We conducted a thorough poll to determine how people felt about synthetic biology, the COVID-19 pandemic's effects, and detection kit awareness. Our main goals were to gauge public opinion and encourage further public education about the complex world of detecting systems and scientific ideas. This project resulted in a poll titled "Public Perception and Understanding of COVID-19 Detection and Synthetic Biology," which sought to educate the public on these critical issues and provide them with insightful information about science and detection methods. The PDF below contains a compilation of the survey's findings.

At IISER Mohali, our team met with wonderful people from the IISER Mohali Community on September 13, 2023. We discussed iGEM and our Project and also had a great time answering their questions regarding our Project. The discussion helps the audience understand how synthetic biology may be used to address societal issues and how multiple disciplines intersect and overlap when working on a project. We also gave them an overview of iGEM and its numerous components. We also explained to the audience the biological principles on which our concept, "Pathoglow," is built.

Bio Informatics Workshop-

We held a one-day instructional session on bioinformatics to spread knowledge and acquaint students with computational thinking fundamentals. Beginning with an overview of our project, the session progressively moved on to bioinformatics. We gave real-world examples from our project where we successfully used bioinformatics to handle various difficulties to increase the workshop's engagement and attractiveness. Due to the application-focused approach, the program was engaging and fun for all attendees. We included a lot of question-and-answer periods throughout the workshop to ensure everyone understood the material. As a part of the workshop, we divided the students into groups and assigned them small tasks. We imparted essential techniques and encouraged them to work independently, providing guidance and assistance as needed while we circulated to address any obstacles they encountered.

Educating Through Social Media:

Creating a visually rich learning environment can significantly enhance students' academic experience. In light of this, we devised a story about young students involved in a synthetic biology project who must deal with the unanticipated effects of the rapid spread of contagious diseases. Although this series of comic books primarily caters to children, older readers could also find it engaging. The comics achieve this by presenting complicated ideas about biocomputing, synthetic biology, and their real-world applications in an engrossing, approachable, and thought-provoking way.

As a team, we firmly believe that the most effective approach to science education is one that makes it engaging and readily understandable. Unfortunately, in society's lower socioeconomic strata, a significant deficit in knowledge related to science and hygiene exists. This knowledge gap became acutely apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, as those with limited access to hygienic practices, scientific understanding of virus transmission, and medical resources were the most adversely affected.

In response to this challenge, we organized a unique event - a street play combined with a drama performance - specifically for the children of construction workers residing near local construction sites. The primary objective was to impart crucial lessons about the importance of hygiene and the underlying science of virus transmission. To bring this initiative to life, we collaborated with students from our institute who actively taught science to children.

The street play was a hit among the children, captivating their attention while delivering essential insights about maintaining basic health habits. It was a joyful and enlightening experience for all involved. We invite you to watch a video and peruse some images we captured during this impactful drama performance.

Art competition - Collaboration with Rang Art Club