Education is a fundamental human right,and every person should have the right to fair education. However, in rural and minority areas, children who belong to socially disadvantaged groups often do not receive fair education due to biases, preconceptions, and discrimination. This is especially true for natural science and STEM education.
According to data from UNESCO, 258 million people worldwide are out of school, accounting for 17% of global children, adolescents, and youth. In 2017, in rural areas of China, 17.6% -31% of students did not complete middle school, and the dropout rate during the entire middle school stage was as high as 63%. However, rural students in China account for two-thirds of the total number of students in school nationwide.
(Figure 1 Global Out-of-School Rate among Students and Figure 2 Dropout Rate of Chinese High School Students)
Although China has taken many measures to change this situation, the quality of education in rural areas still lags far behind that in urban areas. They lack teaching resources, inadequate infrastructure, political will, and community support. At the same time, they lack targeted funding and often face problems such as ineffective governance, inconsistent laws, and policies that cannot be implemented.
We have decided to challenge and improve the current state of educational inequality,
aiming to break down the barriers that prevent marginalized communities from gaining access to quality education in the field of biology and STEM education. In the following paragraphs, you can see the difficulties that we faced together with the children.
Education map
In our educational endeavors, we have found that conducting a single activity alone is challenging in altering the current state of educational inequality in the local context. In order to generate sustained and meaningful assistance to those who have been deprived of equitable education, we actively call upon volunteers and organizations within society to join our ranks. We have formed an education alliance and developed our own educational roadmap.You can find more detailed instructions on our Collaboration page.
We strive to promote and propagate synthetic biology, life sciences, and STEM education in China and even around the world with an academic focus. We plan to establish long-term contact points in impoverished areas here, returning to these places every year and working together with children to face challenges until obstacles are overcome.
Synthetic Biology Association of Hubei University
In order to promote the popularization of synthetic biology and public education, and to disseminate knowledge and applications of synthetic biology to the public, we established the Hubei University Synthetic Biology Association at Hubei University, and based on this, we conducted the Hubei Synthetic Biology Open Day event on July 5, 2023. This event was open to anyone interested in synthetic biology. During this event, participants had the opportunity to get to know each other, engage in in-depth communication, and initiate collaborations. The objective of the Open Day was to stimulate intellectual discussions and consensus building through exchanges and collaborations.
(Figure 4 Discussion of matters related to the establishment of the association)
In the future, we will establish a college synthetic biology student union with students from other universities. By working together, we aim to promote the popularization and application of synthetic biology and have a greater impact in the field of education.
(Figure 5 Charter of the Association of Universities)
Hubei Open Conference on Synthetic Biology
The Hubei Synthetic Biology Open Day is a distinctive educational promotion activity hosted by the Hubei University Synthetic Biology Association under the auspices of HUBU-China. Its aim is to promote collaboration and communication among iGEM teams in the Central China region, as well as to promote and disseminate knowledge and applications of synthetic biology to the public.
As the name of the event suggests, participation is not limited to iGEM teams. The event is open to anyone with an interest in synthetic biology or who wants to learn more about it. Participants can get to know each other, engage in deep communication, and explore possibilities for collaboration. The objective of the open day is to stimulate intellectual sparks and build consensus through collaboration and communication."
(Figure 6 Group photo)
In order to ensure that our educational event would attract as many people interested in synthetic biology as possible, as well as engage potential people interested in synthetic biology, we sent out invitations to colleges and universities in central China and to people interested in our event, and finally erected a signature wall at Hubei University to warm up for the event.
(Figure 7 Activity brochure and invitations)
(Figure 8 signature wall)
On July 5th, the event was officially held at the SIR hall of Hubei University. A total of 8 IGEM teams (HUBU-China, HUBU-HUBEI-CHINA, Wuhan-Hubei-China, HBUT-China, WHU-China, CUG-China, HZAU-China, Jiangnan-China) participated in our event. It is worth mentioning that our event attracted students from high schools, such as Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Central China Normal University, South China Normal University, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, who did not participate in IGEM, as well as residents of Hubei University community.
In the morning session, we invited researcher Yi Xiao from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences to give a lecture on synthetic biology. The IGEM teams then proceeded to present their projects and answer questions from other teams. At the same time, the IGEM teams also promoted their projects to potential participants in synthetic biology, stimulating their interest in synthetic biology.
(Figure 9 Synthetic biology publicity)
During the afternoon session, we held an exhibition of advanced achievements in synthetic biology in the lobby of the Frozen Electron Microscope Training Building. Each team had its own booth, showcasing the unique features of their respective projects through display boards and stands. Participants toured and exchanged ideas between booths, delving into projects and fostering a harmonious atmosphere of communication. We also provided a tea break room on the second floor for students to rest, as well as an expert discussion room where Researcher Yi Xiao from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Professor Guotao Ma from Huazhong University of Science and Technology carefully answered questions for everyone.
(Figure 10 Advanced Achievements in Synthetic Biology Exhibition)
(Figure 11 Photos of different teams at the Advanced Achievements Exhibition)
At the Advanced Achievements Exhibition in Synthetic Biology, multiple teams such as HUBU-China, HBUT-China, and WHU-China prepared gift sales activities for their team's intellectual property rights. The HUBU-China team presented a car that could be used to verify the performance of isobutanol fuel, which attracted the attention of many students and teachers from other teams.
(Figure 12 IP peripherals)
(Figure 13 Isobutanol fuel trolley)
It is worth mentioning that in order to increase the impact and publicity of the event in the education sector, we have designed an event badge to be given to every participant. At the same time, this event badge has inspired the IGEM Charity Fundraising Campaign.
(Figure 14 Event badge design)
(Figure 15 Gift giving)
This Hubei Synthetic Biology Open Day was successfully held, attracting many potential participants in synthetic biology. At the end, we awarded participation certificates to each of the IGEM teams that participated in the event. In the future, we plan to hold the Hubei Synthetic Biology Open Day every year.
(Figure 16 Group photo)
(Figure 17 Certificate of participation)
IGEM Charity Fundraising Event
After we conducted educational promotions in mountainous areas, ethnic minority gathering places, and impoverished areas, we found that economic and material difficulties were a major problem for local education. As our art team designed many IP creations and drew inspiration from the Hubei Synthetic Biology Open Day badge throughout the IGEM project, we held the IGEM Charity Fundraising Event.
(Figure 18 Cultural and Creative IP)
In September, we, along with four other teams from Hubei University, HUBU-China, HUBU-HUBEI-CHINA, HUBU-SKY-China, HUBU-WUHAN-CHINA, and Wuhan-Hubei-China, as well as HBUT-China from Hubei University of Technology, jointly initiated the IGEM charity fundraising event. The theme is "Gathering Every Bit of Love, Spreading Warmth", and the event aims to eliminate poverty, help underprivileged students with their education, and assist in the growth of children in mountainous areas. With the support of our college, we quickly promoted the event, with hundreds of students participating in the fundraising activities. We also participated in other community activities in Wuhan to raise awareness of this initiative among people of different age groups, and to bring warmth and love to underprivileged students. Through this fundraising event, we raised some resources for needy students, and with our humble efforts, we aim to spread hope and love. As a token of gratitude, donors who contribute to the fundraising cause can receive a creative IGEM gift that represents the spirit of spreading love.
(Figure 19 Photo of fundraiser)
(Figure 20 Photographs of cultural and creative objects)
Ultimately, we hope to use our meager efforts to eradicate poverty as much as possible and assist students in impoverished areas with their education. A total of ¥676.53 was raised from the event. We plan to donate the funds through the Hubei Provincial Youth Development Foundation to help impoverished students. In addition, this event will enhance people's understanding of synthetic biology and the iGEM competition, encouraging more people to participate in this field. It is worth mentioning that the person in charge of the Hubei Provincial Youth Development Foundation is very appreciative of our event, making us feel that our event is very meaningful and giving us the confidence to continue promoting education and helping impoverished students.
(Figure 21 Photo of donation)
(Figure 22 Certificate of Donation)
Social media education
In order to let more people know about synthetic biology, we promote it through the Internet and various media. In addition to the promotion of synthetic biology projects, we have also put our human practice, education promotion and other activities on the Internet, so that everyone can see our efforts to promote sustainable development, educational equity, STEM education, etc. and join our team. It is worth mentioning that through the promotion of the Internet, many volunteers have learned about our educational promotion activities and joined them.
(Figure 23 WeChat public account tweet)
(Figure 24 Information dissemination of educational outreach activities)
conclusion
Education inequality is perhaps the most serious education problem facing the world. We personally went to impoverished mountainous areas, rural areas, and ethnic minority gathering areas to communicate with local educators and provide them with assistance. Our goal is not only to promote the science behind synthetic biology to these vulnerable groups, but also to break down STEM barriers, change public values in impoverished areas, promote sustainable development, the global energy situation, and the concept of human rights equality. From our actions, we have come to realize that the path to educational equity is not overnight, but we are still committed to making our own contributions and hope to inspire future iGEM teams through our activities.
We are grateful to all those who have contributed to educational equity and hope that we can unite and cooperate to promote global educational equity.