticipated during the "create your own synthetic biology idea" portion. Next time, we might introduce another simple hands-on activity for students to work on after they finish their bacterial art, making better use of the extra time.
Figure 19. Team CyanoVolt’s friends testing out SynBio Fish.
To teach synthetic biology in a fun and engaging way across a wide age range, we put a twist on the classic game of "Go Fish." We incorporated synthetic biology vocabulary words as the matches and included both definitions and pictures of said words. This game was then placed in the University of Rochester's Rocky's Sub Shop, where students can check out games to play free of charge while enjoying their meal.
Introduce basic concepts of synthetic biology through a fun, accessible game format that appeals to all ages.
Use the "Go Fish" game as an interactive tool to make scientific vocabulary more engaging and memorable. Provide an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to learn about synthetic biology in a casual, non-academic environment.
Any Age, Rochester Students and Staff
When brainstorming outreach ideas at the start of our project, we wanted to create something tangible that we could easily share with others. Therefore, we decided on making a card game focused on synthetic biology. We chose a format similar to "Go Fish" because it’s a simple, familiar game that most people grew up playing, making it easy to learn and play.
For the cards, we included both pictures and definitions to appeal to different learning styles. The definitions are a blend of easy-to-understand concepts with some higher-level learning, ensuring that both beginners and those with a science background can take something away from the game. The illustrations are designed to be fun and memorable, helping to reinforce the vocabulary. For instance, we used a Lego brick to represent a BioBrick, making the concept more approachable and engaging.
Figure 20. Image of some of the cards used in SynBio Fish.
Overall, we received no negative feedback about the game. College-aged players responded positively, expressing that they appreciated having both the definitions and fun images to help remember the vocabulary. Ideally, we would have liked to gather feedback from a younger audience as well to gain insights from their different perspectives.
In the future, we plan to expand the influence of this game by distributing it to more schools in the Rochester area. Additionally, we aim to make it accessible online, allowing teachers and parents worldwide to access and use the game for free.
From May to October, we utilized social media to engage the public and raise awareness about synthetic biology and other science-related topics. As social media continues to play an increasingly important role in our society, we wanted to utilize its power to educate and connect with the public. In just 90 days and 22 posts, we had our posts seen by over 4,000 different Instagram accounts.
Use several social media platforms to raise awareness about synthetic biology and related science topics in an engaging and accessible manner for all ages and educational backgrounds
Expand our social media presence to engage with as many people as possible from different interests backgrounds like artists or climate change advocates.
Everyone
To develop our social media posts, we aimed to create scientific content that was both easy to understand and educational. We also wanted to highlight the connections between science and everyday life, showing how it surrounds us, often unnoticed. As a result, we focused not only on synthetic biology but also science applications that we found most interesting to share.
Each post was tailored to be able to engage different audiences and appeal to a broader spectrum of viewers rather than just individuals focused on science. For example, in our post on synthetic biology applications, we discussed its role in developing COVID-19 vaccines, which resonates with both science enthusiasts and the general public, given the global impact of the pandemic. We also explored the use of synthetic biology in Impossible Meat, another plant-based alternative to traditional meat. These diverse topics were linked through their relevance to synthetic biology but appeal to general audiences.
In addition to the content, we prioritized the visual appeal of our posts to attract more followers. We focused on incorporating images, rather than relying solely on text, to capture audience attention. We also wanted our team’s colors to be present throughout our posts and create a pleasing feed that would bring back users to our page.
Figure 21. Posts Team CyanoVolt made across their social media pages.
Based on the feedback from our social media posts, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. We successfully interacted with over 4,000 different accounts on Instagram, showing strong engagement and interest in our content.
Figure 22. Screenshot of Team CyanoVolt’s Instagram Insights based on June 4, 2024 to September 1, 2024.
As a team, we believe social media is key to sharing information with the world. We encourage future Rochester teams as well as any team worldwide to continue taking advantage of social media, as our account has steadily grown over the years and proven to be an effective tool for engagement.
Team CyanoVolt effectively designed and implemented a series of educational initiatives that engaged, empowered, and connected over 4,000 individuals from both the Rochester community and a global audience. By focusing on creativity and environmental themes, we demonstrated how synthetic biology can be integrated into everyday life to make a positive impact. Our creation of the SynBio Innovation Challenge introduced high schoolers worldwide to synthetic biology and encouraged them to apply it to solve real-world problems they were passionate about by creating their own mini iGEM project. Locally, our collaboration with Upward Bound inspired first-generation and low-income students to explore scientific possibilities while acquiring practical lab techniques with a creative twist. Additionally, our outreach to young children through the Rochester Museum and Science Center’s Curiosity Camps and a local STEAM Fair introduced them to synthetic biology and the climate crisis in an approachable way, using everyday items like flowers. At the Westside Farmers Market and Highlands Senior Center, we connected with community members, sharing insights about our project and its future applications. Our new game, SynBio Fish, reinforces the idea that science can be both fun and educational. Finally, our social media efforts were critical in spreading awareness about synthetic biology and keeping individuals updated on our own project progress. We hope that our work inspires the public to embrace creativity and recognize the unlimited possibilities within science.
References(1) University of Florida. The Importance of Art Education in the Classroom - UF Online. Online Master’s in Art Education Program at UF. https://arteducationmasters.arts.ufl.edu/articles/importance-of-art-education/#:~:text=Imaginative%20activities%20for%20young%20learners.
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