Our educational outreach focuses on promoting awareness of bioengineering, biocementation, and their potential positive and negative impacts.
One of our primary goals is to raise awareness about biocementation. Through human practices and public surveys, we discovered that many people were unfamiliar with this concept.
Recognizing that biocementation is not widely understood, we launched a social media campaign featuring infographics and a music video to spread awareness. The video uses the catchy song "Happier" by Marshmello and Bastille, making it an engaging and accessible way for people to learn about biosilicification. The goal was to create fun, shareable content that can reach a wide audience. We even explained biosilicification and biocementation to local children to provide a positive exposure to synthetic biology and its potential applications.
Our team annually participates in the Science Olympiad, an academic competition for middle and high school students. This year, we served as event supervisors, helping to judge student projects and encourage interest in science, a role we regularly take on to support young scientists.
At the annual Cool Science Fair, we hosted a booth showcasing bioengineering, biocementation, and biosilicification. We demonstrated the differences between biosilicified sand and regular sand, allowing participants to create their own cement molds. This hands-on activity made biocementation more tangible for attendees and fostered interest in STEM fields. There were over 8,000 kids that attended the cool science fair and over 500 kids that completed our biocement activity.
Our team also contributed to the 67th Pikes Peak Regional Science & Engineering Fair, where we assisted in judging projects for over 300 students from grades 6 to 12. This event, open to students from all educational backgrounds in Colorado, allowed us to further engage with and inspire the next generation of scientists.
We aim to inspire students by showing how biocementation can be applied to real-world problems. We hope to continue working on innovative projects and fostering scientific curiosity in future generations.