What is our goal?
Our objective is to educate diverse audiences on the significance of Synthetic Biology and demonstrate that bacteria, beyond causing disease, can be engineered for beneficial purposes. Following our meeting with Dr. Ying-Qi Liaw, we carefully considered the ethical implications of genetic engineering during educational activities. Furthermore, following our visit to Sherbourne Recycling, we recognised a significant gap in public awareness regarding the proper recycling of electronic waste. This highlighted the need to address this issue and promote better education on e-waste recycling practices.
We also wanted to streamline the process of familiarisation with routine lab techniques for future iGEM teams and more largely UG students. A success here would be if we could speed up for future teams the routine side of synthetic biology; molecular cloning, DNA design, equipment usage, etc - so that teams will have more time to characterise and iteratively design their specific systems.
General Public: Visit to Coventry Library
In July, we had the privilege of engaging with our local community at Coventry Central Library, where we aimed to shift public perceptions about bacteria, highlighting that bacteria can do more than just make you sick.
We provided the following educational activities:
Microscopy exploration: Participants observed lactobacilli, the bacteria responsible for cheese production, through a microscope.
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Interactive card matching game: A fun activity where participants matched different bacterial species with their corresponding functions.
Poster discussions: We facilitated conversations around an informative poster we created.
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Bacteria and metals accumulation game: A hands-on activity where participants tried to stick as many small papers as possible onto a sticker within 10 seconds, representing how bacteria in our project accumulate metals.
Reflection:
Before conducting our activities, we consistently asked participants about their initial perceptions of bacteria. The most common responses were "dirty" and "infection." However, following our educational sessions, we observed a significant shift in their understanding—people came to recognize that bacteria can provide many benefits. This positive change in perception indicates that we successfully achieved our goal.
Additionally, through discussions with the public about genetically modified organisms (GMOs), we discovered a general unease surrounding the concept of genetically modifying food. However, after highlighting the benefits of GMOs, many participants began to reconsider their views on the topic.
General Public: Cannon Park Visit
On the 30th of August, the BEACON team visited Cannon Park, a shopping centre in Coventry, with the aim of raising awareness about bacteria, tech waste recycling, and where the two intersect.
Our poster showcased instances where bacteria are beneficial to people, such as in insulin production, food, plastic waste reduction, and, last but not least, metal recycling, which is BEACON’s goal.
Our informative leaflet covered the negative effects of e-waste on the environment, health, and economy, followed by an explanation of the e-waste recycling process. Also included was a guide on how to recycle your electronics, as well as the nearest collection points available (Cherry Orchard and Coventry recycling centres).
Reflection:
The public's attitude towards bacteria was similar to that observed during our outreach at Coventry Library: people were skeptical about bacteria and genetically modified organisms, associating the terms with disease and unhealthy food, respectively.
After briefly presenting our project, the discussions shifted towards electronic waste recycling. Recycling habits varied, with a few people stating they throw their electronics in the regular bin. However, most people do recycle batteries, but they struggle with recycling larger electronics such as old phones or laptops, opting to keep them at home. Reasons for not recycling included: not being aware of the impact of tech waste, not knowing where the nearest recycling centre is, or not having the means to get there, as most recycling centres are hard to access without a car.
The informative leaflet was offered to all who approached our stand; several stated that they would use the resource to start recycling their old electronics.
Overall, our outreach session was a definite success: not only did we gain valuable insight into current attitudes towards bacteria and electronic waste, but we also made an impact on the community by facilitating recycling.
Educational Activities for Sixth Form Students and Parents at the University of Sheffield's Open Day
At the UK iGEM meetup, hosted by the University of Sheffield, we had the opportunity to engage with prospective students during the university's open day, highlighting the vast potential of bacteria beyond their association with illness.
Our team presented a poster showcasing the ways in which bacteria can be genetically engineered for beneficial purposes. We also facilitated an interactive card game where students and parents matched bacteria with their specific functions, sparking surprise and interest in the diverse roles bacteria play in advancing science and technology.
We also prepared a chemotaxis activity, which had participants actively move about the room in ways that mimicked chemotaxis, to try to express how bacteria have to interact with their environment differently than we might according to the 'senses' that they have available.
Reflection:
We learned to tailor our educational activities based on the audience. For instance, we were unable to conduct the chemotaxis activity, as outlined in the "Topic in a Box" lesson, due to the absence of a big student group and the fact that both students and parents were limited on time during the open day, with other events scheduled. Despite this, students—and particularly parents—were surprised to learn that bacteria can be genetically modified to perform beneficial functions. Parents especially were amazed that bacteria can be used to degrade plastics; or synthesise insulin; or both simultaneously!
GCSE Students
Online educational content:
GCSE Topic in a Box: In the UK, students aged 15 and 16 undertake the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) qualification. Warwick Widening Participation offers a program called "Topic in a Box," designed to provide interactive and engaging lessons for secondary school students in Coventry. As part of this initiative, we developed an online lesson that introduces students to bacteria, their beneficial uses through genetic engineering, bacterial movement via chemotaxis, and an accompanying chemotaxis activity.
Lesson development: We reviewed the GCSE syllabus and chose to focus on the following topics:
- Eukaryotes and prokaryotes
- Communicable diseases: bacterial diseases and antibiotics
- Genetic engineering
- Antibiotic-resistant bacteria
In addition to covering these syllabus topics, we wanted to extend students' knowledge by introducing the concept of chemotaxis. We created and filmed an activity to demonstrate this concept, where one student acts as an "apple pie" (the chemoattractant) while others spin and take steps to move closer to it, simulating bacterial movement towards a chemoattractant. This activity also aligns with our project and enhances students' understanding.
Lesson objective: Our primary goal was to challenge students' perceptions that bacteria only cause disease, demonstrating instead their beneficial roles.
Implementation: Two team members recorded online lessons, including the chemotaxis activity. These lessons are intended to be shared with schools, where they can be shown to students.
Reflection: Even though the impact of our lessons cannot be documented due to the deadline of the wiki freeze, we hope that our lessons can be used in the future by local schools to change student’s perspective about bacteria and synthetic biology.
Extension: One of our team members took the initiative to record a lesson in Afrikaans, her mother tongue, to share with secondary schools in South Africa. This effort highlights our commitment to making our lessons inclusive of different languages and cultures, ensuring that as many students as possible can benefit from this educational experience.
- Links:
Topic in a box website: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/semscienceinschools/resources/tiab/
Afrikaans lesson: https://youtu.be/lsUDD4vBIYk
Lesson plan (pdf): https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/semscienceinschools/resources/tiab/tiab_bacteria_gm_lesson_plan.pdf
Future iGEM Teams, University Students and Sixth Form Students
iGEM101 YouTube channel:
We collaborated with other UK iGEM teams (Team Magenta from Cambridge, and Team OneRing from Oxford) to make an iGEM101 YouTube channel where we film and publish videos explaining lab protocols and theory about Synthetic Biology.
The idea came about at conversations we had with the Oxford iGEM team at the UK iGEM meetup we organised. Our target audiences are future iGEM teams, university students and sixth form students. Our goal is to produce videos that provide the guidance and insights we wish had been available when we did our iGEM project.
We filmed videos on the following topics:
- Theory
- Understanding plasmids
- Selectable markers
- Ribosome binding sites
- Promoters
- Origin of replication
- Operators
- Disruptable markers
- Restriction digest
- Golden gate
- Gibson assembly
- Primer design
- PCR principles
- PCR application
- Terminators
- Lab protocols
- Electroporation
- Miniprep
- Glycerol stocks
- Gel electrophoresis
- Autoclave
- Centrifuge
- Liquid cultures (Team Magenta)
- Restriction digest
- Agar plates
- PCR (Team OneRing)
- Modelling
- Top tips for iGEM mathematical modelling
Reflection:
We enjoyed the process of filming the videos and developed our editing skills to ensure they not only appear professional but also effectively communicate a clear message, enabling viewers to easily understand the content. Collaborating with other teams proved invaluable, as they introduced us to techniques different from our own, enriching our understanding of lab protocols and benefiting future iGEM teams as well.
While we cannot fully assess the impact of our YouTube channel prior to the next iGEM teams beginning their projects due to the timing of the wiki freeze, we are confident that having access to these videos would have significantly enhanced our confidence in executing lab protocols and designing plasmids. We hope future iGEM teams will find this YouTube channel to be a valuable resource, and we are committed to promoting it to them as a tool for their success.