Synthetic biology is one of the most promising disciplines worldwide as it contains utmost potential for future commercial and industrial applications. According to GAO, the synthetic biology market could grow from about $10 billion in 2021 to between $37 billion and $100 billion dollars by 2030. Reflecting 0n this global trend, synthetic biology education is rapidly becoming a focal point of academics.
Currently, the field of synthetic biology in South Korea faces a significant challenge in terms of engaging students and generating public awareness. A 2022 report from the Ministry of Education shows that there are a total of 2373 high schools in Korea, but the number of high schools capable of offering comprehensive educational modules covering the fundamental subjects of Research and Engineering (R&E) amounts to only 20 science high schools. The issue extends beyond just the immediate community; evident is the national synthetic biology initiative launched by the Ministry of Science and ICT, which unfortunately lacks inclusive policies such as essential infrastructure and targeted measures for high school students.
In an effort to promote synthetic biology and its presence in Korea’s educational system, the Seoul-Korea team founded the Seoul Synthetic Biology Union (SSBU). Formed in July of 2023, the union consists of 20 high school students with a keen mission to spread awareness of synthetic biology, especially among their peers. As a non-profit organization, SSBU aims to foster the growth of synthetic biology within our community, spanning across all age demographics—from kindergarten students to the broader public.
Fig.1. image of SSBU members
The organization and its activities drew inspiration from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s "One Book, One Miracle" project in Korea. The Korean War in 1950 caused over five million deaths, and constant bombings had destroyed schools and had rendered the educational system nearly non-existent. Yet, the commitment to education remained unwavering. Even without schools, students gathered in makeshift classrooms, eager to learn. In 1952, the United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency (UNKRA) sent six experts, announcing an agenda to revitalize education in Korea, including the establishment of printing factories dedicated to textbook production.
“What UNESCO provided us at that time was not just bread or medicine. It was booked to continue learning and wisdom to change the future.” - UNESCO Korea
Just as UNESCO brought the miracle of a single textbook to Korea, devastated by war, the SSBU has led a multitude of initiatives aimed at amplifying awareness and enhancing accessibility.
SSBU established sponsorship relationships with several corporations to enable activities such as hosting competitions and publishing our own magazine. We contacted several biotechnology firms and held meetings to secure financial support, eventually securing sponsorships from Selvas AI, DR Revotek, DR Axion, and Caregen. In addition to monetary support, the extensive network created by the sponsors granted an effective way to advertise. This was especially helpful when hosting the Korean Synthetic Biology Competition (KSBC) as it helped facilitate communication with a larger group of participants. As we invested a sizable portion of funds into setting up the debate competition and webinar session, we were able to offer a quality educational session for the participants and ensure the credibility of the competition (KSBC). Also, offering substantial prizes also encouraged more participation.
Fig.2. Logo of the sponsors
As a direct means of education and student engagement in synthetic biology, the SSBU organized and hosted a national-scale synthetic biology debate competition, the Korean Synthetic Biology Competition (KSBC). During the preparation and execution of the competition, we collaborated with KUAS-Seoul, an undergraduate iGEM team from Korea University. The team shared our belief in offering a platform that encouraged discussion and education on topics within synthetic biology. Their participation in the planning and execution was invaluable and helped establish the undergraduate track, increasing the range of student participation.
Fig.3. Poster for KSBCM
Fig.4. Homepage of KSBC website
After the opening ceremony, our team gave a presentation introducing our iGEM team and our project. By presenting our team project and the application of synthetic biology within our biosensor, we hoped to set an example of a student-led synthetic biology project, proving by existence the possibility of student research and participation in the field.
Fig.5. Introducing our project in the competition
Fig.6. High school students participating in debate
We accepted applications from participants for the preliminary round, when participants were asked to submit a video application not exceeding 6 minutes and 30 seconds. Of the participants, four teams were chosen by our highschool division judges to qualify for the main debate round. The competition followed the overall rule of the Asian parliamentary system, in which there are three debaters in each team to give a speech. Each debater had a maximum 6 minute 30 seconds to deliver his / her speech and the reply speakers had 2 minutes 30 seconds. Also, after a long consideration of choosing appropriate prompts for each debate, we came up with the following prompts for each age group.
For high school division, we chose the following prompts:
“This house believes that it is reasonable to encourage the use of a virus that is only valid for wild boars to control populations.”
“It is possible to manufacture customized food using synthetic biology. This house believes that it is desirable to produce food suitable for an individual in consideration of the individual's health status, nutritional requirements, preferences, and genetic information.”
and for the undergraduate division, we chose:
"Should the genetic information of living things made from synthetic biology be copyrighted or not?"
"Is it desirable to encourage the expansion of DIY Biology?"
For the respective prompts, the students exhibited professional knowledge and freely expressed their profound interest in biological engineering and synthetic biology. By organizing their debate and the competition itself, we were also inspired by their eagerness and passion to explore the field of synthetic biology more.
Alongside the debate sessions, we hosted an invitational webinar where participants had the opportunity to learn about some of the leading research in synthetic biology. Our main speaker was Dr. Wooli Bae, a lecturer in Experimental Soft Matter Physics at the University of Surrey.
Fig.7. Dr. Bae’s introduction slide
Fig.8. Dr.Bae giving his lecture
During the webinar, Dr. Wooli Bae delivered a lecture on genes and cell structures. The notable aspect of this webinar was its exclusive focus on bottom-up synthetic biology, a groundbreaking approach that sets it apart from the conventional top-down synthetic biology methods. Bottom-up synthetic biology refers to the newly emerging field of biology, where small molecules are assembled together to build a complex biological structure or system. Dr. Bae’s presentation was a rare opportunity for participating students to learn the unique perspective on synthetic biology and get inspired from the leading research projects related to the bottom-up synthetic biology.
While brainstorming ideas to promote synthetic biology as not only a fascinating subject but also an accessible one, we had the idea to design and publish a magazine themed on synthetic biology.
The unique ability of magazines to merge factual content with entertainment seemed like the perfect medium to attain our goals in education. Our team made use of all the conventional parts of the magazine, including a crossword and word search, while also providing knowledge and insight into the articles based on several topics within synthetic biology.
Starting with an introduction to the basic concepts of synthetic biology, the magazine follows various developments within synthetic biology and introduces challenges and issues surrounding the field. For our local readers, our magazine also offers perspective into the status of synthetic biology in Korea, as well as an introduction to iGEM 2023 and insight into our team Seoul_Korea.
During the design process, our team realized the need to make the form accessible to all. To help with this, we asked team members working on inclusivity within our project to engage with the editing process. As we polished the final design, we eventually realized the magazine’s relevance to inclusivity. After all, the magazine was meant to be an easy-to-pick-up form of text that reports on synthetic biology and its status in the current education system of Korea.
After some discussion, we decided to include a section on the state of education inclusivity in Korea, with an emphasis on students who do not attend school. Though seeming out of place at first, we realized (and hope our readers will too realize) that good education in synthetic biology begins with good education itself. We further hoped that our readers would share our belief that an inclusive approach to scientific education benefits all. Designing the section on the educational status of Korea, we focused on the statistics and analysis of students who do not attend school. The editorial touched on the reasons why students leave the education system in Korea and gave commentary on the topic. As a group from a country where the educational standard is considered extremely high, and public concerns on the topic revolve largely around over-burdening, academic stress, and private education, our team members gained a rare perspective into less discussed issues within the education system. Likewise, we hope this section of the magazine will help readers gain a more inclusive perspective and encourage the progress of education and synthetic biology.
Beyond our collaboration with the Inclusivity team, we conducted extensive research on synthetic biology issues in Korea and engaged with leading experts, including Professor Kwon Kil Koang and Professor Dongsoo Yang. Through interviews with these pioneers, our team gained a more comprehensive understanding of South Korea’s situation in synthetic biology, including specific technologies that South Korea has been focusing on and some leading labs in this country. Professor Kwon offered a perspective, suggesting Korea’s proficiency in synthetic biology is approximately 75% of that seen in the United States. This revelation enabled us to recognize the importance of our role: to amplify awareness and engagement in this new field in Korea. Thanks to their help, we could successfully finish our ‘Synthetic Biology in South Korea’ section in our magazine. In our article with the heading ‘contributors’, we specifically explained their commitment to this particular discipline and their contribution to fostering synthetic biology in Korea.
Fig.9. Photo of Synbio in Seoul Magazine
Fig.10. Photo of the offline camp
Offline Camp
We hosted an offline biology camp by inviting students who are continuing their studies and interests in science outside of school. We were able to approach the students by actively advertising across the nation through visiting youth centers, sending handwritten letters and posting advertisements in youth centers.
We prepared a fully packed 2-day camp schedule to provide a compact, hands-on lab experience. The participants were from diverse backgrounds and their ages ranged from 14 years old to 18 years old, which led us to adopt a mentoring system, to give specific one-to-one explanations.
Fig.11. Timeline of the offline camp
Empowering our participants through a strong mentor-mentoring system, each member of our team took on the role of a mentor, carefully explaining complex concepts and providing precise guidance to participants. This customized approach ensured that each participant not only understood the complex concepts but also gained confidence in navigating the lab.
With an emphasis on safety, participants were familiarized with the necessary precautions before performing experiments in a nationally certified and controlled LMO (Living genetically Modified Organism) laboratory environment. With this knowledge, participants performed PCR assays, mini preparations, and gel electrophoresis - basic experiments crucial to synthetic biology. These experiments were performed on genetically modified strains of E. coli containing recombinant DNA, adding a real-world dimension to their study.
This hands-on engagement helped turn theoretical knowledge into concrete real-world understanding and helped students gain a sense of accomplishment. Through these experiences, we aimed to demystify the laboratory environment for students and to provide hands-on memories to further nudge them to a scientific path.
Online Camp
With the shared goal of introducing more approachable lab experiences to the students who are not included in the public education system, we conducted an online camp session with Praxilabs, an online tool that offers realistic lab experiences with more than 150 lab simulation programs.
Fig.12. Introduction page of the online camp
In order to provide the most student-friendly lab curriculum, we prepared two major sessions, encompassing teaching of basic knowledge of synthetic biology and actual lab experience respectively. After a brief introduction to the field of synthetic biology in the first session, we proceeded with the DNA extraction practical which supplemented the short lesson.
As the online session had been designed in English, we paired each participant with a mentor, who offered translation as well as guidance whenever needed through the whole lab procedure. We intermittently held mini-quizzes to make sure each participant understood the practicals and was confident in what they were doing.
Lastly, at the end of the session, we had a short interview session, in which the participants were asked about their first virtual lab experience. Most of the participants were satisfied with the experience provided in the online camp, but a few potential improvements such as internet connection and program malfunction were stated, which will be helpful for us to prepare for the 2nd online camp next year.
Fig.13. Students participating in the online camp.
With wider usage of virtual labs in Korea, students can be ensured with greater access to various STEM disciplines including synthetic biology. Furthermore, the experience of virtual labs among adolescents would overall contribute to the development of Korea’s public understanding of synthetic biology.
Our education team members led projects that directly promoted synthetic biology by engaging students in immersive activities and attempting to increase public awareness of synthetic biology. Notably, by organizing and registering the Seoul Synthetic Biology Union, our team was able to increase the depth and reach of our activities by concentrating efforts on a singular entity. By securing multiple sponsorships, our team was able to facilitate various projects and activities.
SSBU recognized a major educational gap in synthetic biology and set out to make a difference. Inspired by UNESCO's One Book Miracle project, an example of the transformative power of education in South Korea, SSBU's aimed to create similar miracles in the field of synthetic biology by creating educational initiatives that reach all sectors of society.
In partnership with the KUAS_Seoul team, our team hosted the Korean Synthetic Biology Competition, which provided high school and undergraduate students with a platform to debate and learn important topics in synthetic biology, thereby fostering teamwork and curiosity. Also, we directly helped students learn about current research within the field in an accessible way by hosting speakers during our webinar. Moreover, by organizing offline and online biology camps, we helped students gain practical experience in laboratory settings and enrich their educational experience.
As a result, the various projects that our team conducted were carried out to help develop synthetic biology in South Korea. Our team was able to learn about synthetic biology a little more deeply while working on this project and was even honored to convey synthetic biology-related content to many people.
