1. Overview

During the online public survey, it was observed that residents in second and third-tier cities had a relatively limited understanding of diabetes, despite a relatively high prevalence of the disease. This raised awareness of the importance of conducting relevant educational activities. Considering that our team is primarily located in first-tier cities such as Shanghai, it was challenging to directly reach out to populations in other regions. As a result, we decided to organize online educational activities targeting these populations. Although residents in first-tier cities have higher levels of education and some awareness of diseases, there is still a lack of in-depth understanding of diseases. Therefore, online educational activities are meaningful for all population groups.

 

In addition to raising awareness about diabetes through online activities, we also organized offline educational activities with a specific focus on the development of new drugs for diabetes to demonstrate their societal value. These offline education events primarily took place in Shanghai and included educational seminars aimed at children. Because adults may already have some basic knowledge of the disease, and due to time constraints for offline events, the target audience was children aged 7 to 12. Through these seminars, we aimed to provide participants with a basic understanding of the causes, prevention, treatment, and innovative treatment methods for diabetes. Subsequently, these children could pass on this knowledge to their parents and other adults, thereby expanding the reach of disease awareness within families.

 

2. Online education activities

During the process of preparing to establish official accounts, we took into consideration the various software and social media platforms that people with different levels of cultural awareness and from different regions might potentially use. We realized that TikTok is a widely used platform in China, accessible to many people in both rural and urban areas, where they can access our profile and watch our educational videos. Due to the advantages of educational videos in information dissemination, we plan to host these videos on Bilibili as an alternative platform, as it is popular among the younger demographic.

 

(Figure 1 a&b Homepage of TikTok and Bilibili)

Apart from video content, we also recognized the effectiveness of disseminating information through text and images. Therefore, we registered accounts on platforms like Weibo and Little Red Book  to showcase and convey information about our products in a text and image format. By publishing accurate scientific information, we aim to fulfil the social responsibility emphasized by iGEM. Such a multi-channel promotional and educational strategy will help us reach different audience groups, ensuring that our information can be widely disseminated and have maximum impact.

 

(Figure 2 a&b . Other  platform) 

So far, we have published three articles in both Chinese and English on different topics. The first article provides a brief introduction to our iGEM team, research project, and team logo. The second article introduces diabetes to the public, including the types of diabetes, its consequences, prevalence, and treatment methods. The third article is an introduction to the product we have developed—a novel diabetes treatment method. Additionally, when we published the second and third articles, we included a survey questionnaire on the last page to investigate people's understanding of diabetes and their knowledge of our product.

 

( F igure   12a-c  E ducation   online   tool )

We have also showcased our experimental processes on Bilibili by  creat ing  vlogs with the hope that the public can engage in synthetic biology just like we do. As of September, our videos have accumulated over 1,000 views. Many people have contacted us through comments, expressing their interest in our experiments and technology. We believe that through these videos, we have effectively conveyed information about our product, promoted public health, and better advocated the principles of synthetic biology.

 

(Figure 3. Vlog on social   media   platform )

 

3. Offline education activities

UV-DiaBEATER is dedicated to raising awareness about diabetes through educational activities, seminars, and workshops. Our goal is to empower individuals by providing information about diabetes, its principles, and treatment methods. By fostering a supportive community, we strive to improve diabetes management and contribute to better health outcomes.

 

The primary objective of this educational activity is to disseminate knowledge about diabetes, with the target audience being children aged 7-12. As the number of diabetes patients continues to rise, we have initiated this educational campaign to enhance everyone's understanding of the specifics and dangers of diabetes, promoting timely prevention and management. Through this educational initiative, we guide children to learn about diabetes.

 

Most of the students in this course come from knowledgeable families and have a certain curiosity about biology and diseases, making our content well-suited for them. During the teaching process, we incorporate fun activities such as games, drawing, and sports to engage their interest. Our teaching goals are to help children understand the types of diabetes, its causes, and preventive measures while instilling awareness of diabetes prevention and control in them.

 

 

(Figure 4 a&b  Offline education)

The activity was divided into four parts: (1) What is Diabetes, (2) Knowledge Quiz, (3) Content Explanation, and (4) Handicrafts. F irstly , speakers Li Yuexin and Guo Shiyu explained the causes of diabetes in plain and understandable language and introduced the three different types of diabetes, complications, and prevention and resistance measures. They emphasized the importance of early prevention and control of diabetes and provided daily life guidelines, such as controlling sugar intake in the diet, avoiding overeating, and consuming more fruits and vegetables; maintaining regular and effective exercise, controlling weight; maintaining a positive and optimistic attitude to prevent diabetes from taking advantage of weaknesses. Towards the end of the explanation, we briefly mentioned the ongoing research and promotion of the blue light treatment project.

 

(Figure 5 c&d  Offline education)

In the latter part of the activity, participants led the children in making medical-related clay crafts and posters to review and reinforce the knowledge learned in the science lecture. We distributed clay and encouraged everyone to create handicrafts like syringes and pills using clay. We also organized groups to create posters using the knowledge learned during the activity, summarizing the key points of the lesson. Through this activity, we learned a lot, such as how to communicate with children and how to explain scientific knowledge in simple terms. The children also gained a lot, and their posters were detailed, exquisite, and adorable. This activity received positive feedback from everyone, and we plan to continue conducting similar science outreach activities in the future.

During the Q&A session after the game , the students were able to memorise the points we had explained earlier. We prepared 10 quiz questions for review and the participants answered each question perfectly. We believe that through this offline educational activity, these children and their parents will have a deep understanding of blue light therapy and synthetic biology. They can also inspire their friends to learn and understand the profound impact of synthetic biology.

 

(Figure 6 Offline poster)

 

4. Education materials

In both online and offline educational activities, we prepared a large number of materials in Chinese, including posters, brochures, banners, clay, diabetes stickers, medical drawings related to diabetes, promotional posters, and a diabetes awareness course (with PowerPoint presentations). These materials were designed based on the games and core content we planned to present to the participants.

 

(Figure 7 education slides )

( Please click here for the attachment )

 

 

(Figure 8 promotional posters)

 

5. Conclusion

Through a series of educational activities, we believe we have effectively conveyed the concepts of diabetes, blue light therapy, and the importance of health protection. We have prepared precise educational plans for elementary school students in offline education and the general public in online education. Based on post-activity surveys and interactions with our educational materials, the results have been significant. However, as a high school team, our outreach capabilities are limited, so we can only do what is within our means. We call on everyone and society to engage in relevant educational activities to promote health and equitable development for all.