Difference between revisions of "Team:Sydney Australia/Outreach"

Why do we support science outreach and communication?

We wholeheartedly support the importance that iGEM places on the need to provide information to the public with regards to synthetic biology and its applications. We understand the need to inform students about synthetic biology and how it can solve problems to ensure a sustainable future. We understand that a strong understanding of the ethical considerations of each application has to be instilled to avoid misuse of the technology. We also believe that without training our students, we cannot train a new generations of researchers which can carry the research forward.

Furthermore, by increasing public awareness, we can teach communities about the benefits and dangers of synthetic biology to tackle the epidemic of pseudoscience used to oppose all synthetic biology research. It is the scientists' responsibility to maintain a bridge between science and the public to ensure that groundbreaking research is supported and only unethical research is opposed.

Hence, as part of our outreach program, we tried to engage everyone in as many communities as we can across many different demographics. We gave talks at various Rotary clubs in Sydney, gave an interview to the prominent popular science radio station ABC Science Show by Robyn Williams to inform the community of the ongoing contribution of synthetic biology to the society in order to maintain mutual understanding and trust between the science community. Furthermore, to educate the younger students, we set up stalls at several festivals including Science in the Swamps, Australian Museum Science Festival and a workshop ran at Alexandria Park Community School (APCS). You can find more information below.

Alexandria Park Community School Outreach

APCS [http://www.alexparkcs-c.schools.nsw.edu.au/] is a public school in the inner suburbs of Sydney, and Matt's previous school. On the 22nd July, we conducted two workshops at the school for year 10 and 12 senior high school students.

Science in the Swamps

Australian Museum Science Festival: JAMS Stall

[http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/syd-uni-designer-genomes-in-world-competition/6525626 ABC Science Show Radio Interview]

Two of our members, Gaia and Harry, decided to enlist in the frightening journey of radio interview. They spoke to Robyn Williams, renowned scientists and radio presenter of the famous nationwide popular science radio show, [http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/ ABC Science Show with Robyn Williams], run by the national broadcaster [http://www.abc.net.au/ Australian Broadcasting Corporation]. They talked about designing genes, cloning and use of synthetic biology in manufacturing vital compounds difficult to make using traditional chemical synthesis methods. To listen to this enlightening interview, click on the hyperlink in the title.

Rotary talks

We participated in giving talks to various Rotary clubs to communicate with communities across Sydney and different demographics, most prominently with no to little science background and passed the stage of tertiary education. At every talk, we were posed with many questions ranging from the previous applications of synthetic biology to how we use various techniques such as cloning to create our genetically modified bacteria. We were also asked about patents which we found to be the hardest question. Maybe next time we should include a lawyer in our team!

We believe that this was very successful and other teams should think about including Rotary talks in their outreach programs. The large number of good questions that we were being asked showed that our message came across very well. The audience were dazzled and enlightened every time, approaching us at the end of the talk to inquire more about synthetic biology and our project.

The best response I received from a Kings Cross Rotary member to our project was that "only 50 years ago we just found the structure of the DNA, and now not only we know so much other than the structure, but that we are creating new organisms." This really gets you thinking and gives you a very enlightening perspective.

Ku-ring-Gai Rotary Newsletter

Rotary Presentation