Introduction
Our team placed a high value on public outreach and human practices from the very start of our work. During
the start of the research for our project we discovered that even the most healthcare aware members of our
team had some misconceptions about sepsis. This led us to realise the importance of a clear and accessible
science communication, and thus we decided to focus on the Education aspect of the special awards. Motivated
by this, we have organised a diverse range of opportunities and designed for a wider range of audiences,
from highly educated ones to those with less education. Additionally, we aimed to establish means for the
public to engage with and influence our project, while also gathering feedback on our educational activities
to continually improve and adapt our outreach events. This page presents events and activities we organised,
and how they contributed allowing the public to participate in SynBio education.
We had created surveys for multiple events, check out the overall summary of the survey results at the end of the page!
UCL Open Days
Aim: Engage prospective students and their parents in learning about sepsis and synbio, while
simultaneously
informing them of opportunities provided by UCL.
Target: High School Students and Parents
When? 28-29 Jun
Where? UCL Engineering Building
Target: High School Students and Parents
When? 28-29 Jun
Where? UCL Engineering Building
Idea!
UCL Open Days is an event hosted for prospective students to allow them to visit the university. Our team participated during this event by running the Biochemical Engineering Department stand.Design
There, we both informed visitors about the department and additionally provided them with activities to learn about SynBio and our project. The teaching aids were created with an infographic about sepsis, a timeline chart of our project, games, some lab equipment and bioreactors to teach the younger audience on how to scale up the production in industry.Infographic and Timeline Chart
In our infographic we prioritised using clear and simple language to describe sepsis, in order not to confuse or mislead our audience. We decided to highlight the prevalence of sepsis in the UK as this would be most relevant to our audience. We then added a section describing how sepsis is diagnosed to provide context for our project.
Timeline Chart
In order to put our project into a wider context of how SynBio projects could be conducted we made a timeline chart. While the chart was specific to our project we also used it to explain how other projects might progress. It was also helpful to explain the project in simple terms, and allowed us to show the audience how much we had progressed, and how much we had left to go.
Synbio Game
We created a game called SynBio Not SynBio, which we used to explain what SynBio actually means. We had images for 6 scenarios and for each one the participant would have to guess if its SynBio or not. This game allowed for a diverse range of ages to participate, and enabled us to have a dialogue and discussion about each scenario and why it could be seen as SynBio.
Sepsis Game
This game involved pictures of different stages of sepsis, and required the participant would arrange them in order. We had an additional picture for diagnosis and treatment, and we would have discussion with the player, as to when diagnosis CAN and SHOULD occur, explaining that diagnosis cannot happen as infection occurs, but only when the immune system overreacts but should preferably occur before septic shock.
Survey
We designed a survey to enable dialogue with the students, we included questions to assess their familiarity with SynBio, iGEM, and the topic of our project. We designed two questions to explore the publics familiarity with SynBio use in diagnostics, and their comfort regarding using the device. One question also assessed what type of information should be provided with the device, this information can be later used to inform our handbook design. We also had a question to assess how successful we were at explaining things in general.Test
The event was carried out over two days and was a great success. We noticed that the SynBio Game was much more popular than the Sepsis game, and the mini bioreactors served as a great conversation starter, where we would encourage students to try guess what they were. Both students and parents where very interested, and some younger kids had also been brought along. We took note how the SynBio Game still worked for these younger kids, but not the Sepsis Game. While not all younger kids understood what SynBio meant they still where good at separating the scenarios into two reasonable categories, by considering which ones were manmade and which weren’t.Learn and Improve
Survey results
From the survey results we could see that very few people felt like they knew what SynBio or Sepsis were. Most people seemed to be aware of the healthcare applications of SynBio. From the survey we also saw that few people felt uncomfortable with the idea of using a SynBio device, however nearly all particpants stated that they would want some type of information before using the device. We also received overall great feedback on the activities. Wel decided that for future events involving younger kids we should involve more hands on activities, as the Sepsis Game was too hard. We also wanted to create a visual representation of our lateral flow assay. We also considered that for Building with Biology the games could be too quick and not interactive enough. Thus, we considered using something like play doh to allow us to showcase the nanobody fusion system in 3D for older kids, while also allowing us to involve smaller kids.
For more details, check out the survey result section at the end of the page!
Building With Biology
Aim: Engage prospective students in learning about our iGEM project and synbio, while informing
them of opportunities provided by UCL Biochemical Engineering Department.
Target: High School Students across all UK -Event ran by the University of London as part of
widening participation
When? 11 July, UCL Taster Day
Where? UCL Bernard Katz Building
Target: High School Students across all UK -Event ran by the University of London as part of widening participation
When? 11 July, UCL Taster Day
Where? UCL Bernard Katz Building
Idea!
This Taster Day was about exploring how Biochemical Engineers are helping to develop sustainable solutions to real-world problems. It allows for prospective students to visit the university. Our team participated during this event by giving a short presentation on our iGEM project, i.e. SepScan and informing them about the UCL Biochemical Engineering Department in general.Design
There, we both informed visitors about the department and additionally provided them with activities to learn about SynBio and our project. The teaching aids created were a presentation about our project and a play dough game.Presentation:
In our presentation, we began with introducing iGEM to the students and the impact it has had over the years. We then introduced our team. This was followed by discussing the problem of Urosepsis and its severity. We then introduced the project idea and various components involved like Cystatin C, Nano Luciferase and Lateral Flow Assay in a comprehensive way that could be understood by high school students. We also gave them an insight into how the suggested LFA would work. This allowed us to help the students explore the potential synthetic biology research holds.Playdough Game:
In order to explain our project as a more tangible idea, we allowed the students to recreate the LFA using playdough. An image of the same was displayed on the screen and students were provided with different colour play doughs to represent the various components involved. Additionally, an image of a DNA was also displayed as an alternative which could be recreated. Out of the 5 teams, 4 chose to recreate the LFA and one constructed the DNA. This game enabled us to have a dialogue and discussion about our project and synthetic biology in general on a more personal level as each of us were responsible for one team.Survey:
The survey was unaltered for the Building with Biology event.Test
The event was carried out over two hours and was a great success. We noticed that the playdough activity was extremely popular and thus, also included it during the Festival of Engineering which was our next major event. We realized that students found it very engaging to talk to us students about different career prospects and opportunities in synthetic biology. We took a note of how, while some students were not confident in participating in the open discussion when the entire group was involved, they managed to participate when they were distributed into smaller teams. The main aim of recreating the LFA and DNA was to give a more tangible understanding of the fundamental concepts of Synthetic Biology. The students were also very enthusiastic about filling the survey as they thoroughly enjoyed the event.Learn and Improve
Survey Results:
It seemed that none of the students were aware of iGEM and very few were aware of sepsis and synbio. However, most students stated they were aware of its use in common diagnostic tests, and stated that they felt mostly comfortable using the device. The types of information they would like provided with the test had a broad range, but there was a slight stronger preference towards information on ingredients. The feedback for the session was positive.
It was wonderful to hear that the participants enjoyed the play-doh game, and loved how new knowledge was learnt from such an interactive way. Considering the age of the audience of our next event would cover children from 5 years old, we decided to keep the game but lower the difficulty. Instead of making lateral flow constructs, simpler structures such as a ‘Y’ shaped antibody and ‘X’ shaped chromosome can be made. We also decided to add in a coloring game (outline of cells, bacteria, virus etc. are printed for coloring in) for the audience to choose from. We also considered how smaller groups allowed for more participation from each individual, and allowed the students to be more involved in the activities. This was later applied in our In2Science.
For more details, check out the survey result section at the end of the page!
Festival Of Engineering
Aim: Allow an opportunity for younger kids, parents and teachers to engage with
synbio,
while still also having a focus on prospective students.
Target: Young kids, parents, teachers, high school students
When? 19-20th July
Where? UCL Institute of Education
Target: Young kids, parents, teachers, high school students
When? 19-20th July
Where? UCL Institute of Education
Idea!
The Festival of Engineering is an event hosted by UCL from the 15th to 20th July, that showcases innovation and engineering by UCL’s Engineering Faculty. Our iGEM team participated on the 19th to 20th July, specifically targeting these dates because this is when most families, primary school, and high school groups would be visiting.Design
We aimed to adapt our showcase to cater to younger children, while still engaging older visitors and students. To achieve this we focused on creating more interactive contents. We continued to use the Play Doh modelling, which had been successful in our previous Building with Biology event. Additionally, we introduced a series of colouring pictures. For older children and adults, we brought back the Sepsis and SynBio games.Additionally, we participated in the passport game created by the Engineering Festival organisers, where children could complete challenges from different stalls to gain stamps. At our stall we decided to create a range of challenges, of different difficulty levels to cater to the different ages.
Survey:
We used the same survey as in previous events but added a question about the types of learning tools that participants found exciting. This was intended to gather feedback to allow us to plan our future activities, as we wanted to focus on doing something different and new.Pictures:
We decided to create a range of pictures with different difficulty for various ages, and some that could both be done very quickly. The reason for this was that for the passport game, we wanted to offer very easy and quick challenges for the youngest children. The picture designs were made to be fun and interesting to look at rather than scienticically accurate, encouraging children to engage with the images in a playful and imaginative way.
Giant Microbes and Candy:
To reward children for their participation, we provided candy placed in a mini bioreactor and gave out Giant Microbe toys to those who performed especially well.Bento Lab:
Bethan, a former iGEMer and founder of Bento Bio, provided us with one of their Bento Labs. Bento Lab is an accessible, portable, DNA analysis lab that includes a thermocycler, centrifuge and gel electrophoresis. Before the festival we cast a gel, ran a ladder and some plasmids, allowing us to visualise them in front of the audience.Passport challenges:
The passport game was organised by the Engineering Faculty separate from us. The challenges we designed for our stall included, playing the SynBio or Sepsis games for the older kids, guessing the use of a mini bioreactor, colouring pictures, or replicating features from our project or other Synbio concepts using PlayDoh for younger kids.
Biocrafters promotional video:
We also played the Biocrafters UCL iGEM 2022’s promotional video on a screen behind us, to engage people more, and to provide more examples of how SynBio can be used.Test
The event was very different from previous events. Our stall seemed to be very popular with younger kids who were drawn to the coloring, and we managed to interact with a more diverse range of people. This time the Sepsis Game seemed much more successful than during UCL Open Days. Although we initially were focusing on activities for younger kids, we released that while the younger kids were completing the challenges (colouring/building from play doh) we had more time to interact with parents than we had had at the UCL Open Days. However, we had less activities targeted towards them so we had less opportunity to actually involve them in SynBio, so we focused on explaining concepts regarding Synbio, Sepsis and discussing our project. We also succeeded in having a much larger portion of people to fill in a survey, partially because the parents seemed more enthusiastic to do that while their children played. The Bento Lab attracted a lot of the children, we tried to explain the idea of using science on the field from a explorer point of view, and the parents seemed quite impressed. We even had quite a few researchers come by who seemed interested in it. We explained the different parts of the Bento Lab, by using the example of testing for Covid-19. We also visualised the gel in front the visitors. (Extra thanks to our PhD supervisor Ferdi for managing the Bento Lab throughout the Festival)Learn and Improve
Survey Results:
The survey was answered a lot more than in previous events, this time we also gained a much wider spread of answers. It is worth noting that this time a much larger portion of parents where answering our survey than previously, we estimate that about half of the answers were by parents. We seemed to have much more people aware of sepsis and synbio than previously. Additionally more people gave materials and manufacturing applications for synbio compared to before, possibly due to the Biocrafter’s video. We also had more people answering that they were uncomfortable using devices that had ingredients from genetically modified organisms. Interestingly compared to other events, where there was no strong preference towards the type of information people would want about the device, or where the preference leaned towards information regarding ingredients, during this event we had a much larger portion of people answering that they were interested in safety testing. Our team wondered if maybe this was due to a larger portion of parents/older people answering the survey. We also had more people answering that they hadnt learned anything, than in previous events. The wider spread in answers can probably be attributed to the much wider audience we were able to engage at the event. We also had feedback that we didnt have enough activities for older people, which was a feeling we had when engaging with parents. From the additional question it became clear that our next events should focus on providing opportunities for lab work and computer based learning, and novel tools such as VR.
We incorporated this in to our next events, by this time allowing the students in our next event to work with the BentoLab.
For more details, check out the survey result section at the end of the page!
In 2 Science
Aim: Engage highschool students in learning about our iGEM project and synbio, while
informing them of opportunities provided by UCL Biochemical Engineering Department.
Target: High School Students from under-represented groups
When? 15th August
Where? UCL Bernard Katz Building
Target: High School Students from under-represented groups
When? 15th August
Where? UCL Bernard Katz Building
Idea!
In2Science UK is a charity that works to empower marginilized groups in STEM and tackle the challenge of educational inequality. UCL's Access and Widening Participation Office partners with In2scienceUK to support their programme of work, and frequently hosts workshops. This In2Science workshop was about exploring what our iGEM project idea is and upskilling the students with basic knowledge of synthetic biology using practical application and experiments. The workshop had 6 students allowing us to focus on each one more so than in previous events. We gave a short presentation on our iGEM project, i.e. SepScan and informing them about the UCL Biochemical Engineering Department in general.Design
We both informed students about the department and additionally provided them with activities to learn about SynBio and our project. The teaching aids created were a presentation about our project and 3 acivities.Presentation:
In our presentation, we began with introducing iGEM to the students and the impact it has had over the years. We then introduced our team. This was followed by discussing the problem of Urosepsis and its severity. We then introduced the project idea and various components involved like Cystatin C, Nano Luciferase and Lateral Flow Assay in a comprehensive way that could be understood by high school students. We also gave them an insight into how the suggested LFA would work. This allowed us to help the students explore the potential synthetic biology research holds.Activity1:
In order to explain our project as a more tangible idea, we allowed the students to recreate the LFA on paper. We asked them how they thought think our device would look like and what components would be involved and work together after giving them an insight into how Lateral Flow assays work. An image of a normal LFA was displayed on the screen to give them some idea. The students were able to create a rough diagram of a LFA with some help. This game enabled us to have a dialogue and discussion about our project and synthetic biology in general on a more personal level.Activity2:
As an extension of an iGEM project, we showed the students a startup product from one of UCL’s previous iGEM teams, the BentoLab. We decided to include the BentoLab as in our previous feedback forms students suggested they would love to have a lab experience as a learning tool. We showed them how the BentoLab is a portable and accessible device you can use when a conventional lab setup is unavailable (e.g. when studying chimpanzees in jungles or whales in the sea.) . It was also a way to show how iGEM works as a startup incubator as theBento Bio was started by a UCL iGEM team. At the end of the event, the students also had an opportunity to load and run a pre-prepared gel. We thought the students had seen many well-prepared gels, so we have also showed them a badly prepared one, where the wells are dried and blocked.Activity 3: Playdough Game
We used the same survey as in previous events but added a question about the types of learning tools that participants found exciting. This was intended to gather feedback to allow us to plan our future activities, as we wanted to focus on doing something different and new.Pictures:
In order to explain synthetic biology as a more tangible idea, we allowed the students to recreate DNA and bacterial cell using playdough. An image of the same was displayed on the screen and students were provided with different colour play doughs to represent the various components involved.Test
The event was carried out over three hours and was a great success. We realized that students found it very engaging to talk to us students about different career prospects and opportunities in synthetic biology. We felt that this event allowed the students to contribute their own knowledge and experiences much more, and allowed for more of a two way dialogue.Learn and Improve
Our team felt that this small group allowed us to learn more about the students individually, and to adapt our content to suit their needs. We also felt that a two way dialogue was easier to establish with such small groups, so we decided to conduct a mentorship programme with this group of students. Our team felt that this was a good opportunity to provide a group with more detailed education on synbio, and that these young people would be the ones to benefit the most from this type of programme.
Networking at Post Graduate Taught Poster Showcase
Aim: Challenge ourselves to communicate our project idea to experienced scientists and
researchers, and receive valuable feedback to guide both our human practices and our jamboree preparation.
Target: Post Graduate Students and Researchers.
When? 11th Sep
Where? UCL Institute of Education
Target: Post Graduate Students and Researchers.
When? 11th Sep
Where? UCL Institute of Education
Idea!
We wanted to participate in an event geared more toward a newer audience, more experienced with SynBio. Thus, we decided to participate in the postgraduate taught poster showcase in our department.Design
We created a very simple infographic that we could display on a phone or tablet, that could be used to help explain our project.
Test
It was a great opportunity for the iGEM team to share our project with people from industry during the UCL poster networking session. The team walked around the venue, sharing our ideas with professionals, masters and PhD students. We had carried a tablet displaying our project idea, talk the audience through our project, made a clear differentiation between diagnostic and prediction, introduced the different detection molecules we end up choosing and the reason behind it.Learn and Improve
It was very encouraging to hear lots of positive comments from the audience and we did manage to get lots of feedback from them. The survey results seemed positive, and many of the people provided advice for the project both for the jamboree and in the long term. As opposed to previous events it seemed the people we spoke to here were most interested in knowing details of safety testing and regulatory approval, rather than any information regarding the ingredients.
SepScan Workshop at Guru Nanak Higher Secondary School, Ranchi, India
Aim: Engage high school students in India with our iGEM project, Sepscan, and introduce them to synthetic biology, while raising awareness about sepsis.
Target: High school students in India
When: 19th September
Where: Guru Nanak Higher Secondary School, Ranchi, India (via Zoom)
Target: High school students in India
When: 19th September
Where: Guru Nanak Higher Secondary School, Ranchi, India (via Zoom)
Idea!
We organised this workshop as part of our outreach strategy to introduce students to the importance of early detection of sepsis, specifically targeting the Indian population. During the session, students were introduced to the UCL Biochemical Engineering Department, the UCL iGEM 2024 team, and our ongoing project, SepScan.Design
We designed our lesson plan to begin with the background context of sepsis and how SepScan aims to address the challenges related to the early detection of sepsis, especially for conditions like UTIs, which disproportionately affect women. Participants would then be introduced to fundamental concepts in synthetic biology, such as Lateral Flow Assays (LFA), and given a walkthrough of the SepScan manual and a promotional video. This would help them visualise the science behind the product and the clinical applications it can address.Moreover, we also planned to share insights into the entrepreneurial potential of synthetic biology by showcasing BentoLab, a startup incubated at UCL iGEM, which provides accessible lab solutions for fieldwork. This example could show how iGEM works as a startup incubator, inspiring the students to think about the larger possibilities in the field.
All this information was delivered in the presentation below.
Test
Many students found the SepScan kit and its application for addressing UTIs and sepsis the most intriguing. The Lateral Flow Assay technology also piqued interest, with students appreciating the clarity in the explanation. Participants had a positive perception of the product, recognising its usefulness, especially for early detection of sepsis. They acknowledged its potential in regions with limited testing facilities, particularly for women's healthcare in India. While most participants were satisfied with the current product design, a few suggested improving its accuracy. They also recommended adding information on safety testing.The workshop received an 8-10 rating out of 10, with minor audio issues noted. The SepScan Handbook was rated 7-10, with some participants suggesting that additional safety information could be included.
Learn
Survey Results
The session concluded with a lively Q&A where students raised thoughtful questions about the Sepscan product and synthetic biology. The feedback we received indicated a strong interest in synthetic biology and healthcare innovations. Additionally, participants highlighted the need for more information on safety protocols related to the Sepscan kit, which we plan to address in future iterations of our outreach.
This workshop was a successful step toward engaging Indian high school students in synthetic biology and healthcare innovations, potentially sparking future interest in STEM fields.
For more details, check out the survey result section at the end of the page!
Women in Stem
Aim: To create meaningful dialogue between our team and professional women in STEM regarding
how your project can help reduce health inequity, specifically in the context of gender.
Target: Women in STEM, and other professionals, researchers and scientists.
When? 2nd October
Where? UCL
Target: Women in STEM, and other professionals, researchers and scientists.
When? 2nd October
Where? UCL
Idea
Our participation in the poster showcase provided valuable insights for improving both our project and how we communicate it. After our conversation with Lauren Lowe, we identified that our project has the potential to address health inequities, particularly regarding gender. The event would allow us to talk to professionals and receive advice that could be relevant for entrepreneurship, while also discussing and learning about the barriers women may face both in STEM and in their healthcare.Design
We are creating two infographics. The first one will clearly and concisely explain our project, focusing on the method and goals. The second one will highlight gender-related health inequities, particularly in the context of urosepsis, and explore how our project can address these issues. .Additionally, we will design surveys which include questions on themes such as barriers to women's participation in SynBio, improving healthcare for women, prevention of UTI through women’s hygiene, and their thoughts on the entrepreneurial potential of our project. We will split into groups, working from both an entrepreneurial and educational side to have a two way dialogue with women who are experts in these fields.Test
We hope to gain a deeper understanding of the barriers women face in accessing STEM opportunities, particularly in synthetic biology, and how these barriers parallel those of gender health inequity. We hope to come away with professional input from both entrepreneurial and educational perspectives on how we can be improving women's access to synbio and healthcare. Finally we hope to learn to communicate our project better, and that the people we speak to will have learned from us.Learn and Improve
We will use surveys to generate feedback. We will aim to apply what we have learned in our last educational event, the mentorship programme and at the jamboree. We also hope that any entrepreneurial advice we gain can be used on our iGEM continuity journey.
Mentorship Program
Aim: Our goal with this mentorship programme is to support six students from the In2Science
programme. Through dedicated sessions, we aim to provide these students with a clearer understanding of
STEM pathways and help them gain clarity on their educational and career decisions.
Target: The mentees are six high school students from underrepresented backgrounds who participated in the In2Science event.
When: First two weeks of October.
Where: Online
Target: The mentees are six high school students from underrepresented backgrounds who participated in the In2Science event.
When: First two weeks of October.
Where: Online