Overview

We believe that as those involved in iGEM and synthetic biology, it is important to increase societal awareness and utilization of synthetic biology. To achieve this, we needed to step out of the lab and engage in mutual learning and dialogue about synthetic biology. We have collaborated with experts to develop educational tools such as event methodologies, worksheets, and booklets, and have successfully organized various events.

We are addressing dengue fever as the theme for STAND UP, which is one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and a serious infectious disease causing significant harm. For our education activities, we set "infectious diseases" as the unified theme. In doing so, we endeavored to promote understanding of infectious diseases that are spreading or have the potential to spread globally, including dengue fever, while also conveying the utility of synthetic biology.

Synthetic biology brings significant benefits to society by solving real-world problems, as we are doing in iGEM. Raising awareness of synthetic biology and promoting activities that utilize it in society are necessary for making synthetic biology useful to the community. To achieve this, we took appropriate approaches aimed primarily at young people who will shoulder the next generation, as well as everyone else. The activities include the following.

• Activities for High School Students
  • Workshop-style classes in high schools
  • Outreach classes on synthetic biology
  • iGEM Internship
• Activities for College Students
  • Freshmen welcoming events
  • Orientation for New Students in the School of Life Science and Technology
• Activities for the General Public
  • Business start-up community（OB/OG Community)
  • iGEM TokyoTech Booklet
  • Booklet for the general public(Discovery iGEM Japan Community)
• Communication

To execute these plans, we consulted with experts in educational technology and educational practitioners (see this section in human practices). The outcomes of these consultations are reflected in the structure of our events, worksheets, and the booklets we have created, such as the iGEM guidebook.

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Outreach events example

• Moreover, education activities are being planned not only by our team but also by other iGEM teams around the world. The target audiences for these activities come from various backgrounds and attributes. In addition, activities aimed at deepening understanding of infectious diseases like those mentioned above are needed not only domestically in Japan but also overseas, particularly in regions where infections are prevalent. In those cases, different approaches are required depending on the attributes and backgrounds of the participants in overseas and Japanese activities. Currently, education activities are often planned from scratch according to the attributes and backgrounds of participants. However, if there were universally applicable guidelines and planning metrics that transcend these factors, the quality of education globally could be improved. We aim to contribute to the enhancement of the quality of education activities worldwide by creating such metrics. We believe these metrics would be broadly and significantly beneficial for education activities around the world, starting with education in infection-prone areas and other iGEM teams 'education initiatives.

Activities for High School Students:

One of the activities we put the most effort into is aimed at high school students. In addition to activities at public schools in the Tokyo metropolitan area, such as Chiba Prefectural Funabashi High School (=Funabashi) and Koishikawa Secondary School (=Koishikawa), we also organized an iGEM Internship. We involved many high school students with the primary goal of letting them first "come into contact with synthetic biology."

Workshop-style classes in high schools at Koishikawa Secondary School

Koishikawa Secondary School is a public combined junior and senior high school in Tokyo. We conducted classes related to synthetic biology and infectious diseases three times, targeting about 150 5th-year students (equivalent to 2nd-year high school students, ages 16-17).

Policy & Plan

Teaching Materials & Slides

• Innovate to ensure participants can recognize the issues they should learn about here
  • Title the supplementary slides "What is Synthetic Biology" to clarify the purpose of learning synthetic biology.
  • Explain the theme "What is Synthetic Biology" in an easy-to-understand manner using concrete examples.
• Design to broaden the participants' interest
  • Focus on synthetic biology, which is not covered in current high school education.
  • Consult with high school teachers to naturally connect the class with high school materials and content.

Event Format

• Promote mutual learning among participants
  • Implement group work with 4-5 people per group, and also exchange opinions with various iGEM Tokyo Tech members.
  • Create presentation slides three times, present them, and send feedback from iGEM Tokyo Tech members or other groups in between.
• Establish a system for organizers to learn.
  • Conduct three classes from June to September, providing time for research after receiving feedback in between.
  • Send text-based feedback outside of class, and have dialogues with each group as mentors during class time.
• Innovate to promote participants' proactive actions.
  • In supplementary slides, start by briefly explaining the theory and then describe examples that have been actually implemented in society.
  • When sending feedback, make participants conscious of the perspective of what kind of disadvantages could arise when implementing it in society.

Implementation Details

The course was conducted over three sessions. In the first session, we showed a video and presented a group discussion topic (measures against infectious diseases such as Dengue Virus, Influenza, or HIV). We had the students engage in discussion, present their discussion content, and conducted feedback between groups. For the reasons why we arrived at this instructional design, please refer to the interview with Mrs. Sano.

In the second session, we conducted another round of group discussions and had the students create presentations incorporating the feedback. After the class, we at iGEM TokyoTech provided feedback on the submitted presentation slides and audio.

In the third session, we actually visited the school, communicated the feedback, and polished up the presentations. Members of iGEM TokyoTech spoke to groups where the discussion seemed to be stalled, and answered questions from the students. Many ideas for infectious disease control emerged from the students, and they actively participated in the discussions. They had researched a lot about synthetic biology to reinforce their own ideas. From this, our activities undoubtedly facilitated discussions both among the students and between iGEMers and students, effectively encouraging mutual learning and dialogue.

A

Group 4

Before Feedback

We believed that early detection is crucial to prevent the spread of influenza. As a method for early detection, we thought of creating a substance that reacts and emits light in the presence of the influenza virus, and adhering it to the throat. When the influenza virus enters the body, the substance in the throat reacts and emits light, making it clear that an infection has occurred. We placed the substance in the throat where it is difficult for others to see, to ensure that the infection is not noticeable to others.

Feedback Comments

It is considered that a level of luminescence that goes unnoticed by others may also go unnoticed by oneself, making early detection unfeasible. Fluorescent proteins often require an excitation light to emit light, which adds an extra step, so differentiation from using a test kit could be difficult. It is also thought to be metabolically difficult to keep a fluorescent protein in the back of the throat until an infection occurs.

After Feedback

To prevent the spread of influenza, we thought of a testing method that is easy to incorporate into daily habits. This method uses saliva. After brushing your teeth, you dip the toothbrush with attached saliva into a testing solution. We believe that making daily tooth brushing into a test can lead to early detection of infections.

Group 6

Before Feedback

We thought of creating a decoy to prevent Dengue virus infection, so that mosquitoes would not bite people. The decoy generates heat, emits carbon dioxide, and produces smells like sweat through microorganisms.

Feedback Comments

The idea of using a decoy is realistic and good because it can be implemented without disturbing the ecosystem. Mosquitoes use blood not just as an energy source but also for the development of their ovaries. Therefore, considering the possibility that mosquitoes are sucking blood independent of their appetite could make the presentation more interesting and persuasive. The microorganism you want to create will also need energy for egg-laying, so you might also consider using other animals like small mammals.

After Feedback

We are considering creating something that mosquitoes would feed on instead of humans to prevent Dengue virus infection. The reason mosquitoes suck blood is to replenish nutrients needed for laying eggs. We are thinking of using a synthesized mouse containing the components that mosquitoes need as a decoy. By combining carbon dioxide, heat, and smells like sweat, it will further enhance the effectiveness. This will prevent infection by breaking the route of transmission. Another advantage is that it does not reduce the number of mosquitoes.

B

Group 10

Before Feedback

In order to prevent HIV infection, we came up with a method to create a gene that deactivates reverse transcriptase and incorporate it into the human body.

Feedback Comments

As pointed out among the concerns, introducing recombinant DNA into the human body is not realistic. If you are considering focusing on the deactivation of reverse transcriptase, it would be better to think in terms of having another organism produce the substance that acts as a deactivating factor.

After Feedback

For combating HIV, we considered creating a protein that deactivates the reverse transcriptase, which converts HIV RNA into DNA.

C

Group 6

Before Feedback

We thought of two methods for combating Dengue virus. The first method involves using Wolbachia, a microorganism that parasitizes insects. We would attract mosquitoes with the smell of sweat and heat and infect them. The second method is to dull the mosquitoes' cognitive functions using a substance called Icaridin, thus preventing them from biting. Synthetic biology will be used for the production of Icaridin.

Feedback Comments

Wolbachia is a bacterium, and Icaridin is a chemical substance. Therefore, it may not be very convenient to conceptualize them as products of synthetic biology. Icaridin is currently produced industrially, and there doesn't seem to be much advantage in entering this field through synthetic biology. It would be good to consider repellents that are more powerful than Icaridin and difficult to produce industrially.

After Feedback

We considered synthesizing a component that repels mosquitoes for the prevention of Dengue fever and using it as an insect repellent spray. We plan to produce an organic compound called"p-menthane-3,8-diols," found in eucalyptus, which acts as a repellent against mosquitoes. By using synthetic biology to produce a safe and inexpensive insect repellent spray, we aim to prevent transmission by mosquitoes. Compared to commercially available repellent sprays containing Icaridin or DEET, this spray is expected to have no usage restrictions and to be safe, as well as have additional benefits like antibacterial, deodorizing, and insect-repelling effects. If mass production becomes feasible, it can be sold at a low cost, giving it a competitive advantage.

D

Group 2

Before Feedback

We thought of two methods for combating the Dengue virus. The first method involves extracting pyrethrin from chrysanthemums and incorporating it into sunscreens and body wipes. The second method is to investigate the DNA of mosquitoes, identify the reason why they do not manifest symptoms after being infected with the Dengue virus, and utilize it as a vaccine.

Feedback Comments

The biological mechanisms of humans and mosquitoes are fundamentally different. Therefore, there is no guarantee that the mechanism that prevents mosquitoes from developing Dengue fever will work when directly applied to humans. You mentioned using it as a vaccine, but it would be good to consider what specifically will be injected. Simply injecting DNA will not fundamentally cause the encoded genes to be expressed.

After Feedback

For the prevention of Dengue fever infections, we thought of an idea to use a harmless component like pyrethrin, which is a component of plants, to prevent mosquitoes from approaching humans. We thought that synthesizing such a component using microorganisms could be more efficient than extracting it from plants. We considered incorporating this component into fabric softeners to make it easier to use in daily life.

It was a great opportunity to introduce high school students to iGEM and synthetic biology. The thought that some of the students may get involved in iGEM in the future is exciting!

Conclusion

The active participation and idea contribution of the attendees suggest that their interest has increased. However, we did not hear any direct voices saying they want to participate in synthetic biology. As touched upon in the evaluation of teaching materials and slides, we believe this is because the class we provided remained within the scope of being passive. We were conscious of making a meticulous path by suggesting solutions in the feedback to allow high school students to participate in synthetic biology without requiring much prerequisite knowledge. But this might have inadvertently taken away their opportunities to think and act on their own. This realization has become an opportunity for us to re-examine how we meet the criterion of

"Provide an opportunity for participants to contemplate their future activities"

Nonetheless, there's no doubt that this workshop-style class, emphasizing active learning, provided a good opportunity to enhance the participants' knowledge and interest. The provision of feedback on the content of teaching materials and presentations also improved the learning experience of the attendees. We sincerely hope that such excellent students will participate in future iGEM-related activities.

Outreach classes on synthetic biology (at Chiba Prefectural Funabashi High School)

Chiba Prefectural Funabashi High School (=Funabashi) is a public high school located in Chiba Prefecture. This high school regularly organizes tours to TokyoTech as part of its school events. As a part of those tours, we conducted lectures on synthetic biology on two occasions. The main content of the lectures focused on synthetic biology and virology.

Objectives & Goals

First, we aimed to educate attendees on what synthetic biology is, and from there, we showed its relevance to our project theme, which is virology. In addition to providing an opportunity to know and think about synthetic biology, the goal of this class is to also inform them about iGEM TokyoTech. By sparking an interest in iGEM, we aim to nurture future iGEMers and also instill a correct understanding and interest in infectious diseases.

Day 1

Policy & Plan

• Teaching Materials and Slides

  • Innovate to ensure participants can recognize the issues they should learn about here

    • We used educational materials with the title "Become a Virus Master Starting Today!" to explicitly indicate the content related to viruses.
    • We began by asking questions about the differences between viruses and living organisms, offering attendees the opportunity to think about the theme from the get-go.

  • Design to broaden the participants' interest

    • We talked about synthetic biology, a subject not often covered at the high school level.
    • We referenced high school teaching materials and branched from the learned content to the main topic.

• Event Format

  • Promote mutual learning among participants

    • We allowed attendees to talk and consult with each other when posing questions.
    • We provided speaking opportunities for some attendees and listened to their opinions.

  • Establish a system for organizers to learn

    • After the class, we distributed an "iGEM TokyoTech booklet" allowing attendees the opportunity to revisit the learning later.
    • During the class, we allocated time for questions and comments and included contact information in the distributed booklet.

  • Innovate to promote participants' proactive actions

    • We explained technologies in synthetic biology that have been actually implemented in society and methods of testing for infectious diseases.
    • For high school students who are likely to go to university, we showcased how we, as university students, are actively involved in iGEM.

Implementation Details

In this event, participants were gathered in a large lecture hall, where members of iGEM TokyoTech conducted the class at the front. The lecture was designed so that even those without specialized knowledge could grasp the general ideas of fields like synthetic biology and virology. This was facilitated using slides that were crafted for easy visual understanding. Additionally, we made an effort to comprehend the thoughts of the participants by asking questions from our end as appropriate. Finally, we distributed a booklet called "iGEM TokyoTech booklet" to encourage continued learning[pdf2]

Conclusion

To investigate the impact of this class, we surveyed the changes in awareness towards synthetic biology and virology through questionnaires. The questions and the results are as follows.

If you have noticed anything, have any questions, or are interested in virology, infectious diseases, or vaccines.

• It was interesting to learn more about how viruses are detected.
• A lot of it was stuff I learned at school, but it was interesting because it was explained in an easy-to-understand manner.
• I'm interested in medicine and pharmaceuticals, but I realized that there is another way to get involved in testing.
• I thought that if we could make spider silk on our own, we could also make many other things artificially.
• I didn't really understand the difference between PCR and antigen tests, but I'm glad I learned that.

If you have noticed anything, had any questions, or are interested in iGEM or synthetic biology, please write to us.

• The industrial production of spider silk may mean that viruses, which are (generally) harmful to humans, can become allies of humans. I also felt that synthetic biology is a discipline that will create a peaceful world in terms of creating a coexisting relationship between viruses and humans.
• I thought it would be interesting to synthesize DNA from living organisms.
• I thought it was wonderful that synthetic biology can enrich human life by creating organisms that can produce spider silk.

If you have any other opinions or comments, please feel free to write them.

• I enjoyed learning things I didn't know about synthetic biology.
• I had seen research at the University of Tokyo on fusing animal muscles with robots, and I thought it was similar to that, which piqued my interest.
• I would have liked more opportunities to ask more questions.
• Thank you very much for your informative lecture!

According to the results obtained, over 80% of the participants voted that their understanding and interest in both synthetic biology and virology had deepened. Additionally, we conducted a survey on the change in interest and awareness towards the iGEM competition, and over 70% of the participants responded that they"did not know about iGEM originally, but their interest and awareness deepened through the class." We can say that our goal of providing an opportunity to become acquainted with iGEM and synthetic biology and sparking interest was largely achieved.

However, it could also be said that 10-20% of the students did not show interest. Additionally, we were unable to significantly increase the motivation to join the iGEM TokyoTech team. To improve this, we focused on the manner of communication. We thought that we had not adequately conveyed the appeal of synthetic biology and virology. We also received comments such as"I would like more questions," and in conjunction with that, we decided on the direction for improvement. Specifically, we considered refining aspects like modulation of speech and frequency of questions to make the session more interactive. Furthermore, we received multiple comments and direct questions after the class about the possibility of "ethical issues arising,"in response to which we introduced preliminary knowledge of bioethics and answered. We felt that it was necessary to also explain this aspect when conducting more attractive and effective education, as the general public is still likely to feel uneasy about genetic manipulation technologies.

Additionally, because the moments where we touched upon concrete examples were well-received, we decided to increase the opportunities for dialogue between us and the participants and, within that context, to create opportunities to think about concrete examples.

Day 2

Policy & Plan

Based on the reflections gained from Day 1, we made improvements. Specifically, we focused on reinforcing items like" Ensure participants have room for spontaneous activities" .For this, we digested the answers we received from the participants when we posed questions, and then crafted the class accordingly.

Implementation Details

For example, we posed questions like "What are the differences between viruses and other living organisms?" and received answers such as "They differ in size" and "The way they produce proteins is different." This serves the role of encouraging active participation from the participants, attracting interest, and adjusting the difficulty level and direction of the subsequent class based on the answers received. We also expected it to serve the role of aligning with the actual knowledge of high school students, not just referring to the curriculum, as we considered that what they learned in high school and what they actually remember could be different. We conducted the class while interspersing such questions throughout.

Conclusion

To assess the effectiveness of this class, we surveyed the change in awareness regarding synthetic biology and virology through questionnaires. The questions and results are as follows.

If you have noticed anything, have any questions, or are interested in virology, infectious diseases, or vaccines.

• I was wondering why they can be classified as the same dengue fever if the characteristics of dengue fevers 1 to 4 are so different.
• I wondered how a vaccine would be developed.
• It was good because I learned things I didn't know.
• I want to know about the mechanism of reverse transcriptase!
• Can viruses be detected using virus constituent proteins?
• I think iGEM TokyoTech's research is very effective because recently, genetically engineered bacteria are being used to treat cancer cells, and the SDGs require improving the standard of healthcare in developing countries.

If you have noticed anything, had any questions, or are interested in iGEM or synthetic biology, please write to us.

• Is it possible for living organisms to die during the research process?
• How do we select vessels (original bacteria) to create bacteria with specific functions?
• I would like to perform genome editing using E. coli myself.
• I became interested in what kind of things are being done in virus research.

If you have any other opinions or comments, please feel free to write them.

• It was very interesting. Thank you.
• Thank you for your valuable time. It was interesting.
• Although biology was my weakest subject in science, I found the story about viruses interesting. Also, I thought it was amazing that he was researching virus testing kits in a university club, which I thought was done by professional professors.
• There were some things I didn't understand today, but I got interested in viruses, so I'm looking forward to learning more.
• I'm glad that I became more interested in viruses than before.

Despite using the same slides as the previous time, over 90% of the participants responded that their understanding and interest in synthetic biology and virology deepened, and over 80% responded that, "They didn't know about iGEM originally, but their interest grew through the class." These tweaks suggest that we were able to convey the appeal of synthetic biology and iGEM more effectively. These results instilled in us a conviction that our activities are forming a community around synthetic biology and increasing the number of people participating in it. In fact, we had also included a free-text section in the questionnaire, which allowed our team to fully learn about the thoughts of people who usually have little interaction with iGEM.

We can say that a very good class was implemented, forming a truly mutual learning environment, not just us unilaterally conducting the class but also making improvements with the help of the participants. Based on the results of the questionnaire, we can say we succeeded in providing the participants with an opportunity to get involved in synthetic biology.

iGEM Internship

During the summer break, we hosted an iGEM Internship aimed at middle and high school students. In this internship, iGEM members from Tokyo Tech engaged in dialogue with high school students to brainstorm new project ideas.

Objectives & Goals

The internship was organized with the objective of a hackathon: to disseminate the appeal of synthetic biology that we are engaged in, create opportunities for participation, and collaboratively develop new iGEM projects related to infectious diseases.

Policy & Plan

• Teaching Materials and Slides
• Innovate to ensure participants can recognize the issues they should learn about here
• Create clear sub-titles like "What is iGEM?" and "What is Synthetic Biology?"
• Introduce iGEM and synthetic biology before diving into the main topic.
• Design to broaden the participants' interest
• Focus on synthetic biology, which is rarely taught up to high school level.
• Provide opportunities to learn how science learned in school is applied in society.
• Event Format
• Promote mutual learning among participants
• Maintain a group work format throughout the internship, with iGEM Tokyotech members also assisting as mentors.
• Provide an opportunity for everyone to present at the end of the internship.
• Establish a system for organizers to learn
• Constantly support participants as mentors during the classes.
• Engage in social gatherings outside the classes to communicate.
• Innovate to promote participants' proactive actions
• Explain the theories of synthetic biology and then address actual cases handled in iGEM.
• By introducing many actual cases, instill a sense that one could also become a player in synthetic biology.

Implementation Details

To facilitate a smooth event, we developed a worksheet, for which we received advice from Professor Okada, an expert in pedagogy. The worksheet was designed to evaluate the appropriateness, feasibility, and validity of approaches and means in synthetic biology across four levels: "Very High", "High", "Average", and "Not Very High." Professor advised us that these evaluation criteria were vague and difficult to judge for non-experts. We also received advice to guide various disease-related projects through the worksheet. This revised worksheet undoubtedly helped the high school students, who still had incomplete knowledge.[pdf3][pdf4]

Day 1

The hackathon took two days and divided the participants into two groups: one centered on high school students and the other on college students. On the first day, mainly each group decided on the theme of the project. First, members of iGEM TokyoTech taught the double-diamond method of research and, as mentors, engaged in dialogue with high school students to help decide the direction. As a result, the high school group chose to work on Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, while the college group decided on dengue fever.[pdf5]

Day 2

On the second day, the participants first gathered materials related to the themes chosen on the first day and further polished the projects. They then summarized the completed projects and presented them to everyone. The high school team's project focused on the sheep dung that transmits Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, aiming to create a test kit that fluoresces if positive. This idea, which focuses on feces that can be collected reliably, was highly rational and innovative, providing significant learning for us. Finally, a Q&A session took place where college and high school students questioned each other irrespective of their academic levels, further refining the projects. A roundtable discussion was held to address any questions high school students had about their career paths and future, marking the end of the two-day iGEM Internship.[pdf6]

Conclusion

To investigate the effectiveness of this class, we surveyed the changes in awareness about synthetic biology and virology through questionnaires. The questions and results are as follows.

What did you find particularly useful about this course?

• Something that I can definitely consider as a mentor.
• I learned how to approach projects that apply science. My understanding of synthetic biology has deepened. What I enjoyed about science → Learning and gaining an attitude of enjoying science
• I was able to have the experience of working with multiple people on a single theme to make it as close to possible as possible.

Based on the results of these surveys, we can say that the participants highly value the course content and its learning effectiveness. Additionally, participants have expressed a renewed interest in synthetic biology and a proactive desire to engage in synthetic biology and iGEM in the future. The fact that high school students deepened their interest in synthetic biology through the internship and were able to share new project ideas is a wonderful achievement that draws new talent into the synthetic biology community.

In summary, this activity is extremely important as part of efforts to expand and raise the profile of the iGEM community. The participation of high school students and the increase in interested students serve as valuable resources for future iGEM projects. This iGEM Internship initiative is a fantastic effort to deepen understanding of synthetic biology and iGEM and holds the potential to bring new ideas and perspectives. In fact, by participating in this event, we were captivated by the free-thinking ideas brought by the high school students, which will likely serve as significant seeds for ideas in our future projects.

It is extremely important for the increased participation and interest of high school students to serve as valuable resources for future iGEM projects. Throughout the internship, discussions were carried on irrespective of grade levels as the hackathon progressed, making it a fulfilling experience for everyone.

This iGEM Internship initiative is a fantastic effort to deepen understanding of synthetic biology and iGEM and holds the potential to bring new ideas and perspectives. In fact, by participating in this event, we were captivated by the free-thinking ideas brought by the high school students, which will likely serve as significant seeds for ideas in our future projects.

Activities for College Students

Expanding the field of synthetic biology to our peers in college and increasing participants in synthetic biology is also an important task for us. We introduced iGEM and synthetic biology at the freshman welcome party and at the orientation for new students in the Faculty of Life Science and Technology.

Freshmen welcoming events at Tokyo Institute of Technology

On May 3, 2023, we hosted an event to introduce iGEM and synthetic biology to our colleagues at Tokyo Institute of Technology. Members from Wet, Dry, and Human Practices departments each explained what kinds of activities they are engaged in and the types of technology used in those activities. We also introduced our project, STAND UP.

Objectives & Goals

The purpose of holding this event was to help attendees understand what iGEM itself is all about. By widely informing people about what we aim for and what daily activities we are engaged in, we wanted to increase the number of people who find iGEM and synthetic biology appealing. Furthermore, we thought it would be joyful if this could serve as a catalyst for creating companions who will work with us as players in the field of synthetic biology.

Policy & Plan

• Teaching Materials and Slides
• Innovate to ensure participants can recognize the issues they should learn about here
  • Set up clear sub-titles like 'What is iGEM?" and "What is Synthetic Biology?'
  • Start with an introduction to iGEM and synthetic biology before getting into the main topics
• Design to broaden the participants' interest
  • Focus on synthetic biology, which is almost not taught in high school education
  • Provide opportunities to learn how the sciences learned in school are applied in society
• Event Format
• Promote mutual learning among participants
• Always take the form of group work during the internship period, with iGEM Tokyotech members serving as mentors
• Provide an opportunity for everyone to present at the end of the internship
• Establish a system for organizers to learn
• Always act as mentors to support the participants during the class
• Continue to communicate by holding social events outside the class
• Innovate to promote participants' proactive actions
• Explain the theory of synthetic biology and then deal with actual cases done in iGEM
• By introducing many actual cases, make participants aware that they too can become players in synthetic biology

Implementation Details

The event attracted around 20 participants from various departments including the Faculty of Life Science and Technology, to which many of us belong, as well as departments like School of Computing and School of Materials and Chemical Technology that are not life science-based. Dengue fever, although not a major disease in Japan where we reside, had a local outbreak in a park in Tokyo in 2014. We made sure to use relatable and easily understandable explanations, like bringing up that news. The event was conducted in a two-hour lecture format and featured a variety of questions and active discussions. Participants were able to understand each important point as they were posed comprehension-checking questions during the lecture.[pdf7]

Conclusion

The event at this freshman welcome party was successful as an educational activity concerning iGEM and synthetic biology, and it aroused interest among the attendees. Moreover, we succeeded in gaining new members, contributing valuably to the iGEM project. It is important to continue efforts to disseminate synthetic biology to students and expand the iGEM community going forward.

Among the participants were students who had hardly touched biology until now. However, some people became interested in synthetic biology because of this event and joined us! This is indeed a very joyful development.

Orientation for New Students in the School of Life Science and Technology

On April 5th, an orientation was held for 160 new students in the School of Life Science and Technology. Thankfully, we were allotted time during this meeting to introduce iGEM as one of the options for their university life. Here, we primarily introduced the diversity in iGEM activities, including the wet lab part, the dry data part, as well as the education and social implementation aspects in the human practice part.

Objectives & Goals

The objective of this event was to introduce iGEM activities to new students and present them with a path to becoming players in the field of synthetic biology.

Policy & Plan

• Event Format
• Create a learning mechanism for the organizers.
  • Communicate as much as possible with participants before and after the class.
• Encourage participants to put their knowledge into practice.
  • Explicitly highlight both scientific reasoning and social implementation aspects in iGEM activities.
  • Present the unknowns of becoming a synthetic biology player as an iGEMer in college.
(Teaching materials were not used)

Implementation Details

We gave a pitch about iGEM in front of the new students. We emphasized that even university students can be players in synthetic biology, and we were conscious of getting them interested in the subject.

Conclusion

This orientation was a fantastic opportunity to convey the importance of diversity and open communication to students who may be interested in iGEM. Additionally, some students showed interest in participating in iGEM. Through discussions about how synthetic biology can be applied to solve social issues, the event promoted mutual learning among the students who had gained interest in iGEM. Although the allocated time was short and full communication could not be achieved, voices were heard from students who usually have little engagement with synthetic biology, saying, "I want to know more about synthetic biology." They made a significant contribution to joining the field of synthetic biology. Such activities will be essential for expanding the iGEM community in the future.

Activities for the general public

The activities of iGEM should not be limited to students, but should reach everyone. By expanding educational activities in synthetic biology more broadly, we can make progress.

University festivals(Tokyo Tech Festival)

At our university, TokyoTech, one of the major events is the Tokyo Tech festival. This event is successful every year, and when held in-person, it attracts over 50,000 visitors. Due to the effects of the novel coronavirus, the event had been postponed for about three years, but it was decided to be held in 2022. We believe that exhibiting at the Tokyo Tech Festival can have significant educational benefits given its scale, which is why we, iGEM TokyoTech, also participated in it.

Objectives & Goals

The main visitors of the Tokyo Tech Festival are those interested in TokyoTech or those hoping to enroll. Therefore, we anticipated reaching out to such individuals about synthetic biology and sparking their interest. This can also lead to nurturing future iGEMers. Additionally, we believed there would be people interested in student activities, so introducing our activities to them and gaining an understanding of the iGEM student initiative was also one of our objectives.

Policy & Plan

• Teaching Materials & Slides
• Innovate to ensure participants can recognize the issues they should learn about here.
• Create a memorable title using iGEM-related terms.
• Introduce "What is iGEM?" and "What kind of organization is iGEM TokyoTech?" at the beginning.
• Design to broaden the participants' interest.
• Focus on synthetic biology, which is barely taught up to high school education, while showing its relation to our projects.
• Start by introducing the Central Dogma and other fundamental concepts, and then introduce synthetic biology as continuously as possible.
• Event Format
• Promote mutual learning among participants
• By posting posters, encourage communication among the gathered participants using those as a topic.
• Establish a system for organizers to learn.
• Always position members outside of the class timings to explain posters and handle questions.
• Innovate to promote participants' proactive actions.
• Describe our team's scientific theories and methods of social implementation in detail.
• By detailing our team's activities, we hope to inspire participants to become the next players in synthetic biology.

Implementation Details

We printed our project's theories and activities on posters and displayed them at the exhibition booth. Additionally, by always having members positioned near the posters, we ensured visitors could receive explanations and ask questions, taking care to help participants understand the content thoroughly. We also established a system to foster active communication between the members and visitors. Furthermore, by presenting foundational content related to synthetic biology, such as genetic recombination, in a class format, we aimed to prevent situations where participants might not enjoy or become interested in synthetic biology due to a lack of knowledge. [pdf8]

Conclusion

To investigate the effects of this event, we surveyed the changes in interest and attention towards iGEM and synthetic biology using questionnaires. The questions and results are as follows.

• If you have any other opinions or comments, please feel free to write
• I attended the presentation with my young child, and I was able to concentrate and listen thanks to the assistance with my belongings. Although I often hear overviews, my understanding was greatly deepened by listening to a comprehensive explanation. I believe predicting dengue fever is a very important theme in terms of social contribution, so please continue to work hard on your research
• It was very interesting. I am wondering if it can be an effective method when unknown pathogens emerge in the future.
• It was very interesting and informative.
• I thought it was great that you did everything from wet to dry. Thank you very much for the explanation, which was easy to understand even for a non-specialist like me.

As such, given that over 90% of the survey respondents indicated that their interest and attention had deepened, it can be said that the event demonstrated significant educational impact. The iGEM TokyoTech team effectively manifested this educational impact at the festival, employing numerous strategies to pique the participants' interest and attention. Specifically, innovations related to educational materials and the format of the event facilitated mutual learning and dialogue with participants, proving to be highly effective in actively engaging them in synthetic biology.

Business start-up community（OB/OG Community)

Our engagement with our seniors is crucial in promoting synthetic biology. The alumni of Tokyo Tech have pursued diverse paths in the science and engineering sectors within society. By participating in events where they gather, we can disseminate our activities across varied communities. We have presented on synthetic biology and our specific projects at the OB/OG Community events twice. TokyoTech is a university known for producing a large number of engineers. Many of the alumni who attended the event on the day work for manufacturers that support Japan's industries using traditional technologies.

Objectives & Goals

This event aimed to introduce the technology of synthetic biology and iGEM to the participants from the manufacturing sector. By combining traditional technologies that support Japan with synthetic biology, we sought to explore entirely new applications of synthetic biology.

Policy & Plan

• Teaching Materials & Slides
• Innovate to ensure participants can recognize the issues they should learn about here.
• Include iGEM elements in the title.
• Set a theme for each subtitle and talk about the content at the beginning of the title
• Establish mechanisms for organizers to learn as well
• Create interest in synthetic biology and build community
• Hear what iGEM is like from the manufacturers' point of view
• Devise ways to encourage the practice of participant actions
• Promote the business aspect of iGEM activities

Implementation Details

In the presentation for this event, we prepared slides that frequently solicited questions to further promote mutual learning and dialogue. During the presentation, we received several questions based on the long-standing experience of those who had worked in the manufacturing sector for many years. For example, questions like, 'To what extent do you think the iGEM TokyoTech project has the potential to be viable as a business and is it a sustainable project?' and 'Why did you choose synthetic biology as a means to address societal challenges?' These were questions from perspectives we had not previously considered.[pdf9]

Conclusion

At this event, thanks to the proactive questions from the participants and the presentation designed to encourage such inquiries, we were able to further promote mutual learning and dialogue. Moreover, the fact that many participants developed a strong interest in synthetic biology contributed to more people getting involved in the field and forming a community. A significant takeaway from this event is that we were able to spread knowledge about synthetic biology to adults with long-standing professional experience and deep societal connections. If the communities they belong to start showing interest in synthetic biology, this event would greatly contribute to expanding the synthetic biology community in a direction different from efforts targeting middle and high school students. The endeavor to sow the seeds of spreading synthetic biology in society is extensively documented in the Communication section. (For more details, please refer to this source).

iGEM TokyoTech Booklet

In recent times, biology has been making remarkable progress daily. Especially noteworthy is the advancement in fields related to genetic manipulation, such as genetic engineering. New technologies are emerging daily and contributing to our lives. However, it's challenging to say that Japan's education system is keeping pace with these advancements. According to a survey conducted with high school students, over 80% responded that they haven't been taught much about it, and nearly 60% said they don't understand the field of genetic manipulation well.

The lack of this knowledge is concerning, as it poses a significant barrier to the widespread popularization of synthetic biology and the expansion of its community in the future. Therefore, we decided to create a booklet titled "iGEM TokyoTech booklet", focusing on the theme of genetic engineering.

Objectives & Goals

We envisioned spreading knowledge about genetic engineering by creating and distributing the "iGEM TokyoTech booklet". Recognizing that the number of people who could understand if we simply wrote down the specialized content as it is would be limited, we aimed to create a booklet that anyone could read and understand.

Policy & Plan

• Teaching Materials & Slides
• Innovate to ensure participants can recognize the issues they should learn about here.
• Include the element "iGEM" in the title and make the content readable from the small title
• Raise issues and clarify themes at the beginning of each chapter
• Design to broaden the participants' interest
• Mention applied genetic engineering techniques and examples of such techniques that are not often taught in school.
• Emphasize the connection without leaping from the high school material.
(Omit the event format since this is not an activity to hold an event)

Implementation Details

The "iGEM TokyoTech booklet" is designed to be comprehensible and enjoyable to read, even for those who have no prior knowledge of genetic engineering. Specifically, to prevent readers from feeling that genetic engineering is irrelevant to their lives, we focused on familiar genetically modified foods and included many diagrams to make the content visually understandable. Moreover, throughout the guidebook, we increased the use of casual expressions and tones and posed questions to avoid making the reader feel as if knowledge is being imposed upon them, aiming for a semblance of interactive communication. In addition, by listing our email address and website at the end of the booklet, we provide an opportunity for those interested to delve deeper into iGEM and synthetic biology. [pdf10]

We distributed the booklet to people we met at various educational events, hoping to offer participants the chance to engage with genetic engineering and synthetic biology even after the event concluded. Thankfully, there were many cases where event participants shared the booklet with others around them.

Conclusion

From those who received the iGEM TokyoTech booklet, we received feedback that stated: "In the promotion of genetically modified crops, it addresses potential vague anxieties, such as long-term effects, in a calm manner, and I found it to be very effective. For instance, if something is as hard to obtain as traditional Chinese medicine, there might still be a demand for it even if it's genetically modified. Thus, making people feel more familiar with genetic modification in such contexts might also be effective. Overall, it was very persuasive. It might be even better if there were fewer typos."

It's unfortunate that there were typographical errors, but we believe this effort was a valuable means to fill the general knowledge gap regarding genetic modification techniques. Specifically, the design that allows readers not just to receive information but also to enjoy reading, and the approach that emphasizes the relevance of genetic modification in daily life, seem to be very effective. Through this, we are confident that many people have joined the synthetic biology community and it has served as a catalyst for forming such a community. We found it is important to receive feedback, and we'd like to improve on this aspect.

Booklet for the general public(Discovery iGEM Japan Community)

Comic Market (commonly referred to as "Comiket") is the world's largest doujinshi fair held in Japan and is one of the events that supports doujin activities. We, together with the Japan-United, Waseda Tokyo, and iGEM Japan Community management members, created the book, "Discovery iGEM Japan Community" and exhibited at the Comic Market.

Objectives & Goals

While the previously mentioned iGEM TokyoTech booklet aimed to convey somewhat specialized content in an understandable manner, it is critically important to generate interest in iGEM itself when reaching out to a broader audience. Comiket is a highly diverse event where doujinshi and doujin goods from a wide range of genres, including manga, novels, illustrations, music, and games, are sold. It offers an opportunity to interact with individuals we might not typically reach in our usual activities and to cultivate their interest in synthetic biology and iGEM. Furthermore, the articles we created were later made available to the global public on our website, attempting to reach and inform an even wider audience.

Implementation Details

On August 12th and 13th, 2023, Japanese iGEMers compiled and distributed articles that explained iGEM in a comprehensible manner at Comiket C102. The content of the articles varied, covering topics related to iGEM and thoughts from iGEMers, and was crafted to pique the interest of even those unfamiliar with iGEM. [pdf11] We were able to distribute to more individuals than anticipated, and in total, we disseminated 20 copies. Among those who received our doujinshi were individuals like programmers with no interest in synthetic biology or even biology, university students majoring in biology but unfamiliar with synthetic biology or iGEM, and educators involved in science education. The fact that such a diverse group of people took interest in and picked up our doujinshi holds immense value. We felt that participating in Comiket allowed us to achieve something we couldn't have elsewhere.

Conclusion

While we didn't have ample time, interacting with individuals from various backgrounds enabled us to gain new knowledge and opinions. We couldn't measure the shift in interest or concerns brought about by the booklet, but it's evident that we garnered attention from participants with diverse backgrounds and distributed more copies than anticipated. The fact that a considerable number of people showed interest in and picked up our booklet will serve as a reference for our future event planning. We believe this event was effective in promoting synthetic biology and iGEM. Participating in Comiket, an event of a different genre, and reaching out to a diverse audience was especially valuable, allowing us to adopt new perspectives and methodologies.

Communication

Our lab's external activities are not only bolstered by dialogue-driven learning initiatives but also by outreach efforts across various events. We presented at events such as academic conferences, entrepreneur gatherings, and university alumni events. We participated in 10 events and had the opportunity to hear opinions about STAND UP from people of different backgrounds at each one. A brief summary of our achievements is presented below.

Nov 11 Link-J event

Together with Waseda, UTokyo, Ninjas, and TUAT, we pitched last year's project to venture capitalists and representatives from life science companies. By interacting with other iGEMers and professionals, we were able to expand our knowledge and insights.

Nov 30 The Molecular Biology Society of Japan

We presented a poster about our project at the Japanese Society for Molecular Biology. Students, manufacturers, researchers, and various other individuals showed interest and approached us. We came to understand the joy and importance of having discussions with those outside the iGEM community.

Dec 26 TokyoTech x Startup

We gave a pitch about my project. It was a casual event and we were approached favorably after our presentation.

Jan 21 New Year's party in Tokyo Tech Alumni Association

We were able to get time to present our project at TokyoTech's alumni association's New Year's party.

Feb 4 Lightning talk in Pybegi Explanation was given to middle

school students regarding the 2022 forecasting model. Click here

Mar 3 Hyper Interdisciplinary Conference

We gave a pitch on stage about the forecasting model and also presented a poster. After the presentations, we received a variety of questions and learned a lot.

Mar 9 Japanese Society for Living Systems Design Research

We gave a presentation on the podium regarding the forecasting model, which proved to be well worthwhile in terms of Dry.

Mar 30 TokyoTech x Startup

As in the previous event, we gave a pitch about our project. Together with the previous event, we were able to meet a variety of people and let them know about iGEM.

Jun 8 General Meeting in Tokyo Tech Alumni Association

We had the opportunity to give a pitch about our project at the general meeting of the University Alumni Association. It was well attended and we were able to inform various people about iGEM and synthetic biology.

Jul 24 SEKISUI CHEMICAL

Sekisui Chemical is a leading resin processing manufacturer that primarily produces housing, piping equipment, building materials, and chemicals for building materials, as well as high-performance plastics. The company is actively committed to addressing societal issues and achieving the SDGs. Furthermore, it is a sustainability-conscious company that has been selected for the"Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World" for six consecutive years, making it their eighth time overall. We proposed synthetic biology to them as a new method for solving societal challenges. Additionally, we introduced how synthetic biology could be applied to address the societal issues the company is trying to solve.[pdf12]

Sep 12 Skyland Ventures

We made a pitch about the project and iGEM, and although it was only one minute long, We were able to leave an impact on the audience.

Sep 16 Activities to support the establishment of new iGEM teams

We'd like to report on an event where our university team supported the high school team, "iCH". The purpose of this meeting was to assist in the establishment of the high school team, iCH, with the ultimate goal of enabling them to participate in the iGEM jamboree in the future. During the meeting, we discussed in detail about fundraising and how to proceed with an iGEM project, especially from defining the problem to integrating specific synthetic biology solutions. This activity is undeniably about nurturing the next generation of players in synthetic biology.

Conclusion

Education aimed at promoting the understanding and dissemination of iGEM and synthetic biology is an initiative to make synthetic biology more widely recognized and utilized in society through external learning and dialogue activities.

Our activities have led to discussions about the application and content of synthetic biology among many who were unfamiliar with it, particularly focusing on junior high and high school students. In our work in Koishikawa and during our internship program, the students presented and discussed applications of synthetic biology.

All materials, worksheets, and overviews of our activities have been made public on our Wiki. These materials have gone through thoughtful approaches, created in discussions with experts and our team. The insights into the structure and materials through interviews with Mrs.Sano and Professors Okada were applied not only in Koishikawa and the internship but in all our events.

We have embarked on Education activities that draw people into synthetic biology and iGEM, including promoting learning beyond school classrooms targeted at high schools like Koishikawa and Funabashi, iGEM Internships, freshman orientation, briefings for the School of Life Science and Technology, and support for the establishment of iCH. In a total of 20 events, including university festivals, academic conferences, entrepreneurship events, university reunions, and Comic Market, we were able to reach approximately 800 people of various ages and backgrounds.

Not only did the aforementioned Education achieve its original purpose of promoting the understanding and dissemination of iGEM and synthetic biology, but it also significantly contributed to Improving KAP in STAND UP. Especially in creating leaflets, we were able to fully apply our insights from our booklet creation. For more details, please check this page.

Lastly, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone involved in Education. Thank you so much!