Education

Overview

The farming industry's current focus is on farming practices that are low-resistance and antibiotic-free. Shikimic acid (SA), which has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory characteristics, is a chemical used as an intermediary in antiviral drugs. In our study, shikimic acid will be produced from modified bacteria through knockout genetic modification utilizing CRISPR technology. This feed additive will be employed as a preventative measure in pigs and poultry feeding during the peak disease season. Therefore, "Synthetic Biology" and "CRISPR" are this year's instructional themes. We intend to advance scholarly ideas about our program and synthetic biology. We ran several activities under these themes that were aimed at people of all ages, from kids to the general public.

The education activities we held are as follows:

1 Live streaming: synthetic biology in daily life
2 Outreach materials:
   --The comic book –“Miniature of Plasmids - From Extraction to Recombination”
   -- Handbook of Synthetic Biology on CRISPR
3 Biology Pleasance Activity on Campus
4 Opening Course in Gel Electrophoresis Laboratory
5 On-site activity: Let Synthetic Biology enter the community
6 Self-media updates

1 Live streaming: synthetic biology in daily life

We achieved an excellent activity with the help of Hangzhou-SDG, Hangzhou-BioX, Shanghai-MedX, Shanghai-BioX, Shanghai-SDG, Nanjing-SDG, and Nanjing-BioX. We together hold a live streaming on WeChat channels.

Our team mainly introduced the biosynthetic extraction of shikimate. We first talked about the introduction of shikimate, as students may not be familiar enough with it. The traditional extraction method of shikimate usually depends on natural plants, with a long production cycle, low yield, and difficult quality assurance. So, then we introduced the advantages of biosynthetic extraction technology, which can produce a large amount of shikimic acid in a more efficient and controllable way. Next, we talked about the research progress in biosynthetic extraction technology. At present, many studies have successfully used microorganisms such as E. coli and yeast to produce shikimate. These research results have improved the yield and purity of shikimate. However, we should also be soberly aware that there are still some challenges in the field of shikimic acid biosynthesis and extraction, so we also talk about some troubles and challenges in this process and what we should do to face these challenges. Finally, we showed our prospect of shikimate biosynthesis and end our activity. In conclusion, we introduced our project to other students comprehensively, and let more people know about the extraction of shikimic acid.

2 Outreach materials:

• The comic book —“Miniature of Plasmids - From Extraction to Recombination”

We made a comic book on the fundamentals of synthetic biology and biochemistry. The theme of our comic book is "Miniature of Plasmids - From Extraction to Recombination". We use comic drawings to explain the definition of plasmids, the role of plasmids, the process steps of plasmid extraction, and the extraction principles. This also includes some details such as the different reagents added during the plasmid extraction process, the principles of the steps, and the principles used in PCR, which helps everyone better understand plasmids, understand the synthetic process, and love synthetic biology. After completing the comic book, we printed it out and brought it to school, introducing it to other students, hoping to help them learn more about biology and chemistry. While promoting our project, we also made them understand and fall in love with synthetic biology.

comic book

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• Handbook of Synthetic Biology on CRISPR

In our project, we used CRISPR technology to modify genes. We felt that before we could let people know about the specific technology of our project, we need to understand that the fundamentals of the technology are primarily aimed at high school students and adults (non-biology professionals). We have produced a booklet on CRISPR technology, which is divided into three sections: What is CRISPR, Mechanisms of action of CRISPR, and Applications of CRISPR. At the same time, we have made the brochure available in two languages to make it accessible to a wider audience. We hoped that this brochure will help people to better understand the technical aspects of our project and support it.
Handbook-English
Handbook-Chinese

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3 Biology Pleasance Activity on Campus

On July 30th we were honored to conduct a campus tour for freshmen at Guangdong Guangya School, the theme of the event was learning DNA and PCR experimental methods.
Our activity consisted of four parts, starting with an explanation of PCR (a synthetic biology experimental method), followed by three activities at the same time: a DNA coding game, a genetic coding puzzle, and a fruit DNA extraction experiment. The purpose of these games was to give the students a more profound understanding of the structure of DNA. The students endured the high temperature outside and devoted themselves to the activities. At the end of the activity, we created questions on the basics of DNA for everyone to share feedback on the activity.
Students actively answered the questions and submitted their satisfactory answers. For the freshmen, they felt that this activity influenced their high school life and even their choice of future direction, and they were very grateful to the seniors for sharing their knowledge.
All in all, this activity not only gave students a deeper understanding of biology knowledge but also made them more interested in biology. The event created a positive, interactive, and meaningful learning environment for the students.

Question answers：

4 Opening Course in Gel Electrophoresis Laboratory

Many freshmen showed considerable interest in DNA and PCR following the campus announcement, and they asked us to give them a more thorough explanation of synthetic biology. Therefore, our team delivered a presentation on synthetic biology at the school to give the high school students a deeper knowledge of the appeal of biology and biological experiments. At the school, our team taught a public course on gel electrophoresis. We covered the technical aspects of our project in this lesson, as well as the concept of gel electrophoresis, and we ran a digital lab simulation of gel electrophoresis tests. This gave the students greater hands-on experience with gel electrophoresis. All of the students participated in the virtual lab operation at the end of the activity in person, and they all said that it was a challenging and enjoyable activity. They all expressed a desire to pursue a career in synthetic biology in the future.

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5 On-site activity: Let Synthetic Biology enter the community

To aid in the spreading of biological information, we held an offline publicity event in a community, trying to popularize basic biological knowledge and concepts to a wider range of ages. Our scientific content included a simplified version of synthetic biology, the construction of DNA, and the production of insulin (using synthetic biology) for the elderly. Considering that there were lots of children in the community, we also interspersed some interesting games in the process of propagation, such as a jigsaw puzzle about genes and a coding game about DNA.

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In the process of science popularization, we try to make advanced biological knowledge more accessible, so that people who come to listen can better and faster understand it. For instance, when we explained insulin extraction, we also the prevalence and common causes of diabetes in today's mentioned era. What’s more, we gave some measures and suggestions to prevent diabetes in the end. In addition, the props in the games were painted in bright colors, which made esoteric knowledge easier to distinguish and helped them remember it better. In general, our campaign has attracted a lot of people. Based on their verbal feedback, they have more or less deepened their understanding of synthetic biology. We will also continue to popularize the content related to our team's research to the public through online social platforms or offline publicity.

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6 Self-media updates

We were a team with a passion for synthetic biology, and we pursued the power of bioengineering to solve problems and create a better future. To let more people know about synthetic biology, we decided to publicize our project on several self-media platforms. On Zhihu, we published a series of articles to introduce people to the biosynthesis of E. coli and shikimic acid. These articles received a lot of attention and appreciation, and some people said that they learned more details about the substance shikimic acid through our articles. In addition, we also produced a series of comics based on the content of the Zhihu articles, which were published on social platforms such as Xiaohongshu, WeChat public accounts, and Douban. These comics attracted a large number of readers and fans and received a high number of views and likes. During July and August, we also conducted a series of experimental studies to explore and practice our project in depth. To let more people understand and support our project, we posted weekly experimental logs and experimental videos on our WeChat public account. Through these efforts, our account gained more and more attention and support, and the number of views and followers continued to rise. Many people have expressed their appreciation and support for us.