Team:TokyoTech/Education
Educations
Symposium
On Saturday, March 9, the iGEM Team sponsored symposium for junior high and high school students "Gene from the news" was held. This symposium focused on the techniques of "gene editing" and "gene analysis" that have gradually come to be seen on television etc., with the aim of disseminating the correct knowledge and awareness of ethical issues. We also invited Mikihito Tanaka, an associate professor at Waseda University's graduate school who is an ethics expert, as a guest speaker and he talked about the perspective of science from a position that is not tied to humanities and sciences. Fifteen people, mainly high school students, participated on the day, and it was a success.
At the symposium, first of all, after getting an example of gene editing applied to animals etc., we asked them to discuss how to use gene editing technology freely in group work. There, there are usage methods to human's body themselves such as strengthening of muscle and memory up and UV protection, usage methods for enriching life such as whole fatty tuna or agricultural products without pesticides, romance such as resurrection of dinosaur and reproduction of anime character. A wide variety of ideas were presented. After that, I told that designer baby and gene editing to human fertilized eggs were the problems, and I asked them to think again whether their ideas had any problems. Active discussions are held there as well. âThe gap between rich and poor will be expanded by people with money giving priority to technology.â âThe glasses industry will be destroyed if there are no people with poor eyes.â âA person is himself You can use it because you can make decisions, but it is a pity to use it for animals.â And so on, not only ethical but also economic consequences.Also, in parallel with the group work, we conducted experiments to examine the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 activity of the participants, so that they could feel familiarity with genetic testing.
At this symposium, the discussion was a lot of excitement as there were many active participants, but it may not be the case when performing similar events as iGEM TokyoTech in the future. We also felt that it was necessary to learn and practice how to enliven group work, and I think that this will be useful for discussions within the team.
Questionnaire on Open Campus
On August 10, 2019, we put the booth at the annual Open Campus in our university.
Primarily, We introduced our iGEM activities to high school students and their parents.
Also, we took a survey for the visitors that aim at collecting their opinions about the CRISPR-baby scandal in China and the problems of Genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Summary of the survey
Our open campus is the place where high school students and their parents come. Then, we decided to gather opinions on two issues. The first is to check the awareness of the CRISPR-baby scandal for the students. It would be valuable data for the future delivery lecture to investigate their knowledge of this issue. Secondly, we aimed at understanding the ways their parents think of GMOs. Even though there is a census which the government took for that, this survey would be useful for applying iGEM outcomes, especially related to foods, to the public. That is because we believe one of the most sensitive customers is parents who have children. For the above purpose, we took a questionnaire survey on that day. As a result of the first, 40% of the students knew that scandal. But the number of subjects is really small at this time, so we should continue to check it. Then, regarding the second, it suggested that the indirect intake of GMOs is less reluctance than direct intake.
Delivery Class
At September 14, 2019, we had a lesson at Koshigaya-Kita High School in Saitama Prefecture. Our agenda for the class is as follows:
1.Education about genome editing technology
Nowadays, the advance of genome editing technology is remarkable. It is used in various fields, namely food industry, drug discovery research and so on. Furthermore, by using this technology, twin babies with HIV resistance were born in China in November 2018. He Jiankui, associate professor in SUSTech Shenzhen, China modified the babiesâ genes using a new tool called CRISPR to inhibit the expression of a protein that is needed for the activity of HIV viruses. Criticism arised around this publication because it was the first case that human babies with edited genome were born.
In this class, we taught about the principles and the applications of genome editing technology. We would like the students to know what genome editing technology truly is and how to use it properly.
2. Open discussion
In the class, we divided the students into 4 groups and let them propose ideas on how to apply genome editing technology after the lecture. We were able to gather many unique ideas from them. For example, one group proposed by introducing the gene of sharksâ skin, we will be able to reduce water resistance when we swim. However, another group pointed out that it is dangerous because the skin will be rough and dry. In response to the indication, the group proposed to further introduce the gene of hedgehog to control the texture of the skin depending on the situation. Through the discussion, we expected the students to think critically on this subject and enhance the skills to explain their thoughts.
