Our Goals


Not only did we want to interact with the public to see what they thought about our project, but we wanted to introduce them to the field of synthetic biology. We had 2 goals: introduce the field of synthetic biology in general and encourage the relevance of synthetic biology in the field of dermatology.


Bridge Scholar Event


The first event we had was with the Bridge Scholars at the University of Virginia. The Bridge Program aims to support first-generation college students and other underrepresented minorities in the field of STEM. So, we hosted a presentation talking about familiar examples of synthetic biology and then we introduced them to iGEM and our project, showing them that they too could be involved in a synthetic biology project.

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Akash Pamal, Kendall Sano, and Devon Alexander (left to right) presenting to Bridge Scholars.
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Akash Pamal introducing iGEM to Bridge Scholars.



Dermatology Interest Group Association Event


After doing the Bridge Event, we wanted to narrow our research and see examples of synthetic biology in medicine. When we did this, we soon realized that there were not many examples of it in dermatology, and there was limited synthetic biology research in dermatology. After seeing the results of our NiSkin project, we appreciated how impactful synthetic biology can be in dermatology and how necessary it is. So, we hosted an event for the Dermatology Interest Group Association (DIGA) to introduce medical students to the field of synthetic biology and how it can be used even in dermatology. DIGA is an organization that provides resources for medical students interested in dermatology nationwide.

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Devon Alexander presenting to medical student CAR T-Cell Therapy to show familiar examples of synthetic biology to medical students.
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Akash Pamal introducing medical students to NiSkin and how synthetic biology can be beneficial in dermatology.