Education

The UFlorida iGEM team collaborated with St. Michael’s Preschool for their Community Helper Week, where the school hosts presentations from professionals, including dentists, police officers, veterinarians, firefighters, and nurse practitioners. Our team provided educational materials and a lesson plan based on the Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards Birth to Kindergarten. On September 24th, 104 two, three, four, and five-year-old students and their teachers watched videos created by the UFlorida iGEM team to explain what a scientist is and introduce synthetic biology.

The first video, which defined what a scientist is, introduced research as a career to the students. In the video, a UFlorida iGEM team member explores the laboratory to provide a visual example of how synthetic biology research progresses. During the video, some students commented that scientists are cool and they wanted to be scientists too.

Then, the preschool’s teachers read their students a storybook our team created titled, “What can Scientists Create?” The storybook that was bound and distributed to the classrooms of the preschool. Our team also created an animated storybook video with a voiceover to provide an educational medium complementary to the physical book, which was played for the students. The end of the video asked students, what will you create? The children enthusiastically responded with a variety of synthetic biology related examples, stating that they would make a dinosaur, a clone of themselves and others, or new foods.

Lastly, the students engaged in a coloring page activity where they colored in a flower with crayons of natural shades. Then, they received a new coloring page and neon colored crayons to demonstrate how life can be engineered to look and function outside of what is seen in the natural environment. Some students went beyond what the UFlorida team expected and along with using fun colors to make their engineered plant, they also drew patterns on the stems and leaves in contrast to their solid-colored natural plants.

The materials the team created will also be used in future years for St. Michael’s Community Helper Week to continue to spread the message. The UFlorida iGEM team will expose young minds to the world of synthetic biology and scientific inquiry for years to come.

In summary, these new opportunities open the discussion of synthetic biology to younger audiences, teaching preschoolers what a scientist is and sharing the fascinating ways we can engineer life.

Storybook:

Video Presentations:

Engagement:

Lesson Plan:

The UFlorida iGEM team developed a lesson plan aimed at grade school students from 4th through 7th grade with ages ranging from 9 to 13, to introduce the concepts of synthetic biology and genome editing. The lesson plan uses arts and crafts to explore the idea of editing an organism’s gene to create new phenotypes. Additionally, the lesson plan related to specific Florida Science Standards for grades 4 to 7 to ensure the lesson objective was applicable to a larger audience. The lesson plan is publicly available on our team Wiki and was provided to a local organization, UF GEMS (Girls Engaged in Math and Science), to be integrated into their afterschool program which works with young girls in the Gainesville community.

Lesson Plan:

On August 29th, the UFlorida iGEM team collaborated with the UF Center for Undergraduate Research Board of Students (CURBS) to present an introduction to undergraduate research to over 150 students in the University of Florida course, Science for Life. The course offers weekly presentations to provide undergraduates with a window into the research experience. We defined synthetic biology as well as the tools and techniques that enabled synthetic biology research. We then provided an overview of the UFlorida team’s research project.

Furthermore, the iGEM and CURBS representatives discussed their personal experiences engaging in undergraduate research through iGEM and additional research opportunities. The speakers sought to demystify the undergraduate research process and make synthetic biology research more accessible to undergraduates by describing how to become involved in research and answering their questions.

On September 16th, the iGEM team presented a one and a half hour long presentation, “Introduction to Synthetic Biology and Modeling in Biological Research” to 19 students. The event was hosted through the UF Center for Undergraduate Research Board of Students and provided insight into the field of synthetic biology and the daily research process through in vivo, in vitro, and in silico platforms. We presented a broad overview of synthetic biology and iGEM followed by a contextualization of the field through describing the UFlorida team’s project. Additionally, the speakers shared insights into the research process in animal, cellular, and computational models.

The iGEM team detailed the methodology and research experiences underlying synthetic biology innovation to clarify the science behind synthetic biology. Furthermore, the team encouraged students to become involved in research by illustrating what day-to-day lab work and experiments commonly look like.

Furthermore, the team discussed ethical considerations and challenges in society that must be considered when engaging in synthetic biology research. After the presentation ended, five students attending the workshop stayed behind to further discuss the iGEM team members’ experiences navigating the research process and how social considerations influence our work.

Overall, this experience created a new channel of communication between the UFlorida iGEM team and University of Florida students, exposing students to the synthetic biology research occurring on campus and across the world.

CURBs Presentation:

On September 25th, the UFlorida iGEM team shared a presentation with the students in the undergraduate course IDS1054: Research in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Due to Hurricane Helene, our scheduled 50-minute presentation was postponed from September 26th to October 3rd, so the team provided their educational materials in advance for students to review. The presentation introduced the concepts of synthetic biology and iGEM to an audience of underclassmen undergraduate students interested in research at the University of Florida. Team members detailed the methodology underlying synthetic biology to show students the research experience and clarify the processes that drive synthetic biology innovation. Ultimately, the presentation provided a medium to increase UFlorida’s community outreach at an undergraduate level.

On October 2nd, the UFlorida team tabled and presented a research poster at the UF Center for Undergraduate Research’s Fall Expo. The annual Fall Expo hosted 60 faculty and research organizations to showcase the research areas and opportunities available on campus for undergraduate students. The team’s poster detailed the Wet and Dry Lab findings, and team members discussed our research practices with students and faculty at the University of Florida.

The UFlorida team also distributed our sepsis awareness flier and brochure. The Fall Expo drew over 1,000 attendees, both students and faculty at the University of Florida. The UFlorida team shared our insights into synthetic biology and discussed future directions for the project with attendees, gaining insight on the public’s perspective on our research. The Fall Expo allowed the team to detail the methods behind our experiments and engage in one-on-one dialogue with individuals from diverse fields through our poster presentation and tabling.

Poster:

One of our team’s greatest challenges while creating the organoid model was establishing a stable and healthy iPSC line. Our team attempted numerous techniques before finalizing a well-tested, reliable protocol. Due to the numerous applications of iPSCs, we created a comprehensive guide to share the knowledge we gained from our experiences. This guide outlines the insights we have learned throughout our troubleshooting to help other researchers avoid common pitfalls. This resource was first developed as a reference for members of our team, and we expanded the guide to provide a reference for the wider community of synthetic biology researchers. By describing proper techniques and deviations from standard protocols, we aim to help others navigate iPSC maintenance with greater success to make iPSC research more accessible through this guide, made publicly available on our Wiki.

A representative of the UFlorida iGEM team attended the UVU iGEM Western Conference along with UVU-Utah, Nyuad.igem, UOregon iGEM, and Okanagan iGEM teams to inform one another and discuss respective 2024 projects via short presentations followed by questions. This experience provided valuable insight into the other villages of iGEM such as Conservation and Therapeutics as well as the overall importance of synthetic biology in solving a multitude of global issues.

Additionally, the opportunity provided the UFlorida iGEM team to expand the definition of synthetic biology. The other iGEM teams’ projects all involved genome editing as the synthetic biology basis of their projects. The UFlorida project does not involve the component of genome editing and instead focuses on the development of an organoid through tissue engineering, leveraging developmental synthetic biology. The UFlorida team’s participation in the UVU iGEM Western Conference showcased an alternative approach to synthetic biology to the other teams, opening the doors for more expansive, multidisciplinary conversations to explore the many applications of the field.

A representative of UFlorida iGEM created a postcard as part of the KCIS Xiugang Taipei iGEM team’s initiative to visually and physically promote our project. The postcard included a short description of the team’s project, a summarizing visual, and a reference to the UN Sustainable Development Goal “Good Health and Wellbeing.” The KCIS Xiugang Taipei iGEM team translated postcards to various languages to reach a wider audience. The iGEM TEC CEM translated our postcard to Spanish, the PETabytes iGEM translated our postcard to Greek, and the KCIS Xiugang Taipei iGEM team translated our postcard to Mandarin. This experience enabled the UFlorida iGEM team to communicate our project goals and details across language and geographical barriers.

Our Postcard:

Our collaboration with the McMaster iGEM team focused on showcasing our unique iGEM project in a creative medium. We designed a sticker that encapsulates the theme of our project to contribute to a collective sticker book that showcases the work of 41 iGEM teams from around the world. Each team created a sticker that reflects their project’s core themes and objectives. This project targeted community engagement in a visually appealing way, making complex scientific ideas more accessible. Our design aims to be informative and approachable to resonate with the scientific community and the general public. The sticker book that McMaster iGEM created will serve as a resource for both iGEM participants and the broader public, cultivating interest in synthetic biology.

Our Sticker:

Sticker Book:

After consulting ethics and policy researchers from Rice’s Baker Institute, engaging in literature review, and leading educational initiatives, the UFlorida iGEM team integrated our findings into the 2024 Ethics Handbook for synthetic biology teams. Our team collaborated with the Queen’s University Canada (QGEM), Arizona State University (ASU), City University of Hong Kong (BevaTech), and Stanford University iGEM teams to create a thorough guide on the optimal practices regarding business, research, medical, education, and global health and equity ethics.

In the Research Ethics section of the handbook, our team described the ethics and regulations regarding animal, human, and stem cell research in the United States. Additionally, we discussed the best practices for our team if Sepsynth were to be commercialized in order to preserve the privacy of our customers following their contribution of a cell sample.

The Education Ethics section details our team’s interviews with Dr. Alicia Johnson, Dr. Kristen Matthews, and Dr. Dalton George. We described the need for social engagement and two-way dialogue when conducting synthetic biology research. Our team also addressed ineffective community engagement practices researchers in synthetic biology should continue to move away from, including the deficit model, helicopter science, and synbiophobia-phobia.

This 54-page document builds upon discussions of ethics and policy for synthetic biology by contextualizing key ethical considerations via team’s case studies, interviews, and research. The teams engaged in conversation with one another to explore the pertinent ethical conflicts present in synthetic biology, and the public access of the handbook will continue to spread awareness and spark future conversations in the field.

2024 Ethics Handbook:

On July 18th, a member of the UFlorida iGEM team attended a webinar by the Sepsis Alliance targeted at medical practitioners to educate teams on how to promote Sepsis Awareness Month.

The speaker, Michelle Evans, mentioned that only 9 states have an official sepsis month proclamation, which led our team to realize that Florida does not officially recognize September as the month for sepsis awareness. This shortcoming sparked our team’s advocacy campaigns. The UFlorida team engaged in a virtual letter writing campaign to contact our state’s representatives and invited our followers on Instagram to do the same. Furthermore, the team contacted our Congressional representatives to express our support for Lulu’s Law, which would establish a nationwide response to sepsis and establish information repositories to provide information about sepsis (Sepsis Alliance, 2024).

Through attending the Sepsis Alliance’s webinar and engaging in advocacy, the team sparked discussions regarding the social and political implications of sepsis, spreading awareness in person and virtually.

The team tabled during September for Sepsis Awareness Month and passed out flyers and pamphlets to spread awareness of sepsis and educate students on the UFlorida team’s research. This allowed our team to inform the public about sepsis and the purpose of our synthetic biology research project. These educational materials sparked conversations about the impact sepsis has on different populations and how current and future research endeavors can contribute to clinical care.

Michelle Evans, in the Sepsis Alliance’s Sepsis Awareness Month webinar, recommended effective and cost-efficient outreach activities, such as printing out flyers and leading conversations. She suggested focusing materials on sepsis identification and care. The UFlorida iGEM team highlighted these details in our sepsis flier.

Tabling:

Sepsis Flyer and Brochure:

The UFlorida iGEM team educated fellow STEM students at the University of Florida about the signs and symptoms of sepsis, raising awareness of its prevalence. The team collaborated with professors from various STEM disciplines, including Biochemistry and Biology, to distribute educational flyers to over 1,000 students. By fostering early awareness of sepsis among aspiring scientists and healthcare professionals, the team aims to ensure that sepsis remains a critical topic of discussion in science.

The UFlorida iGEM team maintained a relevant content feed on Instagram. The team created original posts related to informing the general public about aspects of the team’s 2024 project and sepsis awareness. The posts explained synthetic biology concepts including iPSCs, organoids, and cell differentiation, illustrating the science behind the team’s project. Additional posts highlighted political campaigns related to sepsis such as Lulu’s Law and Sepsis Awareness Month Proclamations and steps individuals could take to support these initiatives. On top of original content, the UFlorida page also reposted story content from sepsis organizations such as Sepsis Alliance. By providing a platform to engage audiences, the UFlorida team was able to provide the general public with updates on project details, sepsis awareness, and community activism opportunities. This opportunity expanded the use of social media as a channel for synthetic biology communication.

@igemuflorida Home Page:

On September 29th, a representative of the UFlorida iGEM team spoke on the McGill iGEM team’s STEMcast Podcast to spread awareness of the impacts of sepsis and our project. The STEMcast Podcast has hosted a wide range of STEM researchers, and the UFlorida team provided a window into the intersection of sepsis and biomanufacturing research. The UFlorida team described our research process and the challenges they faced, the design of our in silico model, and how the UF Sepsis and Critical Illness Research Center and other stakeholder perspectives influenced the team. By communicating our motivations and work in a creative auditory medium, the team reached a wider audience through our communication outreach.