Overview

In today's world, the problem of plastic pollution has become a global challenge, exerting significant impacts on both the environment and human health. Systematic metabolic engineering based on synthetic biology, by utilizing the special properties of biological enzymes, can effectively decompose plastics and convert them into harmless substances.

The core purpose of education is to disseminate knowledge in this field to the general public, thereby catalyzing increased awareness and driving collective action towards plastic degradation technologies. Through education initiatives, weour want to raise awareness about the relationship between synthetic biology and plastic degradation, recognize the immense potential of this technology, and promote society towards sustainable development.

Questionnaire Design and Distribution

To understand the public's level of awareness and attitudes towards plastic degradation, we created relevant survey questionnaires. By collecting opinions and feedback from the public, we aim to gain a deeper understanding of societal needs and concerns, which will, in turn, contribute to the enhance and advance our project.

The results derived from the questionnaire survey show that a significant portion of respondents consume bottled water or bottled beverages, averaging 2 to 3 bottles per week. Of note, it is a matter of concern that 81% of people believe that the most appropriate method for handling plastic is physical recycling rather than biodegradation. Furthermore, 61% of respondents have encountered the term 'biodegradable plastics', yet their understanding of this concept remains limited. This indicates that there’s a certain lack of awareness regarding biodegradation of plastics among the public, underscoring the importance of our education.

Community and School Promotions

We organized community and school education activities to actively introduce our project to the public and in-depth explain the principle and application of biodegradable plastics. Through these activities, we hope to raise the public’s awareness of plastic degradation technology and increase their attention to enzyme degradation of plastics and sustainable development. Considering that different age groups have different cognitive levels and need different education methods, we conducted targeted education for different age groups. Our team reached out to more communities and groups to actively introduce our project and the knowledge of enzyme-degradaetion plastics to people of different ages.

Children

We went to Nanjing Refinery Primary School, Nanjing Huashu Village community and Jurong City Children's Palace to introduce our team, synthetic biology and basic knowledge about plastics to the children in a simple and easily comprehensible manner. We used plain language and fun ways to interact with children and introduce the basics of synthetic biology and plastic degradation. Through interactive games, we let them experience the wonderful process of bioenzyme degradation of plastic, stimulated their interest in science, and guided them to establish environmental awareness.

Young and Middle- aged

For young and middle-aged groups, we carried out science popularization activities in Xianlin Lake community. We engaged with residents to listen to their views and opinions on enzyme-degradation plastics, and provided detailed scientific explanations and examples to help them better understand the importance and potential of this technology. We also showed the experimental process and results of plastic degradation in an intuitive way to enhance their awareness and encourage them to actively participate in environmental actions, such as reducing plastic use and recycling.

We also extended our reach by holding a plastic environmental protection exhibition at the subway station to disseminate relevant knowledge to the public.

Old Age

For the elderly, we went to Suojin Four Village community to introduce our project and plastic-related knowledge to the elderly. In our communication with them, we shared the impact of plastics on the environment and the importance of plastic degradation technologies. Through communication with the elderly, we not only share our knowledge, but also feel their concerns and support for environmental conservation efforts. We disegussed with them to explore the challenges and solutions faced by plastic waste disposal, and encouraged them to adopt environmentally friendly measures in their daily lives to contribute to reducing plastic pollution.

By conducting more education activities, we can pass on more knowledge about technology in enzyme degradation of plastics to the public and highlight its importance in tackling plastic pollution. Letting more people understand the principle and application of enzyme degradation of plastics can stimulate public attention and support for the technology, encouraging more people to actively participate in environmental protection actions.

Media Publicity

In addition to promotion activities, we harness various media platforms, such as public accounts and Bilibili website, to continuously communicate knowledge about synthetic biology and plastic degradation to the public by publishing content. Through these ways, we reach out to a wider audience, expand our reach, and encourage increased participation in environmental initiatives.

We mainly share the team's human practice in media publicity. It includes school educational activities, interviews with experts and experiences, and wonderful moments of networking activities with other teams. These precious experiences and insights are presented to the public through pictures and their accompanying essays means, ensure that more people know about our efforts and would like to participate in environmental protection.

Through the promotion of our public accounts and Bilibili website, our team continues to expand the scope of education and spread the knowledge of synthetic biology and plastic degradation to people of different ages.

By sharing these practices, we hope to stimulate the public's interest and participation in environmental education. These activities are not only to pass on knowledge about synthetic biology and plastic degradation, but also to show our team's responsibility and action to actively promote the cause of environmental protection. We believe that every community talk and every interview will contribute to the popularization and promotion of environmental awareness. With the power of education, we hope to work together for a cleaner, more sustainable future.

Derivative of Education

Picture Book

In order to let children understand the problem of plastic pollution and cultivate their environmental awareness, we have produced a wonderful picture book: Jack's Magic Diving Trip! Now let us uncover the story behind the creation of this exciting picture book.

We know that children are the owners of the future and that their understanding and actions on environmental protection and sustainability are crucial. In order to spread knowledge about plastics and plastic degradation to children and promote the concept of environmental protection and sustainable development, we use simple and vivid stories in the form of picture books to let children understand the seriousness of plastic pollution, learning how to reduce plastic use and rational plastic recycling, so as to stimulate their interest in environmental protection and form good environmental awareness and habits.

In the early stages of production, our team members planned the framework and main plot of the story. By digging knowledge of plastic pollution and environmental protection, we ensure that the content of the story was accurate and scientific. Next, our team members drew beautiful illustrations according to the plot of the story to make the story more vivid and interesting. At the same time, we have carried out many internal discussions and revisions to ensure the quality and educational value of the picture book.

This picture book has achieved very good results among children. Through Jack, the cute protagonist in the story, and the dialogue between plastic microbes, children have a deep understanding of the harm of plastic pollution to the ocean and the ecological environment. In addition, they also learned how to reduce plastic use in daily life, properly sorting and recycling plastic waste, and contribute to the cause of environmental protection. We have incorporated the value of environmental action into the story and inspired the children to be motivated and proactive.

We hope that by launching more similar picture books, as well as correlative educational activities, the concept of environmental protection and sustainable development will be deeply transmitted to more children. We believe that through this kind of education, we can cultivate a new generation who care more about the environment, and work together for a better future.

We sincerely hope that this picture book can bring joy and inspiration to children, so that they can become guardians of the earth and contribute their own strength to the cause of environmental protection.

Web Dictionary

Go to see our web dictionary

After conducting some promotions and interviews before, we learned that the public did not know much about some terminology in the field of synthetic biology and plastics, which not only affected their understanding of our project, but also reduced the public’s enthusiasm for environmental protection and sustainable development to a certain extent. In order to make it easier for people to understand our project and related fields of professional terms, we produced a web dictionary. This dictionary covers terminology in the fields of wet lab, synthetic biology and plastics, providing explanations in an easy-to-understand manner.

In the web dictionary, we provide a concise explanation for each technical term, avoiding the obstacles of technical terms to public understanding. For example, for a particular technique or experimental method in wet lab, we use simple language to explain its principle and application. For the relevant terms in synthetic biology, we furnish intuitive explanations for pertinent terms, allowing individuals to grasp their roles and significance within the context of enzyme degradation plastic research.

In addition, our web dictionary encompasses plastic abbreviations and alongside their full names, properties and main uses. This way, when people read our project materials, they can easily understand the type of plastic that these acronyms represent, and understand their characteristics and wide areas of application. By providing this information, we hope to help the public better understand the terms and concepts in the field of plastic degradation, and promote the understanding and recognition of enzyme degradation plastic .

By creating a web dictionary, we are committed to breaking down the barriers of professional terminology, so that more people can easily understand and master relevant knowledge. We believe that in this way, people can better understand our project, gain an in-depth understanding of the importance and potential of enzyme- degradation plastic and take corresponding environmental actions in their daily lives.

This web dictionary will be a convenient resource that not only provides the public with an explanation of relevant knowledge, but also provides a learning and reference platform for those who interested in synthetic biology and plastic degradation. In this way, we hope to promote and popularize knowledge in related fields, inspire more people to pay attention to environmental protection and sustainable development, and work together to solve the problem of plastic pollution.

Micro-lessons

To disseminate knowledge about plastics and plastic degradation to the public while fostering the principles of environmental protection and sustainable development, we launched a series of wonderful micro-lessons on the theme “What do you Know about Plastics?”. It is hoped that through these micro-lessons, the public will have an in-depth understanding of the development history of plastics, plastic pollution problems, and the technology and application prospects of plastic degradation.

In our micro-lessons, the public will learn about the history of plastics from simple laboratory accidents to the polymer compounds that permeate every aspect of life today. The micro-lessons review important milestones in plastics, such as the invention of phenolics and nylon, and the widespread use of plastics during the war. By understanding the history of plastics, the public will deeply realize its important position and influence in modern society.

At the same time, micro-lessons delve into the challenges plastic pollution poses to the environment and ecosystems. By citing shocking data and examples, it shows the accumulation of plastic along coastlines and oceans, as well as the potential impact on soil and life. These data will make us aware of the severity of plastic pollution and stimulate the public's willingness to participate in environmental action.

Our microlesson also provides an in-depth look at the main forms of plastic degradation technology: photodegradation, biodegradation and double degradation. The public will learn how these technologies use light or microbes to break down plastic into environmentally friendly substances. At the same time, we also objectively introduce the limitations and challenges of these forms of degradation, so that the public can understand the current problems and prospects in the field of plastic degradation.

Finally, we also look forward to the development prospects and innovative applications of plastic degradation in micro-lessons. For example, the broad application prospects of new high thermal conductivity bioplastics, color-changing plastic films, and new bullet-proof plastics, as well as their potential benefits for electronic products, medicine, and environmental protection. These innovative materials will make an important contribution to the sustainable development of society and humanity.

Through these micro-lessons, we hope to arouse the public's attention to plastic pollution and plastic degradation. Only when we all understand the problem and realize its importance can we act together to build a beautiful earth home!

The Biological Podcast Project

Listening to podcasts is a popular pastime these days. Therefore, podcasts have also become an important medium of information dissemination. In order to help more people get in touch with the biological world and biological knowledge, the NNU-CHINA team took the initiative to participate in the biological podcast project organized by the ZJUT-iGEM team. Our team chose the topic of "Science Popularization of Biological knowledge" and divided it into two parts, including "What is biology" and "Microorganisms in Food". Team members consulted relevant materials, wrote easy-to-understand documents, and finally presented our science popularization content in the form of audio recordings. Our work has been uploaded to NetEase Cloud Music and other podcast platforms, and has gained some clicks and attention. In this way, we hope to spread some biological knowledge to students related to biology and people of all ages who are interested in biology, as well as share the latest research results, experimental techniques and other topics. At the same time, we look forward to actively discussing relevant knowledge with podcast listeners and exploring the biological world together.