The 21st century is in its early years and it is clear that the remarkable scientific, technological and economic progress that has taken place, related to different aspects of globalization, has caused profound ideological, cultural, social and professional changes, revealed in phenomena of social exclusion, with inequalities in development persisting throughout the world (Faria & Casagrande, 2004). Faced with this acceleration, countries that want to prosper must invest in education and understand the changes, as these will dictate the skills required not only in terms of knowledge and work skills, but also in terms of character and personality (James, 1998).

Today's postmodern society, in addition to having inherited traditions, is characterized, among other things, by its continuous changes in values, economic, political, educational and communication systems. Until around the 1980s, human beings communicated mainly orally. A few years later, communication was based on oral and visual interactions (Diáz et al, 2007). Presently, the pivotal drivers of our society revolve around communication, particularly encompassing information technologies, telecommunications, and audiovisual technologies (Majó & Marqués, 2002). This contributes to making the process of educating individuals more accessible and inclusive.

In a report sent to UNESCO, the International Commission for Studies on Education highlights that, in order to respond to all of its missions, education must be organized around four fundamental skills: learning to know; learning to do; learning to live together and learning to be (Delors, 1996).

Against this backdrop of change and technology, education must transcend physical borders, with the aim of spreading knowledge to all corners of the globe, whether nationally or internationally, breaking down differences and including as many individuals as possible. With the use of technology, this work becomes easier and allows for the progressive qualification of educational techniques.

We believe that it is extremely important to maintain direct multicultural contact between countries in order to increase our knowledge of environment conservation and preservation. Sharing this knowledge has the potential to address a range of issues associated with this matter, as unity empowers us to find solutions.

Why Education?

All beings undergo an educational process, birds, for example, throw their chicks out of the nest from an early age, making them experience the process of learning to fly, and this exercise is fundamental for the continuity of life. Likewise, human beings acquire learning experiences in diverse aspects: within their homes, in the community, at church, and at school.These experiences encompass the processes of learning, teaching, understanding, and sharing knowledge, skills, and values. We continually blend life and education, striving to know, to do, to be, and coexist in harmony every day (Brandão, 1993). Education not only encourages contemplation on various types of individuals but also plays a vital role in shaping and fostering these identities by facilitating the transmission of knowledge that forms and validates them among one another. It produces the set of beliefs and ideas, qualifications and specialties that imply the exchange of symbols, goods and powers that together build types of societies (Campos, 2002).

In this context, it becomes evident that environmental education is a transformative journey for students, as they acquire knowledge about environmental issues, leading them to develop a fresh perspective on the environment and empowering them to become catalysts for environmental conservation (Medeiros et al, 2011).

We decided to pursue education because we understand that education is capable of raising awareness and shaping the minds that will make decisions and take actions in the future. Furthermore, conservation actions and ideas can become very fragile in the absence of an understanding of the rationale behind preservation, the importance and the implications involved.

When you know and understand the reasons for protecting the environment and why conservation actions are essential for the health of the planet, including humanity itself, you create a basis for all actions, a solid foundation that will allow people to be more aware and all actions, from major actions to everyday ones related to each person's lifestyle, to be firm and lasting.

Goals

The UNILA-LatAm team aims to promote environmental awareness, develop practical skills and encourage sustainable attitudes related to the care and preservation of the environment from discussions around Synthetic Biology.

Specific goals:

• Developing teaching materials that encourage learning about environmental issues through games, simulations and practical interactions, making learning more engaging;
• Involve schools in global environmental education networks, where ideas, resources and best practices can be shared between educators in different countries;
• Develop an online educational platform that offers courses and interactive resources on environmental issues, making knowledge easily accessible to students anywhere;
• Establish relationships between schools and universities in different parts of Latin America to create joint educational programs that address environmental issues;
• Facilitate the process of environmental education by providing students with practical experiences and increasing their appreciation for the environment;
• Assist in the learning process in the classroom using Synthetic Biology as a project application tool to help in the development of alternative scientific teaching models;
• Creation of tools to assist in knowledge from the interaction, communication and cooperation between students in order to develop an understanding of the entrenched challenges using concepts of Synthetic Biology.

Education for different groups

Upon contemplation, the team concluded that one of the fundamental pillars of civic development is EDUCATION, initially acquired within the home and subsequently refined in the school setting. School should be a safe environment where children, teenagers and adults have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and apply it both within and beyond the educational institution.

Subjects taught in school are tailored to the age group of the students and evolve as their knowledge levels progress. Everyday, the environmental issue is considered a fact that needs to be worked on with society as a whole, especially in schools, since children who are well-informed about environmental issues are likely to grow into adults who exhibit a heightened environmental consciousness. They will extend the knowledge they acquire in school regarding environmental matters to their households, families, and neighbors (Medeiros et al, 2011). It is important to encourage children to look at the environment in a respectful way, so that we can contribute to the formation of conscious people and, consequently, help our planet.

Within our objectives, in 2021 the UNILA-LatAm team founded the SynFronteras.club teaching project, which seeks to disseminate, instruct and prepare students around the pillars that make up Synthetic Biology, by preparing theoretical discussion meetings and activities in different areas, in order to promote the expansion of scientific knowledge and the understanding of its importance in a multidisciplinary context. During the years 2022 and 2023, the club meetings included activities for content immersion, such as problem-solving debates in study cases, application of educational card games and demonstrations of possible processes with biological circuits using softwares.

One of our greatest accomplishments with the club was the participation of high school academics, and by that, we inspired and helped to create the first Synthetic Biology high school team in Brazil, the Biostyvia team, with mentoring of students, ensuring the participation of them for the first time in the 2023 IGEM Design League.

Therefore, from the experience we had in the inner year and with the need to contribute to expanding scientific knowledge to the community, the UNILA-LatAm team decided to continue the activities of SynFronteras.club, aiming to develop educational activities for different groups, so environmental education activities were carried out for elementary school children, as well as Synthetic Biology practical activities for high school students. In addition, in order to provide guidance to teachers on how to approach environmental education and synthetic biology in their lesson plans, the members of the UNILA-LatAm team created an educational platform with video lessons and forms to help.

Interviews

Teachers from five different Latin American countries - Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Paraguay - participated. The educational methodologies of each country vary according to the legislation and demands of the regions. Using the data provided, our team was able to analyze aspects related to teachers' perspectives on education and contribute to the creation of support materials to help these and other teachers interested in their daily work. Therefore, the creation of complementary materials to assist in the process of environmental education should have a flexibility of application analyzed individually in each regional situation.

The interviews with the teachers brought us a more personal look at their experiences in the classroom and in different countries. Communication with different educators brought us a more sensitive look during the creation of educational tools and warns of the importance of helping to build a network of knowledge that seeks more dynamic alternatives to contribute to the learning process of children.

When we decided our goals for the Human Practices project, we began our activities by seeking out teachers so that they could provide us with information about the main challenges and needs they face when it comes to obtaining teaching materials to deal with environmental issues in the classroom. This contact was established through either in-person or online interviews, mediated by a questionnaire designed by our team. The questionnaire encompassed various aspects, including the teacher's daily work routine, teaching methodologies employed, the availability of educational resources, access to continuous professional development opportunities, and support from educational authorities, among other relevant topics. The teachers were free to give their opinions on the education structure in their countries and motivated to talk about what would be needed to foster a better environmental education within schools.

Interview results

First of all, it is important to indicate that it would not be ideal to generalize the following analyses, considering that the interviewees do not represent a significant number from the countries mentioned. However, in the future, the idea would be to increase the amount of data and carry out more robust analyses. Despite this, we did not fail to highlight some observations.

With the data collected, Graph 1 represents the methodologies used by the interviewed teachers. We can see that the educational approach most used by teachers is Biological or Chemical experiments (62,5%), followed by poster design (37,5%). While other approaches represent 25% and 12.5% frequency, indicating that teachers give preference to critical observation and creativity methodologies. On the other hand, when we talk about environmental education, field visits are fundamental for students' direct contact with the environment, however, the approach was represented as one of the least used by teachers. But why? In the following paragraphs, we dive deeper into this matter.

Made by SynFronteras team

In Graph 2, which represents challenges faced by teachers, when asked about the school's availability to carry out field trips, 75% pointed out the lack of both financial and human resources to carry out the activity, leading them to restrict their activities to theoretical and practical teaching that can be only carried out in the school premises, which also limits students’ worldview.

The process of education has historically been a significant challenge for those who choose the teaching profession, but when it comes to public education in LatAm, the challenges are even greater. This is indicated in Graph 2, representing the greatest difficulty as lack of infrastructure (87,5%) and resources (75%), fundamental aspects for providing quality education and promoting motivation for educators. Even though laboratory experiments are an approach widely used by teachers, it was mentioned that these experiments are not very complex, but simple, since the laboratory infrastructure presents lack of equipment and trained staff. According to them, this lack of infrastructure negatively affects their ability to carry out practical activities that are more appropriate for a complete understanding of the topic, which are essential to the teaching-learning process.

Another notable point was that 37.5% of the interviewees reported a lack of support from the school in terms of training and support for dealing with students with disabilities. This creates significant challenges, since teachers often don't know how to act in emergency situations involving these students. In addition, 12% of them expressed discontent with issues such as the lack of government support and the low payment, which contributes to teachers feeling burnt out and less motivated.

Made by SynFronteras team

But when we think about a general perspective, how do teachers feel about their country's educational proposal? In Graph 3, a sentiment analysis was made. To achieve this, we filtered keywords that indicated positive or negative content, such as "agree" (positive) or "lacking" (negative). We can see that most of the interviewees have a negative view of the country's proposed curriculum in terms of a standardized curriculum that doesn't adapt to the constant changes in society, limiting the student's vision and the teacher's role as a defender of knowledge.

Teachers expressed their indignation at preparing their students only for the national exams, leaving aside current ethical, social and environmental issues. The content ends up being inflexible and complicated when it comes to addressing cultural issues in the classroom, which can delay students’ personal development. One of the concerns would also be achieving the school plan within a given period of time. Some content requires a significant amount of time for students to be well immersed, but due to the load of content covered in national exams, it is necessary to give up time and teach as much of the subject as possible in a few classes, leaving the student with a superficial understanding of that topic.

However, it is also important to note that some of the teachers expressed satisfaction with the implementation of digital tools in the classroom, as they believe that this gives students greater access to information and agility in activities. Thus, the feeling of satisfaction or dissatisfaction seems to depend greatly on the perceived benefit or the context in which the country is inserted in the area of education.

Made by SynFronteras team

In summary, teachers encounter challenges associated with the available infrastructure and resources for implementing practical teaching methods in the classroom. These limitations can impact the range of learning experiences offered to students, despite ongoing efforts to promote active teaching approaches. Furthermore, there is this shared feeling among interviewees regarding dissatisfaction with the country's curriculum proposal, regardless of their country or socio-political context.

It is important to note that the challenges faced by public school teachers go beyond those mentioned above; to improve the quality of public education, it is crucial to address these concerns. In addition to greater investment in school infrastructure, providing support to teachers and recognizing the value of the teaching profession.

Our objective was to utilize the insights gathered from these interviews to explore how we could adapt environmental education activities using active teaching methodologies. This involved providing guidance and direction to teachers to promote the integration of environmental resources within the context of aquatic pollution, as well as offering strategies for delivering content to students and enhancing the flexibility of classroom discussions.

Activities in elementary school 1: Environmental Education

Educational activities focused on the conservation of aquatic bodies deserve attention when it comes to educational interaction, as do other issues related to environmental preservation.

To help teachers and educators, our team has developed support materials on the subject of preserving fresh water in the Foz do Iguaçu region, in Brazil. These materials have been created to cater for children of different ages and, with inclusion in mind, can be developed in a variety of contexts, as they have also been made using recycled materials and can be easily reproduced.

The development of materials focused on this theme enabled the transmission of knowledge in a playful and effective manner, trying to integrate all the students and allowing for discussion, questioning and a positive response to the problems that were addressed.

Activities

• Waster memory

The first material developed by the Human Practice team was a memory game called Waster Memory, which consists of 12 cards, 6 of which have drawings of different types of waste and the same number of cards have illustrations of the appropriate place to dispose of each piece of waste.

Using the waste sorting method, each card represents a type of material: paper, plastic, glass, metal, non-recyclable and organic materials. This way, the student had to shuffle the cards with their figures facing the table and then try to find the pair compatible with each material. The game was developed to cater for all audiences and is free to download and replicate.



Taken by SynFronteras team



Taken by SynFronteras team

• Interactive Aquarium

The interactive aquarium is an activity that allows students to get closer to the theme of conservation in a playful way. It's a game that can sensitize and raise awareness among students. Cardboard boxes that had already been discarded were used to make this activity, and this information made it possible to reinforce the idea of reusing materials during its application.

The aquarium was made by cutting out the cardboard and then painting it with colored paints. In addition, openings were made in the upper part of the tank so that paper fish could be hung from it using string, making it look like they were swimming.

After the introduction to the development of the activity, with the aquarium still empty, the students were able to personalize their paper fish while we changed the appearance of the aquarium by adding "garbage" to it. After that, all the fish were hung up through the openings in the aquarium and then observed their sudden change of scenery, where once there was a clean and welcoming environment, which then turned into a polluted one.

It was possible to perceive the indignation and frustration of each of the students during the application of this activity in the school context, where many questioned what had happened to the aquatic environment presented.

Once the students were aware of the situation, we continued the activity by asking everyone to help clean the aquarium. To do this, we also made garbage cans out of cardboard, similar to the aquarium, and using the colors they had previously learned, the students were able to help by indicating the appropriate destination for each type of waste. Taking into account the selective collection garbage cans again, the bins had the following colors: blue (paper), yellow (metal), red (plastic) and green (glass).

All the students took an active part in the activities and set out to pass on this knowledge within their own school, to their classmates and within their homes, to their families.This material has also been made available in its entirety on our teacher support platform, as supplementary material to be developed in the classroom.



Taken by SynFronteras team



Taken by SynFronteras team

Activities in elementary school 2: MHETYGUÁ Game

The Methyguá Game project arose from the need for young people to understand synthetic biology and try to apply it in their daily lives in a theoretical way. In Brazil, teaching in the field of biology is lagging behind, especially in secondary schools, and as a result, new ways of developing biotechnological techniques are not presented to the young people who will use them in the future. Therefore, popularizing synthetic biology teaching in public schools will help to further the understanding of this growing area and also to develop scientific thinking within schools.

The central aim of this educational initiative was to make synthetic biology and biotechnology more accessible and attractive to a young audience aged between 14 and 18. These areas of knowledge are often perceived as complex and difficult to understand, which puts teenagers off. Our challenge was to overcome this negative perception and create an educational tool that would make these topics interesting and relevant to young people. The Methyguá Game was developed with the aim of making learning about biotechnology and synthetic biology more engaging and practical. By focusing especially on this age group, we aim to awaken their interest in these fields of study.

The process of developing and applying the game took place in five different stages, each of which played a fundamental role in finalizing the project. Initially, the "Brainstorming" phase was conducted through a series of meetings with the aim of coming to a conclusion on the best way for these young people to learn science. During these interactions, each team member contributed suggestions on how to approach the subject of synthetic biology and biotechnology, with a focus on young people.

This game consists of a board of 31 squares, accompanied by a set of action cards, lightning challenges, normal challenges and a final challenge. Each of these cards has been designed to include challenges related to synthetic biology, as well as lightning challenges that address science and biology-related content that is usually part of the high school curriculum.

The second stage of the process, Content Development, focused on creating the educational elements that make up the game. At this stage, the action cards were developed to clearly and engagingly convey the fundamentals of biology as well as the competitiveness between players. Within this stage, we paid special attention to selecting topics that were aligned with the game's educational objectives. The topics selected cover the main techniques used in biotechnology, as well as more widely known concepts such as genetic engineering. In addition, when developing the lightning challenge cards, we chose to explore topics that were already familiar to players, incorporating biology and basic science questions that had already been seen in previous years due to the mandatory National Common Curriculum Base (BNCC). This phase also included the design of the action cards, in which we introduced elements of advantages and disadvantages to enrich the game experience. We also included a final challenge card, which requires players to apply the knowledge they have acquired throughout the game to solve it. In addition, at this stage, the game's instructions and rules manual were drawn up, providing clear guidance for players and making it easier to understand the dynamics of the Methyguá Game.

After that, the stage entitled "Graphic Design and Production" was essential for creating the game's visual identity. In this phase, we formulated what would be needed to represent, even symbolically, a laboratory experience, so the layout of the board was inspired by a laboratory, with equipment, glassware and so on, so every detail was specially chosen to make players feel like they were in a scientist's day.

Made by Giulia Knop

The characters in the game are named after nitrogenous bases, adding an additional educational element. This allows players to associate the characters with key concepts in biotechnology and genetics, reinforcing learning in a playful way. The action cards, pieces and other components of the game have also been developed with an approach focused on the player experience.

Made by Giulia Knop

The fourth stage, called "Testing and Adjustments," played a critical role in the development of the game, representing a time when the game went through a process of evaluation and refinement. During this phase, students and educators had the opportunity to interact with the game, providing valuable feedback. The tests were conducted with the aim of evaluating various aspects of the game, including its effectiveness in conveying biotechnology and synthetic biology concepts, its degree of involvement for players and its compatibility with educational objectives. In addition, the tests considered the clarity of the instructions, playability, group dynamics and the game's ability to maintain the interest of the participants. The feedback obtained at this stage was very important. It allowed us to identify areas that needed improvement, correct possible flaws and make adjustments to bring the game experience more in line with the educational objectives.

The fifth and final stage, aimed at application and results, we can say that the test drive of the game was a success. The board game was applied in a state school during an academic week, together with another high school team. The class present at the workshop was divided into 8 groups of 3 people, and each board held 4 teams. The game began with a round of dice so that the team with the highest score would start the game in box 1. Along the way, the colored boxes represented which challenge they would have to answer and an action, whether of benefit or harm. Whoever arrived first at the box described as the "final challenge" would wait for the next team to arrive and the two would then compete so that whoever found a solution first would win the game.

The application was a success, both teams came up with the correct reasoning to develop the solution to the problem presented and also, along the way, most of the players were able to respond and face the proposed actions, thus making it a practical and fun teaching about synthetic biology.

Importance of training teachers to apply practical activities

As society has evolved, education has changed. Teaching methods have been adjusted to the different difficulties that have arisen throughout history. As mediators of knowledge at school, teachers are faced with a constant need for training to implement different methodologies that enable them to work in different fields of education, facilitating the teaching and learning process. Training teachers to apply practical activities in teaching is fundamental in today's educational context. With the evolution of methodologies, as mentioned above, and the growing understanding of the diversity of students' learning styles, practical activities are becoming increasingly important in the teaching-learning process.

However, for these activities to be effective, it is essential that teachers are properly trained to plan, implement and evaluate practical activities in a way that is meaningful and integrated into the curriculum. With regard to the importance of training teachers to carry out their role within the school, we can mention what the renowned pedagogue and philosopher Paulo Freire (1921-1997) says in a letter to his teacher:

"There is no such thing as teaching without learning, and by this I mean more than I would say if I said that the act of teaching requires the existence of both the one who teaches and the one who learns" (Freire, 2001).

In addition to Paulo Freire, we can mention Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), a renowned English writer, who emphasized the crucial importance of practical experience in the learning process:

"Experience is not what happens to a man; It is what a man does with what happens to him" (Huxley, 1933).

This quote reflects the core of practical activities in teaching: they transform theory into tangible and applicable experience. However, in order for this transformation to take place effectively, teachers need solid training.

Therefore, training teachers to apply practical activities is not just a necessity, but an imperative requirement in the contemporary educational scenario. Investing in the ongoing training of educators not only benefits individual students, but also contributes to a more effective education, preparing future generations to face the challenges of the 21st century.

Creation of an educational platform as a training tool for teachers

It's important to keep in mind that when human beings begin their education process, they need specialized attention, and even more so when we talk about the process of inclusion, where children with special educational needs require differentiated attention in terms of the methods used in educational institutions. This is why the main objective of creating the support material was to contribute to the training of teachers, especially with regard to environmental education, thus contributing to the process of inclusion.

Developing training that enables teachers to intervene in their students' behaviors based on basic principles and procedures derived from Experimental Behavior Analysis seems to contribute to improving the quality of teacher-student relationships, as well as improving the quality of the educational process itself (Rodrigues & Moroz, 2008).

When it is proposed to introduce educational innovations in schools, as is the case with the definition of the new guidelines of the National Curriculum Parameters and, in particular, the transversal themes of relevant social interest, which aim to update and adapt the curricula to the complex and dynamic conditions of the contemporary world, the training of those responsible for implementing these innovations is absolutely essential (Pinsard, 2001).

Environmental Education is a process that consists of providing individuals with a critical and global understanding of the environment. This helps in elucidating values and developing attitudes that allows adopting a conscious and participatory position on issues related to the conservation and appropriate use of natural resources; improving the quality of life and eliminating extreme poverty and unbridled consumerism (Medina, 2001). Therefore, we recognize that not only environmental education, but also the whole field of education, requires a commitment and constant training processes for teachers in order to be able to provide them with the necessary skills.

The videos were recorded in Spanish, with subtitles in Portuguese and translated to Brazilian sign language and are divided into 3 modules:

• Environmental education in schools;
• Practical activities on water care;
• Introduction to Synthetic Biology.

The audiovisual material has as main objective to help environmental educators to implement practical activities and discussions around scientific concepts with children of foundational education. In addition, out of the 3 modules, a video was produced as material to be made available directly to students in order to explain what is Synthetic Biology and how to think of possibilities to solve problems, having voice options and subtitles in 4 different languages: Portuguese, Spanish, Guarani and Quechua.

The videos produced by UNILA-LatAm were made available on the youtube channel of SynFronteras-UNILA team and also on Google Classroom in the "MHETYGUÁ-Educación ambiental y Biologia Sintética" class, with the material produced in Spanish and Portuguese and Libras (sign language in Brazil). Check our Inclusivity page here.

Google Classroom Screenshot

Booklet

This document presents methodologies for practical activities to be developed in the classroom, with the main aim of helping in the application and development of educational practices related to the environment, especially in the topics of care and preservation of aquatic bodies. We recognize that the implementation of practical activities in the classroom facilitates the teaching-learning process, increasing students' interest in the topics covered. In addition, this material highlights activities that consider inclusion in the classroom, where students can work together through interdisciplinary games to find solutions to the everyday problems they face.

Some of the activities presented in this booklet were applied in public elementary school in the city of Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil. During these applications, we saw great potential to contribute to teaching about environmental issues. Therefore, we decided to share this material so that it can be used by teachers around the world. The material has been translated into three languages, Portuguese, Spanish and English, reflecting our belief that environmental issues affect us all. It is therefore imperative that we work together to find solutions. By creating this material, we not only hope that the methodologies explained here will be adopted, but we also seek to establish a global network of educators. Our aim is to make the teaching process more effective, empowering students to solve future challenges and, above all, committing to the preservation of our planet Earth. We believe that education is the key to a sustainable future and that by joining forces we can make a difference. Education is a powerful tool for creating positive change, and the creation of materials like this plays a fundamental role in training engaged and aware students, ready to face the challenges of the future.

Visit from the San Lucas Institution to UNILA

The introduction to synthetic biology was the starting point for all the activities carried out with the visiting students from the San Lucas Institute at our university. To this end, teaching material was prepared for first-year high school students, which was easy to understand and make it possible for them to absorb these lessons.

The process of education and transmission of knowledge took place organically during didactic activities focused on synthetic biology, where the visiting students' creativity and sense of problem-solving were explored. Through a dynamic in which a problem was presented to the students, they were able to exercise the teachings passed on throughout a productive day of active learning to come up with an innovative solution to the proposed problem.

The visit to the aquarium brought visitors into contact with different species of freshwater aquatic creatures, as well as learning about their habits, reproduction and curiosities.

Inside the laboratories, the students were able to learn more about instruments, materials and the daily lives of academics and scientists in the field of biology, in an inclusive and participatory way, so that everyone could practice what they had been taught.

Educational activities are important for the cognitive and personal development of children and teenagers. It is through them that schools and teachers can positively influence the teaching of various subjects and contribute to the formation of more aware citizens.

All the activities designed and implemented by our team have one objective and aim to achieve the same result: to sensitize and make future generations aware of the environmental problems faced by all of humanity, problems that will become increasingly difficult to solve. With this, we can see that the sooner we make the right decisions, the better we will be able to reverse the damage caused to the environment.

Creating a Technology Hub Ecosystem

In 2021, in the city of Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil, SynFronteras.Lab was created, a virtual laboratory open to the community that promotes activities to disseminate and develop Synthetic Biology. As part of this project, the Synthetic Biology Club was announced, with the aim of educating and training students in the fundamentals of Synthetic Biology, which was done through the organization of theoretical meetings and activities in various disciplines, aiming to foster the growth of scientific knowledge and the apprehension of its relevance in a multidisciplinary scenario.

For the development of activities, the SynFronteras Synthetic Biology Club organized a series of in-person and virtual meetings spanning from April to December 2022. These meetings centered around various aspects of Synthetic Biology, aligning with the DBTL (Design-Build-Learn-Test) cycle. Each meeting had an average duration of 2 hours and alternated between theoretical and hands-on activities. During every meeting, the club members began with an overview of the selected content. On practical application days, the activities were tailored to the participants' progress, adapting as needed. As part of the activities organized by SynFronteras club, meetings were conducted in local high schools, aiming to disseminate scientific knowledge within the young community of the tri-border region encompassing Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay.

Among one of the club's achievements, the invitation addressed to one of the teachers, Eloise Helena Fernandes, of the Bertoni PRO school in Foz do Igua�u established a partnership between the UNILA-Latam team and the Bertoni school, with the aim of facilitating the introduction of Synthetic Biology for high school students and the possible creation of a new team. Therefore, in 2023, the first high school Synthetic Biology team in Brazil was created, the Biostyvia team, which participated in the IGEM 2023 Design League with the DDColi project.

Members of the UNILA-Latam team assisted in the research of the DDColi project through mentoring between March and October 2023. The mentoring process involves group dynamics, in addition to reviewing materials and technical support. See more on the Wiki Partnership Page here.

The creation of the Biostyvia team in the triple border region demonstrates the need to introduce the topic of Synthetic Biology to young citizens, encouraging dynamic participation in scientific projects and also inspiring the emergence of more high school teams throughout Brazil. Furthermore, it underscores the significance of technological hubs within the community, providing greater interaction between the scientific-academic community and the population in the development of sustainable activities.

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