Team:Queens Canada/Public Engagement
Introduction
This year, QGEM wishes to diversify our outreach programs and expand our educational effort beyond the academia community. We actively reached out to local schools and summer camps and had develop detailed lesson plans suitable for children in various age groups and had effectively communicated our project to the general public. To inspire synthetic biology research in the undergraduate and graduate level, we had organized multiple scientific presentations to discuss specific genetic engineering techniques related to popular issues, after which the information discussed was made public as free learning resources. We hope to build a foundation for future QGEM team to interact with the community more effectively and spread knowledge of Synthetic Biology.
Kingston Science Rendezvous
The Science Rendezvous is an annual event that showcases current research in science and engineering in various cities in Canada. QGEM has been a long-term participant in this event as we saw it has an excellent opportunity to connect with people from different ages and background. We held a booth that presented some interesting science demonstrations and educational materials:
Strawberry DNA Extraction
We demonstrated the process of extracting DNA from strawberries with common household materials. This was meant to establish the idea that science experiments can take place in everyday life, and to encourage parents to explore science-related projects with their children at home.
Microscope Station
We presented our audience with living C. elegans under the microscope. The microscopic worms were provided by our graduate advisor and they were deemed impressive by both children and adults. We took the chance to explain the benefits of using micro-organisms in scientific research projects. By allowing participants to use the microscope, they were able to gain a better appreciation for both how this technology works, as well as the microorganisms and microparticles that compose the world we live in.
Educational Video & Information Cards
Monitors were set up to play two videos that explained the concept of synthetic biology and introduced the iGEM competition. Our team had also prepared information cards and worksheets on DNA and Human Cell Types. Although the information seemed a little complicated for young children to understand, it was highly appreciated by parents and many approached us with very detailed follow-up questions.
Synbio Club
QGEM is one of the very few student-run organizations that provide students with high-quality research experiences in Queen’s University. To breakdown the common stereotype that only highly-skilled scientists with a specific set of technical knowledge are welcomed in the field, we have set up a series of public presentations that were open to Queen’s University and the Kingston Community. These presentations not only highlighted synthetic biology applications in pop-culture, but also explained important techniques used in our laboratory to increase transparency. The information discussed were then summarized and published on our website to serve as free learning resources. Through the SynBio Club, we intend to equip students with critical thinking skills, and we wish for this space to become an idea hub that allows students to share and develop innovative research projects.
Introduction to the World of Synbio
Due to its interdisciplinary nature, synthetic biology has yet to have a commonly accepted definition. It requires expertise in all branches of science and engineering, and the lack of social awareness makes it difficult to be recognized as a new field of study. This meeting aimed to discuss the meaning of synthetic biology, consider its potential applications, and distinguish it from similar fields of studies.
Plasmid Construction
Plasmid construction is a key technique employed in genetic manipulation of bacteria. This meeting will provide a general understanding of plasmid structure and discuss the key steps in constructing a plasmid for genetic engineering purposes.
Your Guide to Plant-Based Proteins
Plant-based burgers have gained a considerable amount of attention in the past couple years. As big fast-food chains start to incorporate plant-based meat in their menu, we thought it would be a good idea to explore the science behind the ImpossibleTM Burger and address the genetic engineering aspects of the process.
Summer Camp
Something our team has always been passionate about when it comes to synthetic biology is education. We believe that teaching children about the basics of synthetic biology from a young age can not only prepare them for future education but also allow them to explore a potential area of interest that they may want to pursue as a career one day. We were invited to two local summer camps in Kingston to lead a short mentorship program:
Science Quest
Science Quest is a not for profit, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) based program that operates at Queen’s University. QGEM has been invited to Science Quest for the past couple years and they have always been kind enough to continue our collaboration once again. We designed a lesson plan suitable for students from grade 4-8 to teach introductory cell biology and genetics. Our lesson began with a discussion on the concept of cells and the variety of single/ multi-cellular organisms. It was followed by teaching the definition, structure and function of DNA. Then we explained how different cell types can arise from the same genome and touched upon the basics of translation.
Steamworks Summer Camp
Although Science Quest provided us with an opportunity to expose children to topics in cell biology, we were thrilled to expand our educational efforts into the Kingston community. We partnered up with STEAMworks Summer Camp to design a program that suits a younger demographic. The mandate of STEAMworks is to encourage creativity and team-building skills while discovering the wonders of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. To reinforce this positive learning environment, we have designed the presentation in a graphics-based format using cartoons, videos and pop-culture references, as we believed a text-based lesson would not be ideal for students in this age bracket. Our lesson begun with discussing the diversity of life and exploring the world of micro-organisms. We used interesting and relatable examples like bacteria, freshwater copepods and the famous tardigrades. It was followed by teaching them the six characteristics of life and leading them to consider single-celled organisms. Finally, we ended with a brief but fun introduction to DNA and allowed them to appreciate the millions of possibilities hidden in its codes. The children really enjoyed our lesson and we had been invited for a second time in the summer.
Activity 1: Lab Coat Doodling
We have collected some used and clean lab coats from our lab to show the students what scientists wear, and we provided them with fabric markers so they could decorate the lab coats with microorganisms and science-related objects. It was a very fun activity as it engages the students and they really enjoyed drawing bacteria and Albert Einstein.
Activity 2: Freshwater Copepods Viewing
We have collected some freshwater micro-organism from Lake Ontario and had presented them under the microscope. It was very much an interesting experience as they were fascinated to see the diversity of organisms that exists in waterbodies they frequently visit.
Activity 3: Strawberry DNA Extraction
As opposed to purely demonstrating the process, we actually prepared common household materials for every child to follow along the process of extracting DNA from strawberries. The children really enjoyed this because they were able to smell and touch DNA, which made sciences seem very approachable and exciting.
Activity 4: Draw an Alien
Each student will be drawing an alien with instructions they got. There will be three baskets, each containing instructions for the shape/number for "Head", "Body", "Limbs". The instructions will appear as short DNA sequences (ie. ATT, ACG, GCC), and they will be provided with a legend that tells them the meaning of each sequence. This activity is meant to demonstrate the countless possibilities DNA holds, and how it is possible for the diversity on Earth.
Educational Video
Genetic engineering has gained increasing attention over the years, but it has also received significant rejection and criticism. We wanted to familiarize the public with iGEM and synthetic biology to increase acceptance of our project. Therefore, we collaborated with other iGEM teams to make a video that addresses a list of the most googled questions about genetic engineering.
Visit our collaboration page to find out more!
