Education

Synthetic Biology: Simply Synbio

Upon reflection and consideration of our experiences and feedback from students in non-science faculties, a conspicuous void in educational resources for students, particularly young ones, in understanding synthetic biology came to light. Recognizing this gap, we set out to bridge it by creating an enriching educational video series titled “Simply Synbio.”

You can check out the series below:

Our primary mission was to unravel the complexities of synthetic biology, presenting them in an engaging manner suitable for all ages, especially sparking the curiosity of young minds intrigued by STEAM subjects. To achieve this, we meticulously curated topics aligned with our project's objectives, seamlessly blending fundamental concepts into our scripts. We crafted these scripts to deliver digestible, bite-sized pieces of information, ensuring that learning becomes an easy and enjoyable endeavor. Infusing vibrancy, we enlivened the content with captivating animations, enhancing the overall learning experience.

We opted to begin with a formal introduction to iGEM, a term not widely recognized. Recognizing iGEM's interdisciplinary and integrated nature, we decided to cover topics across various subteams within our project. We started by delving into both wetlab and drylab aspects, with a commitment to continue this series into the future. Since computational work has become so heavily integrated into wet lab experiments, we decided to animated a video overviewing the importance of what protein modeling is and why it has become such an important aspect of research. Finally, for wet lab, given that our project this year focused on using a CFPS platform, something not widely understood, we sought to cover the concept of a CFPS reaction by detailing what it is, why it is used and why it is quickly becoming popular platform for protein production.

Our aspiration was to foster mutual learning and dialogue, implementing our initiatives with meticulous planning and thoughtful consideration. We firmly believe that our endeavors have empowered more individuals to actively engage with, shape, and contribute to the fascinating realm of synthetic biology.

Looking forward, we envisage this series evolving into a regular initiative for our team, serving as a shared platform for multiple teams to convene and disseminate knowledge in an accessible and digestible manner. To ensure broader accessibility, we readily shared these educational materials on popular platforms such as YouTube and various social media channels, accompanied by inclusive captions. However, we understand that education is a dynamic and interactive process, hence we actively encouraged a dialogue with our audience. Through comments, messages, and discussions on our videos, we created a vibrant space for questions and interactions, cultivating a dynamic and engaging learning environment.

Sustainability: Podcast

In 1987, the United Nations defined sustainability as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs¹. With the increasing problem of climate change, waste generation and food scarcity, sustainability has quickly integrated itself into the heart of global companies’ policies. The biotechnology industry has started accounting for the sheer amount of waste generation by starting greener research initiatives to maximize productivity while simultaneously minimizing bio and plastic waste disposal.

As students focussed on promoting and creating new avenues for sustainability, we felt there was a need for engaging in important conversations with leaders in the biotech industry around responsible consumption and production. Our initiative aimed at raising awareness and educating the public about sustainable development within the realm of synthetic biology was driven by a desire to shed light on the efforts and considerations necessary to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the industry. Recognizing the urgent need for action to achieve these global objectives, we saw it as essential to extend this knowledge to a wider audience. Our target audience encompassed a broad spectrum, including the general public seeking a deeper understanding, synthetic biologists exploring sustainable approaches, and professionals from both academic and industrial sectors looking to align their work with the SDGs.

In pursuit of our objective, we embarked on engaging interviews with industry and academic professionals. Meticulously tailoring questions to each speaker's expertise, we delved into specific SDGs and their intricate relevance to synthetic biology. Capturing these insightful conversations, we meticulously edited the audio files, ensuring they were polished and impactful, and then shared them across various social media and audio platforms. Our approach was designed to make these vital sustainability discussions easily accessible to everyone, thus amplifying the reach of the SDGs' critical message. This podcast aims to gather knowledge from experts on a more global scale to complement the animated video series which tackles promoting education on a local scale to the immediate community. Check out our latest episode!

Education is a two-way street, and just as dialogue is crucial for effective learning, we wanted to ensure our listeners could interact with us as well. We actively encouraged comments, feedback, and questions, fostering meaningful conversations around the important topics we covered. By nurturing an interactive and engaging platform, we aimed to deepen understanding and encourage actionable steps toward aligning synthetic biology practices with the SDGs, ultimately fostering a more sustainable future for all.