What is education and why do we need it in our society? From various perspectives, education serves multiple crucial roles. For politicians, it's a tool for shaping citizens and national identity, often used by governments to promote ideologies and values. Sociologists view it as a crucial institution for socialization, empowering people with basic knowledge and techniques required for social reproduction, as well as transmitting cultural values across generations.

For us at UM iGEM, as scientific researchers and practitioners of synthetic biology, we see education as a fundamental driver of societal progress. We aim to be windows through which complex scientific knowledge can be introduced to the general population in ways that benefit society fundamentally. Our mission aligns with one of the most critical factors in determining a society's future success: its ability to generate, access, and disseminate knowledge.

The education model presented in the updated diagram illustrates a holistic and cyclical approach to scientific outreach and learning.

The cycle begins with "Warm up-scientific articles" for cognitive establishment, providing a foundation of knowledge. It then progresses to "Scientific lecture" for deepening cognition, followed by "Interactive workshops" offering immersive experiences. The cycle culminates with "Card games & cultural souvenirs" for deepening late-stage impact and outreach. Importantly, the model incorporates "Information from questionnaire" at its center, emphasizing the role of identifying the real blind spots and area of interest from our targeting population by their feedback in shaping and refining the educational process.

Surrounding this central cycle, the model outlines key considerations:
1. 1. Types & Forms: Highlighting advocate platforms and unique activities tailored for specific populations and purposes.
2. 2. Directions & Purposes: Focusing on areas like synthetic biology and cancer treatment to publicize knowledge and generate interest.
3. 3. Advantages & Limitation: Considering expected costs, results, and addressing safety and ethical issues.
4. 4. Targets & objects: Emphasizing inclusivity across cultures, subjects, ages, regions, and genders.

This systematic approach creates a comprehensive, adaptable, and impactful educational framework for advancing scientific understanding across diverse audiences, while continuously evolving based on participant feedback and self-reflection.

These initiatives represent our pathways to progressively eliminate the information cocoon produced by generational gaps, social and cultural background distinctions, and unequal distribution of educational resources. By generalizing complex issues in simpler ways, popularizing specialized knowledge to the majority, and bringing obscure concepts into everyday life, we're working to bridge these divides.

Our team's efforts have allowed us to engage with individuals from various backgrounds, fostering a broader understanding and appreciation of synthetic biology and oncology. We sincerely hope that everyone we've had the opportunity to interact with has gained valuable insights from our initiatives, and we are committed to expanding these programs in the future to create an even greater impact on science education and literacy. By doing so, we contribute to the continuous learning of our society and help ensure that younger generations are equipped with the knowledge needed for future progress.

Let’s think of a simple question “Why do we need synthetic biology?” For us, as iGEMers and students from biological sciences related majors, we might answer this question on the basis of the objective knowledge we studied, like how they could be applied specifically in advancement of the area of biological research or how to utilize the relevant technics to develop a subtle experimental design. However, for the people without possessing the basic recognition of those concepts, and for a more generalized population, they can’t even understand this abrupt and strange question as it’s so far from their daily lives. As a result, the initiative of our education mission is to let this question be more accessible to them, by helping them have a general idea of the concepts in “synthetic biology” and constructing the basic logic to interpret the question. After ensuring they are capable of associating what they truly understand to the consideration of this question, we would try to acquire and analyze their responses about this question or its correlated questions and conditional variables from their different subjective background. The outcome and result of the analysis would become the cornerstone which determine the formulation of our following educational activities. These ideas are conducted through two questionnaires coupled with introductory articles of the basic concepts.

The demographic data of the total 596 responses collected provides a comprehensive profile of the participant pool, offering valuable context for interpreting the survey results. The age distribution reveals a broad range of respondents, with significant representation across young, middle-aged, and older adults, ensuring diverse life experiences are captured. The occupational and academic fields represented are impressively varied, encompassing students, researchers in life sciences and other scientific disciplines, professionals in business and finance, educators, healthcare workers, government employees, and numerous other sectors. This rich tapestry of backgrounds brings together perspectives from multiple domains of expertise and experience. Such a diverse participant pool, spanning different age groups, educational levels, and professional fields, provides a robust foundation for gathering insights on awareness and attitudes towards synthetic biology and cancer treatment.

The purpose of the following four questions is to gauge the public's awareness, understanding, and perception of synthetic biology and its applications in everyday life. By assessing familiarity with synthetic biology techniques, perceived applications, specific practical uses, and the theoretical foundations of the field, the survey aims to identify knowledge gaps and areas where public education and outreach efforts may be most beneficial.

The results reveal a mixed level of familiarity with synthetic biology among respondents, with a relatively even distribution across awareness levels. Notably, only about 19.6% of respondents indicate high to very high familiarity with synthetic biology techniques, suggesting a significant opportunity for education in this area. However, when it comes to applications, the public shows a strong recognition of synthetic biology's role in medicine and health (90.1%) and food production (78.2%), indicating that these areas have successfully captured public attention.

Interestingly, while respondents demonstrate good awareness of specific applications such as the production of heat-resistant enzymes for food production (75%) and the use of microorganisms in food and medicine, there appears to be a gap in understanding the full interdisciplinary nature of synthetic biology. While molecular biology (93.2%) and genetics (82.1%) are widely recognized as foundational to the field, fewer respondents acknowledge the importance of engineering (47.4%) and computer science (44.2%). This highlights an area where future educational efforts could focus on broadening the public's understanding of synthetic biology's multidisciplinary character and its potential applications beyond medicine and food production.

At next stage, we ask people about their judgement of the advantages/disadvantages, benefit/risk of synthetic biology application in real lives from their aspects:

- Impact on drug development and healthcare:
The majority of respondents (59.8%) believe synthetic biology has a significant to very significant positive impact on drug development and healthcare. Only 8.2% perceive little to no impact, indicating a generally positive outlook on synthetic biology's role in medical advancements.

- Impact on current or future daily life:
Similarly, 57.7% of respondents expect synthetic biology to have a significant to very significant positive impact on their current or future daily lives. This suggests that the public sees potential benefits of synthetic biology extending beyond just medical applications.

- Potential negative impacts on daily life:
While respondents generally view synthetic biology positively, there's also awareness of potential risks. 59.2% of respondents believe there could be moderate to significant negative impacts on their daily lives. This balanced perspective indicates that the public is cognizant of both the benefits and potential drawbacks of the technology.

- Specific concerns and safety issues:
The top three concerns regarding synthetic biology are:
New viruses or bacterial invasions (72%)
Misuse of biological weapons (62.6%)
Ecological environment destruction (49.8%)

These results highlight that while the public generally perceives synthetic biology positively, especially in terms of medical and daily life applications, there's also a significant awareness of potential risks. The high concern about new pathogens and biological weapons suggests that biosecurity is a major public concern. This data provides valuable insights for us in addressing public concerns and shaping the future development of synthetic biology through our follow-up educational tools.

Finally, we ask questions obtaining how people currently acquire knowledge about synthetic biology and their preferences for future learning methods:

From those results, we can gain the recommendations for our follow-up activites as:
1. Leverage digital platforms: The high preference for social media and interesting science videos indicates that the team should prioritize creating engaging video content and maintaining an active social media presence. This aligns well with the team's existing use of introductory articles and could be expanded to include short, informative videos on synthetic biology concepts.
2. Blend traditional and modern approaches: While classroom learning remains important, there's a clear desire for more interactive and multimedia-based learning experiences. The team could develop a hybrid approach that combines traditional lectures with interactive elements and visual aids.
3. Emphasize hands-on experiences: The interest in lab visits and interactive workshops suggests that we should continue and possibly expand our efforts in organizing such events. This aligns with our existing interactive workshops for high school and undergraduate students.
4. Gamification and interactivity: The interest in mini-programs/games and interactive workshops indicates that the team should consider developing more gamified learning experiences. This could include expanding our educational card games or creating digital games that teach synthetic biology concepts.
5. Expert engagement: The interest in online expert Q&A sessions suggests that the team could organize virtual meetups or AMAs (Ask Me Anything) with synthetic biology experts, providing a platform for direct interaction between the public and scientists.
6. Diverse content formats: Given the interest in frontier research introductions and media reports, the team should consider creating a variety of content formats, including blog posts, infographics, and podcasts, to cater to different learning preferences.
7. Accessibility and outreach: The results highlight the importance of making information easily accessible across various platforms. The team should ensure our educational materials are available through multiple channels to reach a wider audience.

By incorporating these insights into our educational strategy, the UM iGEM team can create a more engaging, diverse, and effective set of activities that cater to public interests and learning preferences. This approach aligns well with our goal of bridging knowledge gaps and fostering a deeper understanding of synthetic biology among diverse audiences.

High school students in remote Tibetan areas of western Sichuan province, China

The teams planned a field trip across thousands of kilometers to western Sichuan, as our focus was on bringing advanced scientific education, particularly in synthetic biology, to an underserved population that typically lacks access to such resources. After our preliminary research, we found that, due to the severe lack of educational resources, high school students at Daofu have very limited knowledge of cutting-edge scientific fields including synthetic biology. In fact, local schools there even did not offer a biology course, making access to knowledge of advanced technology even more difficult and showing great inequality compared to the city regions.

In this context, this outreach teaching mission was particularly important. Through this project, we hoped not only to bring new knowledge and perspectives to students, but also to compensate for their lack of educational resources, which can help us to eliminate difficulty differences and inequality to access knowledge between regions, provide children in underdeveloped regions with a basic initiation to the research of advanced technology, and improve the inclusivity of synbio wisdom in a way that is more accessible to those with a weaker foundation (SDG#4). Through lively lectures, face-to-face communication, and synbio-related games, we helped students understand the basic concepts and practical applications of synthetic biology in an accessible way and stimulate their interest in synthetic biology.

The project leveraged several advantages, including the combined expertise and resources of multiple iGEM teams. This collaboration allowed for a comprehensive and diverse approach to teaching synthetic biology. The initiative directly addressed educational inequalities by bringing advanced scientific concepts to remote areas, aligning with the UN's Sustainable Development Goal #4 (Quality Education). The varied teaching methods employed catered to different learning styles, ensuring broad accessibility and inclusivity.

However, the team also faced potential limitations. These included possible language and cultural barriers in communicating complex scientific ideas, as well as the logistical challenges of organizing events in remote locations. The limited time frame of the project could restrict the depth of learning, and there might be a lack of follow-up resources for students who developed a keen interest in the field. Despite these challenges, the team worked to maximize the impact of their knowledge-sharing efforts within the given constraints.

In the summer of 2024, the collaborative iGEM teams traveled to Daofu county in western Sichuan to implement their educational program. The project introduced the basic concepts, techniques, and practical applications of synthetic biology to local high school students. By sparking interest in this field, the initiative aimed not only to disseminate knowledge but also to eliminate barriers of resource inequality. The teams paid special attention to making the content understandable and relevant to the local students, hoping to inspire them to pursue scientific dreams in their future studies and careers. This project served as a model for expanding the reach of synthetic biology education and encouraging more young people to engage with this promising field of science, forming a sustainable approach for future iGEM teams based on the spirit of SDG#4.

The lectures coorganized by our three iGEM teams mainly covered the following aspects:
(1) introduce the basic definition, historical development, and importance of synthetic biology.
(2) Explain key technologies such as gene editing, DNA synthesis, and synthetic biological circuits.
(3) Demonstrate the practical application of synthetic biology in medicine, agriculture, environmental protection, etc.
(4) Discuss ethical issues and safety considerations in synthetic biology research.
(5) The topics of optimizing microbial metabolic pathways and improving product yield through synthetic biology methods were introduced.
(6) Share the latest research results and future development directions and stimulate students' interest in scientific research.

Considering that high school students are much more interested in games than in lectures, we designed many games related to synthetic biology, such as allowing students to "participate" in DNA synthesis and unwinding and debate competitions on the ethics of synthetic biology, to help students build the cognition to synthetic biology more deeply.

Before going to fieldtrip teaching, we have designed a lot of games, including games that combine the knowledge of language, history, geography with synthetic biology in a lively way. However, after arriving in the local area, we found that the local students had very limited knowledge of the the biological sciences and had not even studied biology. Therefore, after discussion, we adjusted the part of the game to make the lecture more basic and interesting and focused on the content of the DNA replication. The game was originally designed to mimic the DNA replication process, containing not only DNA helicase and DNA polymerase, but also DNA topoisomerase and the complex process of replicating Lagging Strand. After learning about the local students' level of understanding of biology, we went to the members of the field-trip teaching project to discuss how to change the rules of the game to make it simpler, thus the replication of DNA only became the DNA helicase and polymerase that they can learn from simplest biology books. Because the main purpose of the game is to help local students better understand the basic knowledge of synthetic biology and improve their interest, it is easy to change the rules of the game, which is also convenient for them to understand the rules and get involved in the game better.

After the game section, many students reported that they learned about the double-stranded DNA and the antiparallel helix structure and developed a strong interest in synthetic biology and will learn about synthetic biology when they have the opportunity. The students also learned a lot of new knowledge in these games and improved their teamwork ability.

After this activity, many local students in Daofu had feedbacks to us that the game design was very interesting, they not only learned about the concept synthetic biology, but also participated in it, which greatly increased their interest in the field. At the same time, they said that the lectures also successfully popularized the knowledge, technology they could not access in the classroom, and ethical cognition of synthetic biology to them, helping them understand synthetic biology from multiple perspectives. Meanwhile, they also repeatedly expressed their hope that we would have the opportunity to come back and take them into a further field of advanced technology.

Teachers from Daofu Middle School also highly praised our project, saying that it provided them with new ideas and methods of teaching. Especially in the situation of scarce resources, how to stimulate students' interest in learning in innovative ways? They also hope to receive more similar resources and support in the future and can continue to popularize cutting-edge scientific knowledge such as synthetic biology in their daily teaching.

The Sichuan Synthetic Biology Outreach Teaching Project offers valuable lessons and improvements for future similar activities. The project successfully conveyed complex scientific concepts using engaging methods such as interactive games and relatable examples, making the information accessible to students with limited prior knowledge. This highlights the importance of diverse and engaging teaching methods, adaptable to students' specific needs and learning styles. The team's successful adaptation of the game rules based on the students' weak biology background demonstrates flexibility and adaptability worthy of emulation. The project's success also underscores the importance of inter-team collaboration, showcasing how diverse expertise ensures comprehensive and in-depth teaching. Future projects should strengthen collaboration by inviting experts from various fields to enhance content and effectiveness.

However, challenges such as language and cultural barriers and the limited project timeframe resulting in restricted learning depth were also identified. Future initiatives should include thorough language preparation, cultural research, and consider extending the program or providing ongoing learning resources like online courses or supplementary materials. Finally, the project’s success in bringing advanced scientific knowledge to a remote area, reducing the educational gap between urban and rural regions, provides a model for expanding similar projects to other underserved areas, aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goal (Quality Education). The overwhelmingly positive feedback from both students and teachers validates the project's significance and provides confidence for future endeavor.

Macau High School Students

After interviewing several local students in our iGEM team and our faculty, we found that for most of the high school and middle school students in Macau, they don’t have the opportunities to get in touch with the real lab work or practice the knowledge and theories they learnt in their text-book into experiment, due to the financial and environmental limitation. And for some students who might have developed biological research dreams since their childhood or primary school period, would gradually lose their passion and interest resulting from lacking attempts for experimenting those crude novel ideas originated from those science documentaries or fiction in real life, and finally chose an entirely different pathways towards colleges. Thus, we came to discuss with our instructors and planned the Health Sciences Summer Camp 2024: “The BIO-Detective” aiming at the local high school students in this situation, we aspired to delight their interest of scientific research and enable them to delve into the synthetic biology world through distinctive approaches publicizing the beauty of these brand new concepts to them.

In order to fully utilize the platform and resources in our college to achieve the goals, we got in contact and discussed with several professors in our departments to come up with a variety of modules including both the wet lab and dry lab parts. Taking the limitation of the total number of our helpers into account, we settled our activities mostly in-doors and in laboratories. Moreover, we brainstormed the rundown and detailed content of our activities series which covered the issues such as pre-lab training, lab safety precautions and basic theories studying, considering the high school students knowledge level and their lack of practical laboratory skills.

From July 30 to August 1, we together with the University of Macau's Faculty of Health Sciences launched and hosted the Health Sciences Summer Camp in 2024 successfully. The three-day camp provided high school students from diverse backgrounds with a hands-on introduction to various aspects of health sciences, emphasizing practical laboratory skills and scientific inquiry. The program subtly introduced concepts relevant to synthetic biology, bridging the gap between basic science and its cutting-edge applications in a creative, enthusiastic and interactive way.

The camp began with a "BIO-Detective Training Course" focusing on mastering the micropipette, a crucial tool in biological research. We hoped the students from various schools and backgrounds learned proper technique and participated in an accuracy competition, demonstrating their proficiency in handling micro-volumes.

The "Story of Its Origin" module delved into cell culture and transfection techniques using Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP). Students from different majors learned about cell growth, aseptic technique, and gene delivery – all essential in synthetic biology for creating and studying engineered biological systems.

In this activity, we guided the students to practice sterile technique, prepared culture media, and observed cell growth under microscopes. The transfection experiment involved introducing GFP-encoding plasmids into cells, a technique widely used in synthetic biology to create reporter systems and study gene expression.

The detailed experimental procedure included:
- Labeling 1.5ml tubes with different GFP constructs (GFP-5, GFP-10) and controls (Ctrl-W, Ctrl-P).
- Adding 150ul OPTI-MEM to each tube as the culture medium.
- Adding 12ul Lipofectamine to tubes labeled "L-GFP-5", "L-GFP-10", "L-Ctrl-W", and "L-Ctrl-P".
- Adding GFP plasmids: 5ul to "GFP-5" and 10ul to "GFP-10" tubes.
- Adding water or PBS to control tubes.
- Mixing solutions and incubating at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, observing cells in a 6-well plate under the microscope.
- Aspirating medium from the 6-well plate and washing cells with PBS.
- Adding fresh pre-warmed medium to each well.
- Transferring the incubated solutions to designated wells in the 6-well plate.
- Incubating the plate at 37°C in a 5% CO2 incubator.
At the same time, we ensured all the students followed standardized safety precautions, including thorough hand washing, using separate gloves for tissue culture work, and sanitizing all materials with 70% ethanol before use in the Biosafety Cabinet (BSC).

Feedback: Many students described this module as "mind-blowing." One participant shared, "Seeing the cells actually glow green made me realize how powerful genetic engineering can be."

Self-reflection: The use of GFP as a reporter protein directly mirrors its common application in synthetic biology for visualizing the expression and activity of synthetic gene circuits. This module successfully bridged the gap between abstract genetic concepts and tangible, visual results, with students eagerly anticipating the observation of GFP expression in the transfected cells after three days of incubation.

This section, instructed by Prof. Aifang CHENG, combined genetics and forensic science in a module titled "Who Did That" (Who is the thief?). Students engaged in a simulated crime scene investigation using DNA fingerprinting techniques, connecting scientific concepts to real-world applications.

The module began with an introduction to DNA structure, emphasizing the four nitrogenous bases (adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine) that make each individual's genetic makeup unique. Students learned about DNA fingerprinting through restriction digestion, a method also known as DNA fragmentation.

The practical procedure involved:
1. Sample Preparation: Students received DNA samples in colored microcentrifuge tubes, representing the crime scene (CS) and five suspects (S1-S5).
2. Restriction Digestion:
• Adding 10 μl of enzyme mix to each tube
• Mixing by pipetting and gentle flicking
• Centrifuging and incubating at 37°C for 45 minutes
3. Agarose Gel Preparation:
• Preparing a 1% agarose gel using 0.3g agarose powder and 30 ml TAE buffer
• Microwaving the mixture and adding DNA stain
• Pouring the gel and allowing it to solidify
4. Gel Electrophoresis:
• Loading samples into gel wells, including a DNA size standard
• Running the gel at 100V for 30 minutes
• Visualizing results under UV light
5. Analysis: Students compared band patterns to identify the "criminal" among the suspects.

This hands-on experience mirrored techniques used in synthetic biology for analyzing DNA fragments and confirming successful genetic modifications. The emphasis on precise DNA manipulation underscored the accuracy required in synthetic biology projects.

Feedback: This module was consistently rated as one of the most exciting. "I felt like I was in a real crime lab!" one student exclaimed. The practical application of genetic techniques to solve a mock crime scenario particularly engaged the students.

Self-reflection: The techniques learned—restriction digestion and gel electrophoresis—are fundamental to synthetic biology, particularly for constructing and analyzing genetically modified organisms and synthetic genetic circuits. The module associated basic genetic concepts with their practical applications in both forensic science and synthetic biology.

Led by Prof. Chen MING, this module titled "Decoding" focused on identifying protein identity from genomic sequences. Students from various academic backgrounds transitioned to computational skills, exploring bioinformatics tools to analyze genetic sequences. This module highlighted the importance of computational methods in modern biology, applying bioinformatics to solve a real-world problem.

The module began with a scenario: A local zoo's blood bank had been mixed up due to a tropical storm, and the samples needed to be re-identified. Students were tasked with using bioinformatics approaches to analyze sequenced serum albumin samples and determine their origins.

Key concepts and tools introduced:
1. Next-Generation Sequencing: Students learned how NGS produces large datasets, necessitating computational analysis methods.
2. Bioinformatics: Defined as an interdisciplinary field that develops and applies computational methods to analyze large collections of biological data. Students learned how it helps convert "big data" into "smart data" or knowledge.
3. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Database: Students were introduced to this comprehensive resource for various types of biological data, including DNA, RNA, and protein sequences.
4. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR): Students used a virtual PCR simulation (https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/labs/pcr/) to understand how DNA fragments encoding serum albumin were amplified.
5. BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool): Students learned to use this widely-used program for comparing biological sequences. They specifically used the blastx program to compare their DNA sequences to protein sequences in the database.

This hands-on experience with bioinformatics tools directly relates to synthetic biology, where such tools play a crucial role in analyzing large datasets from high-throughput experiments, designing new genetic circuits, and characterizing engineered biological systems.

Feedback: We were pleasured to see how much the students enjoyed the computational aspects. "It's cool to see how we can use technology to understand life at a molecular level," one participant noted.

Self-reflection: This section effectively demonstrated the application of bioinformatics in solving real-world biological problems. The use of BLAST for sequence identification mirrors its application in synthetic biology for identifying and characterizing engineered genetic elements. By engaging with these tools, students gained practical experience in computational biology, a critical skill in modern biological research and synthetic biology applications.

The camp concluded with an introduction to pharmaceutical sciences, covering drug extraction, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), and melting point determination to identify unknown substances. This module welcomed students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, emphasizing the accessibility of scientific careers.

Students performed plant extractions, ran TLC plates, and used melting point apparatus to characterize compounds. These analytical techniques are analogous to methods used in synthetic biology to isolate and characterize engineered biological products.

Feedback: Students were intrigued by the connection between natural products and modern medicine. "I never realized how much detective work goes into identifying and developing new drugs," one participant remarked.

Self-reflection: This section demonstrated the meticulous analytical processes necessary to characterize compounds. The extraction and identification of active pharmaceutical ingredients can be viewed as analogous to the process of extracting and characterizing the products of a synthetic biological system. The emphasis on methodical analysis and accurate identification mirrors the careful characterization steps required in synthetic biology projects to confirm the success of genetic modifications and the functional properties of engineered biological systems.

First, the camp's activities were mainly indoors due to resource limitations. Future iterations could incorporate more outdoor practical components, such as field trips or environmental monitoring, to enrich the learning experience. In addition, while the camp focused on developing experimental skills, the text notes students lacked practical experience. Future camps could include more diverse experimental modules, perhaps more advanced molecular biology experiments or bioinformatics analysis, with personalized guidance to meet individual student needs. Finally, the "BIO-Detective" theme used simulated crime scenes to engage students. Future camps could explore more engaging themes and activities, potentially linking to current events or incorporating advanced technologies like virtual reality to increase appeal and fun

College students in University of Macau

When we talked to students from biology-related and other majors around us, we found that most college students know very little about synthetic biology, and some of them don't even know much about biology. This workshop aims to cultivate the audiences' awareness of the use of synthetic biology to solve problems through brainstorming and presentations, and at the same time to enhance the audiences' sensitivity to grasp the nature of the problem and control of the potential research direction in the relevant field or context, to some extent to stimulate the exploration of their interest in scientific research.

For the advantages, the workshop can systematically introduce the basic knowledge and cutting-edge advances in synthetic biology, help students build up a comprehensive knowledge of the discipline, and stimulate their interest and enthusiasm in biological sciences. Moreover, synthetic biology involves many fields such as biology, chemistry and engineering, etc. The workshop promotes the exchange and cooperation among students from different professional backgrounds and develops interdisciplinary skills. Moreover, participating in project design and execution encourages students to give full play to innovative thinking and solve practical problems, laying a foundation for future research or entrepreneurship. However, this activity also has certain disadvantages synthetic biology is complex and requires a high level of basic biological knowledge, which may make some students feel challenged and affect their participation.

This seminar session is in order to call back the concept of our sustainable education cycle method, before the workshop session formally begin we conducted the session of seminar to help our audience to build cognition on the basis of synthetic biology, and we used our project as the example to introduce how Synbio can contribute to cancer prevention & treatment to our audiences (mainly the university student who are not in the major of biological sciences).

In this session, the content and learning goals designed for our audiences are as follow:
(1) Use the simplest and most understandable language to introduce the the basic knowledge synthetic biology, its development history and concepts, so that the audience can build up the most acceptable knowledge of synthetic biology.
(2) To connect the knowledge of synthetic biology with practical applications in real life through real-life examples, to arouse the interest of the audience and help them understand the principles behind it, understand the current and potential sysnthetic biology application.
(3) From the shallow to the deep, with the laboratory as the background of the seminar session to guide the students to have a sense of immersion in the actual research environment, to help them explore the deeper mysteries of synthetic biology research.
(4) To guide the audience to think about synthetic biology and to participate actively in the subsequent activities.
(5) Infuse synthetic biology with the concept of sustainable development, so that the audience's knowledge of the contribution of synthetic biology to the society can be upgraded.

Feedback: After the seminar, the participants expressed that based on the pre-tweets of our eductaional cycle, this round of seminar session didn't confuse them but really helped them to really build a better understanding of synthetic biology.

In our one-day experience day we were not only have seminar session, but also we conducted the practical session that started from this「PROfound」Workshop.

In this session, the content and learning goals designed for our audiences are as follow:
(1) Through the written materials we have prepared, we let the audience first understand and discover the potential problems that still exist in the fields of ecological protection, environmental engineering, agricultural production, energy development, and biomedicine under the current world context and the demand for sustainable development that we have introduced.
(2) To guide audiences to think about what social, environmental, and economic problems can be solved by synthetic biology through the perspective and concept of synthetic biology.
(3) Guide the audiences to choose the suitable synthetic biology techniques from our given materials and the target synthetic proteins that can be expressed on different carriers to construct new biological components or systems, and ultimately seek the possibility of solving the problems.
(4) Participating members share the brainstormed ideas with the rest of the audiences through a mini-presentation.

Feedback: For the「PROfound」workshop, the audiences gave feedbacks that even though many of them did not belong to the biology major, under our guidance they still practiced the necessary independent thinking ability and dialectical thinking style of their own disciplines in the brainstorm. One of the students who participated in the activity said: “Although I have never really learned the synthetic biology-related research and how to put it into practice, I still feel the charm and wisdom of cross-disciplinary thinking and challenges in scientific research.”

As the core of our project is cancer prevention & treatment, the second workshop of this day is tightly related to cancer, one of the most dangerous enemy of human health well-being. The word “Cancer” originated from the Greek word for crab, and was given a new meaning by Hippocrates, the father of medicine, who named the shape of the tumour he observed, which we now know as “cancer”. Meanwhile, the first taste of a crab symbolises the human spirit of curiosity and exploration of the unknown. Similarly, cancer was once a “cave” of life that was difficult to explore. Nowadays, scientific advances are gradually lifting this veil and reshaping people's perceptions of life and death. This series of events aims to guide participants to reflect on the meaning of life through the metaphor of the “Crab in the Cave”.

In this session, the content and learning goals designed for our audiences are as follow:
(1) Under the theme of ‘Countdown to Suspension’, audiences will express the fear and panic of human beings in the face of cancer through poetry and song, and at the same time depict the resilience and tenacity of people in the past as they endeavoured to overcome the unknown.
(2) Focusing on key words such as cancer, hope and eternity, the film explores the nature of human nature at a deeper level, and traces the connections and meanings behind them.
(3) To use such philosophical reflections to guide the audience to perceive synthetic biology beyond the purely technical level, and not to stop thinking about the technology represented by synthetic biology even after the event.
(4) To motivate the audiences of the workshop to have a stronger belief and confidence in modern technology.

Participant Feedback: After the「Crab in the Cave」Poetry Writing workshop, through the creations and feedback from our audience, there was still a general consensus that once people have cancer, it means they have entered the countdown their life. However, some of the students who participated in the event commented to us: “Whenever mankind is stuck in a quagmire, there is always a group of person who leads the medical field with breakthrough to inspire the fragile but strong people, and we are one step closer to pressing the pause button on the life timer.”

In conclusion, this series of one-day activity we successfully built a two-way dialogue with our audiences from university students. They were attracted by our enthusiasm, deeply affected by synthetic biology and “the thing we are doing” after this series of seminar and workshops, gave us unique insights and suggestions from their business, humanities and even sociology majors, and look forward to our continuing the similar events in the future, promising that they will come again.

Interested in organizing a series of similar event? In the file you can find our activity proposal when you would like to organize your own event! (PDF here)

Elderly Macau Citizen at Nursing Home

When UM-Macau team decided to launch a cancer awareness program for the elderly people in nursing homes, we felt a strong sense of responsibility and necessity. When people aged, they face increasingly health challenges with a notably higher risk of cancer. According to statistics, many elderly people have limited knowledge about cancer and may harbor misconceptions, leading to feelings of fear and helplessness when confronted with this disease. In addition, many seniors may not be aware that maintaining a healthy lifestyle and undergoing regular check-ups can significantly reduce their cancer risk. We realized that educating them about cancer is crucial not only to alleviate their fears, but also to enhance their ability to care for their own health.

Our motivation is to help elderly people understand essential knowledge about cancer, prevention measures, and the importance of early detection through this educational activity. In this program, we would like to foster their interest in health through interactive games and sharing of real-life experiences, dispelling misconceptions about cancer, and making the information accessible and engaging.

In our interviews with the elderly regarding the cancer awareness program, we received various feedback on its advantages and limitations.

First, the elderly demonstrated a clear desire for knowledge related to cancer and showed enthusiasm for participating. Many expressed that through interactive games and real-life examples, they not only learned about the importance of cancer prevention, but also felt a strengthened connection with each other during group activities. This enjoyable form of learning helped alleviate their fear of cancer.

However, we also encountered some challenges. Many elderly people showed a noticeable reluctance to discuss the topic of death, making it difficult to delve deeper into cancer-related discussions. This avoidance created obstacles in our efforts to disseminate cancer knowledge, as the topic of cancer is closely related to mortality and cannot be completely sidestepped. In addition, language barriers were a significant issue. Some elderly participants spoke a different native language from our team's communication language, leading to misunderstandings and hindering their comprehension and absorption of the information.

The team also designed a detailed questionnaire in the initial phase to gain a deeper understanding of the elderly's knowledge and attitudes towards cancer. The questionnaire covered multiple aspects, including their basic understanding of cancer, common misconceptions, awareness of prevention measures, knowledge of local nursing home medical conditions and resources. Additionally, we included questions about their economic situation and acceptance of new treatments. This questionnaire provided guidance for adjusting the content of subsequent activities, ensuring that we could effectively meet the needs of the elderly.

In the nursing home, we held a cancer awareness lecture aimed at enhancing the elderly's understanding of cancer and preventive measures. At the beginning of the event, we used engaging explanations and interactive discussions to help elderly people grasp the basic concepts of cancer, its common types, and prevention strategies. We used simple and clear language to ensure that every participant could follow along, encouraging them to ask questions to address their concerns.

To make the event more enjoyable, we played the game "Pass the Flower" with the elderly. In this game, when the music stopped, the person holding the flower had to answer a question related to knowledge of cancer. This format not only enlivened the atmosphere but also sparked enthusiasm among the elderly, allowing them to learn in a relaxed and joyful environment. The participants competed with each other, filling the room with laughter and creating a warm and friendly atmosphere.

In addition, we invited a nurse with many years of experience in the medical field to share her personal journey and insights from her clinical work. She not only recounted how she assisted patients in coping with cancer but also emphasized the importance of healthy lifestyle choices and early screening. Her genuine stories and professional knowledge made the elderly more aware of the value of health and encouraged them to pay attention to their own well-being. She also urged everyone to participate in regular check-ups and to share health knowledge with family members to build a stronger support network.

The entire event unfolded in a cheerful and relaxed atmosphere, with the elderly actively participating, exchanging ideas, and learning together. This improved their understanding and interest in cancer prevention and treatment knowledge. Through this interaction, we not only provided valuable health information, but also promoted social connections among the elderly, strengthening community cohesion. At the end of the event, many participants expressed a desire to participate in more similar activities to continue to increase their awareness of health. Although there was a problem with the lack of relevance of our program, we have worked hard to address this issue in subsequent activities.

Reflecting on our program, we identified key areas for enhancement. Future plans include recruiting multilingual volunteers, refining our approach to sensitive topics, developing more interactive educational games, and including more guest speakers. We aim to establish ongoing health education series in nursing homes and collaborate closely with local health authorities to provide up-to-date information. These improvements will guide our efforts to create more effective and impactful health education programs, ultimately enhancing the health awareness and quality of life of elderly citizens in Macau's nursing homes.

We believe that the continuous effect of education is crucial to our methodology and sustainable educational cycle. Therefore, we aim to extend the impact of synthetic biology beyond our events. To create a long-lasting and sustainable influence, we developed cultural and creative artifacts that are engaging and memorable. One such initiative is a card game called "Cell Battle," designed to provide our audience with an entertaining, portable learning experience. The game allows participants to take the spirit of synthetic biology and cancer education beyond our face-to-face programs, helping to spread awareness and knowledge effectively.