Overview
"Tailor teaching to the student's ability."
—— famous educator Confucius from ancient China
The members of SZU-China engaged in deep reflection during our human practices---"How can we help people from diverse backgrounds around the world better understand synthetic biology and our project?" Guided by Confucius' philosophy, we found the answer---tailor teaching to the student's ability.
To make our education more effective, we divided it into two parts, according to the audience's different background knowledge.
• For people without biological background knowledge, our activities focus on introducing synbio and popularizing sugar substitutes, aiming to let the public understand synthetic biology and realize the importance of healthy diets.
• For people with background knowledge in biology, we will delve into cutting-edge technology and application examples of synthetic biology, demonstrating its potential in solving real-world problems in conjunction with our project design.
Through these educational activities, we aim to break down knowledge barriers, let more people participate in shaping and contributing to synbio, and jointly promote this interdisciplinary field's development.
People Without Bioknowledge
Local Primary School Students
In April, a group of lively and curious primary school students visited our lab. Although they had no prior knowledge of biology, they were full of curiosity and a thirst for knowledge. To cater to this, we carefully designed a three-part learning experience for them.
Part One: Introduction to Synthetic Biology
We first introduced the students to the background of iGEM and the basics of synthetic biology, along with its fundamental logic. The explanation gradually increased in depth to spark their interest in synthetic biology. We also used classic examples of synthetic biology applications to teach them the thinking paradigm of the field.
Part Two: Introduction and Use of Laboratory Equipment
Our team members prepared cell slides and guided the students to observe the cells under microscopes. We also provided solutions and pipettes, allowing the students to experience pipetting. Additionally, we taught them how to use a centrifuge and other lab equipment, familiarizing them with biological specimens.
Part Three: Designing a Synthetic Biology Project
Building on the previous lessons, we encouraged the students to apply synthetic biology thinking to propose an interesting project.
Some students proposed to transfer DNA from other fruits into specific fruits to get the experience of eating multiple fruits at one time and increase the nutritional value of the fruits, while others hoped to make human beings grow wings through gene editing. We hope to make them realize that biology is not just the WAY we know the world, but also the TOOL to transform it.
Hope Primary School Students
As advocates of SDG Equality in Education, we organized an engaging class for underprivileged students from remote villages in Yunnan. Our interactive lesson was designed to be both fun and educational.
Since the children had little prior knowledge of biology, we prepared a simple experiment on "extracting banana DNA using dish soap." Through this experiment, we hoped to give them a basic understanding of biology and spark their interest in the subject.
Picture Book
On our journey of tailored education, we discovered that many people without a background in biology had little or no understanding of sugar substitutes (our project’s product). To address this, we created an engaging and easy-to-understand illustrated book about sugar substitutes, aiming to showcase the potential of synthetic biology in solving real-world problems. We introduced the book in primary schools and read it with the students. Afterward, we organized a quiz based on the content of the book, with the top three students receiving our merchandise as a reward.
Laboratory Safety Video
Short video platforms are currently booming, and our team has actively harnessed their power to continue public science outreach. Many people without a biology background are curious about what laboratories look like and what safety protocols need to be followed. To address this, we carefully created a short film titled Eliminating the Three Hazards in the Lab. The video, from scriptwriting and scene filming to post-production editing, was entirely produced by the members of SZU-China.
In the video, we used exaggerated and humorous scenarios to demonstrate the things that are prohibited in a lab setting. The lively performances by our team members were highly praised by biology teachers.
We uploaded our video to Bilibili (one of China's most popular video platforms, similar to YouTube), where it garnered over 2,000 views within just two months.
Clubs Carnival
Shenzhen University is a comprehensive university that brings together outstanding students from various fields. Many students from non-biology majors have also shown great interest in iGEM and synthetic biology. In early September, we were invited by the university’s Student Union to participate in the Clubs Carnival, where we promoted iGEM, synthetic biology, and our project at our booth. We prepared illustrated science books and pamphlets for visitors to read, and after reading, they could participate in a quick Q&A game. Those who passed the game received special merchandise we had prepared. Our booth attracted many Shenzhen University students from diverse majors such as business administration and law. The majority of participants were able to correctly answer questions related to sugar substitutes after reading our materials, and they received prizes such as fans and hairpins as rewards.
Biosafety Science Event
Nanshan District in Shenzhen is a diverse area, and we visited one of its famous landmarks, Nantou Ancient City, to participate in a biosafety science event hosted by SUSTech-Med. Through an engaging blend of education and entertainment, we designed two activities—interactive games and a science lecture—to educate the public about biosafety in iGEM projects.
Part One: Lecture
SZU-China’s Qizheng Liu delivered a captivating lecture on sugar substitutes. He skillfully incorporated ancient wisdom to explore the diversity of sugar substitutes, the common types available on the market, and the pros and cons of each. He also shared practical tips for maintaining a healthy diet. The children in the audience were captivated by his lively presentation, listening intently to every detail.
At the beginning of the lecture, when Qizheng Liu asked the children in the audience if they knew what sugar substitutes were, they all shook their heads. However, by the end of the lecture, when he asked the question again, many of the children eagerly offered their answers.
Part Two: Game
We organized a fun "Pictionary" game at the event, where the words on the cards were all related to biosafety. Through this enjoyable activity, we guided the audience to understand and familiarize themselves with biosafety terms. This not only enhanced the interactivity of the event but also made learning about biosafety more vivid and entertaining.
People With Bioknowledge
Introducing iGEM
For those who already have some background knowledge of biology, our educational activities started with an introduction to iGEM as well as synthetic biology. Dr. Mo, our PI, introduced the history of iGEM and the team history of SZU-China to the students of the College of Life Science and Oceanography, encouraging them to take an active interest in iGEM, and get involved in synthetic biology.
The audience was particularly interested in iGEM and asked during the Q&A session if students who were not biology majors could participate. We explained to him that synthetic biology is a cross-discipline and students of any major can contribute to this field, and we welcome students from all majors to actively sign up for iGEM recruitment or learn about synthetic biology.
Synbio Experience Sharing Session
Next, we expanded education to high school students. Team member Zejia Wei went back to her high school---High School Affiliated to SUSTech, a high school featuring science, technology, and innovation education ---to educate high school students about synthetic biology and to promote iGEM.
The lecture was interspersed with many interactive sessions, Zejia put a “find the experimental error” diagram on the slide and encouraged the students to discuss and raise their hands to give the answer.
After the lecture, many students took the initiative to add the contact information of Zejia, and said that they would like to participate in the iGEM competition and study synthetic biology in the future.
Synbio Talk
We had the opportunity to participate in a synbio talk organized by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) as a guest lecturer, in which we shared our knowledge of synthetic biology with junior and senior high school students from Hong Kong, and highlighted the safety regulation of genetically modified foods. We also shared our project with the iGEMers who participated in the event, explaining the design of our project and the problems we hope to solve.
At the end of our sharing, a student from Hong Kong asked us, “What are some of your memorable experiences in studying synthetic biology?” SZU-China member shared a lot. “The joy of successful experiments, especially after a long period of hard work and trial and error, brings a great sense of accomplishment. Participating in international competitions like iGEM, gaining once-in-a-lifetime valuable experience in cross-cultural communication and teamwork. Sleepless nights in the lab, though hard, are an integral part of a research career.” Finally, we also encourage all students to participate in the iGEM competition.
Foreign Students
Educational diversity is also our specialty at EDU. During the summer vacation, we hosted foreign students from Shenzhen University's Liyuan trip summer camp and introduced them to the history of synthetic biology. Since they had been exposed to top-down traditional biology research, we emphasized the difference between synthetic biology and traditional biology. This is also a reflection of our educational philosophy of “Tailor teaching to the student's ability ”.
First of all, our members took them to visit the science gallery, where member Zejia introduced the important scientists in the history of the development of synthetic biology. When talking about very famous scientists such as Watson and Crick, everyone would respond positively.
The event was accompanied by the Shenzhen media, and both camp members and the media greatly recognized the science tour, saying that they had learned a lot of interesting knowledge and were willing to continue to pay attention to the field of synthetic biology.
Freshman Outreach
After the Class of 2028 enrolled, we launched an outreach campaign to popularize synthetic biology and the iGEM competition among freshmen. Over 100 individuals joined our recruiting inquiry group, including students from diverse backgrounds such as Mathematics, Physics, Economics, and Marine Science, all expressing interest in becoming iGEMers.
In this presentation, we began by providing an overview of synthetic biology to university students. We discussed the potential of synthetic biology for scientific research and practical applications, as well as how bioengineering methods can be utilized to design and construct biological systems. Special emphasis was placed on the background and goals of the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM) and the role of iGEM as an academic competition and in the scientific community.
We've also come up with this lab operation error chart from iGEM for freshmen to test themselves on their knowledge of lab operations and safety. The student with the highest correct rate and the shortest time will get a gift around this year's SZU-China.
Through this series of lectures, we aim to provide SZU students with a solid foundation of synthetic biology knowledge, stimulate their interest in synthetic biology, and lay a solid foundation for their future research and participation in the field of synthetic biology.
