Before we embarked on our educational outreach initiatives, our team invested time in creating a comprehensive guide. This guide was crafted with the intention of being a valuable resource not only for our fellow iGEM teams but also for future teams venturing into the exciting world of synthetic biology.

In our guide:

• Introduction: We set the stage for our readers, introducing them to the dynamic realm of synthetic biology and the iGEM competition.
• Understanding Biology Basics: We delved into fundamental biological concepts, ensuring a strong foundation for synthetic biology exploration.
• The Tools of Synthetic Biology: We explored the essential tools and techniques that empower synthetic biologists to engineer life.
• Future of Synthetic Biology: The guide offered insights into the promising horizons of synthetic biology, sparking curiosity about its potential impact.
• Synthetic Biology & iGEM: We emphasized the crucial connection between iGEM and the synthetic biology landscape.
• Advice from Our Team to Yours: Our guide featured valuable advice and wisdom from our experienced team members, providing guidance to fellow iGEM enthusiasts.
• Sources: We ensured transparency by listing our sources, allowing readers to explore further.

August 25, 2023

Rato Bangala School, Patan Dhoka, Lalitpur, Nepal

One of our team members facilitated an enlightening workshop titled "An Introduction to Synthetic Biology" at his alma mater, Rato Bangala School in Nepal. This event attracted approximately 50 high school students and educators, with most attendees being biology enthusiasts experiencing synthetic biology for the first time.

During the workshop, we provided a comprehensive introduction to synthetic biology, covering its principles, techniques, and significance in today's scientific landscape. Concepts like abstraction, standardization, and the engineering design process were explored. Attendees delved into the diverse applications of synthetic biology, witnessing its transformative potential in healthcare, agriculture, environmental conservation, and various industries. We also shared insights into our NYUAD iGEM 2023 project, which focuses on biomimetic collagen-like protein production. The workshop concluded with a stimulating Q&A session, allowing these high school students to seek clarifications and deepen their understanding of synthetic biology.

28th September, 2023

The iGEM competition is often associated with young people, but we believe that it has the potential to captivate individuals of all ages and diverse interests.

With this inclusive spirit in mind, we embarked on a series of engaging conversations, as showcased in our video below. In this video, one of our team leaders takes on the task of elucidating the concept of synthetic biology and delving into the details of our collagen project.

Our approach was to tailor our explanations to the knowledge levels of four individuals: a teenager, a college student, a biology instructor, and an expert in the field. For those less familiar with synthetic biology, we simplified the concepts, making them accessible and comprehensible. In contrast, we delved deeper into the intricacies for our expert audience, ensuring that the conversation remained engaging and informative.

5th October, 2023

A3 Auditorium, NYUAD

A Trivia Night, organized in collaboration with the Bioengineering Society Student Interest Group at NYUAD, brought the world of synthetic biology to life in a fun and challenging way. This exciting event brought together students and scholars alike to test their knowledge of the fascinating intersection between biology and engineering.

In the end, one victorious team emerged as NYUAD's first-ever Gene Geniuses. As a well-deserved reward, they received Foldscopes, real foldable microscopes that will undoubtedly enhance their scientific exploration. This event was not only a fun-filled evening but also an opportunity to deepen one's knowledge of synthetic biology while enjoying delectable food and refreshments. It was a memorable experience that celebrated learning, curiosity, and scientific discovery, aligning with our commitment to making science accessible and engaging.

On October 4, 2023, we teamed up with WeSTEM (Womxn in STEM), a passionate student interest group at NYUAD dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion in the STEM fields. Together, we conducted an engaging online workshop titled "SynBio 101."

This interactive workshop provided an introduction to the intriguing world of synthetic biology. Regardless of their academic backgrounds, participants had the chance to explore the fundamental principles, techniques, and practical applications of this groundbreaking field. Additionally, they gained insights into the NYUAD iGEM 2023 project.

This collaboration aligns perfectly with WeSTEM's mission to inspire, educate, and empower individuals interested in STEM, transcending gender boundaries. This collaborative endeavor showcases our dedication to making synthetic biology accessible, fostering curiosity, and igniting a passion for STEM right here on campus.

September 27, 2023

C2 main building, NYUAD campus

To promote our trivia night event and draw more individuals into the iGEM community, we organized a tabling event on our campus. At this event, we provided information on how to join iGEM 2024 team and invited students to fill out the survey, shedding light on public opinions regarding collagen products.

In this virtual environment, visitors can explore the lab, closely examine the objects we used in our project, and even rearrange them. As we gathered feedback, it became clear that many attendees desired a more interactive experience, envisioning various tasks within the virtual lab. Therefore, we believe that this technology has the potential to facilitate complete research protocols, representing a noteworthy leap toward the future of scientific exploration through VR technology.

Notably, the project also enables people from across the globe to access our lab via their phones or headsets.

We provide detailed instructions below on how you can be transported to our home, NYU Abu Dhabi.

Another accomplishment includes a feature in The Gazelle, our school's newspaper, published on September 25, 2023. We recognize the importance of casting a broader spotlight on the exceptional work of iGEM at NYUAD, both within our campus community and across Abu Dhabi.

This feature sought not merely to convey information but to provide an objective viewpoint of iGEM at NYUAD. It delved into personal narratives, experiences, and insights from key team members, the team leaders as well as our PI. At its core, the narrative celebrated the interdisciplinary nature of our projects, emphasizing the vital role of a diverse skill set that transcends traditional scientific boundaries. It was a call to merge the realms of science and creativity, underlining that iGEM encompasses far more than laboratory work. This feature also candidly addressed the challenges we encountered in our iGEM journey from technical complexities to managing academics alongside iGEM demands.

10th November, 2023

NYUAD

BioHack 3D is an innovative workshop and hackathon event centered around microfluidic biochips (MBs), with a unique focus on uncovering vulnerabilities and flaws in 3D printing technologies that could be exploited for stealthy attacks on MBs. This collaborative initiative brings together several prominent entities, including the Center of Cyber Security at New York University Abu Dhabi (CC-NYUAD), the Bioengineering program in the Division of Engineering at NYUAD, the Advanced Manufacturing Workshop at NYUAD, and the NYUAD iGEM team. This collective effort is conducted under the umbrella of Cyber Security Awareness Week (CSAW) 2023.

Scheduled for November 10, 2023, BioHack 3D invites participants to register in teams, consisting of a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 individuals. Teams may comprise members from various institutions, promoting diverse perspectives. This workshop and hackathon are open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Throughout the span of one day, participants will delve into the working principles and vulnerabilities of MBs. The event kicks off with a workshop providing essential insights into the fundamental aspects of biochips. Armed with this knowledge and additional resources, teams will collaboratively brainstorm potential attacks on biochips that could evade detection during post-manufacturing checks. Each team will then present their attack concept in a concise 5-minute presentation, evaluated by a panel of esteemed professors.

In the spirit of collaborative exploration and cybersecurity awareness, BioHack 3D promises to be an engaging and enlightening event, fostering a community of innovative thinkers and problem solvers in the realm of microfluidic biochips and 3D printing technology security.

We shared informative posts on our social media platforms, covering a wide range of lab techniques and synthetic biology topics, starting with an introduction to recombinant DNA technology and progressing to more advanced concepts like PCR, transformation, ligation, and gene expression. This systematic approach allowed our audience to build solid foundational knowledge alongside our synthetic biology guide.

Additionally, we actively engaged our followers with intriguing trivia questions and scientific problems, fostering thoughtful discussions and expanding understanding of synthetic biology's applications. We also provided personal insights from our team members, offering a behind-the-scenes look at our iGEM project's development, making science more relatable, and showcasing our team's diversity and cooperative spirit. Our social media pages served as a platform to connect our team's initiatives, including workshop summaries and guidance on accessing the Virtual Lab project, empowering our followers with valuable knowledge. Furthermore, we emphasized the connection between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and our iGEM project, helping our audience appreciate our work's broader significance in global sustainability efforts.

A Synthetic Biologist's Guide to Novel Foods

EA NYUAD is a chapter of the global Effective Altruism (EA) movement, dedicated to inspire students in the MENA region to do good more effectively. It runs a cohort of the Alternative Proteins Program, which is a 6 week educational program aimed at people interested in the science, technology, and business of alternative proteins. Participants learn about the impacts of animal agriculture on the environment, dive into factory farming in the context of animal welfare, and discuss the social and political challenges of alternative proteins.

In collaboration with EA, we developed a guide about Novel Foods, which is any food that does not have a significant recent history of human consumption in a particular region. The guide includes food insecurity problems and solutions, novel food category and criteria, novel food hazard management, and some success stories.

The guide was sent to other iGEM teams via slack and shared with EA as a resource on the alternative protein program. We hope that this guide will inspire readers to think critically about our global food market and its future.