Difference between revisions of "Team:Oxford/TestDuke/Practices"

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                     <h2>Project Choice</h2>
 
                     <h2>Project Choice</h2>
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                    <div id="project-choice-approaching-the-public">
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                            <h3>Approaching the Public</h3>
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                    <div class="slim">
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                            <p>
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                        <h3>Approaching the Public</h3>
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                                To decide on our project idea, we sent out an initial questionnaire to the public to hear about what they thought about synthetic biology. We asked what big problems they wanted solving. We took the questionnaire to schools, to the streets and to our friends.
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                        <p>
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                            </p>
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                            To decide on our project idea, we sent out an initial questionnaire to the public to hear about what they thought about synthetic biology. We asked what big problems they wanted solving. We took the questionnaire to schools, to the streets and to our friends.
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                            <p>
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                        </p>
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                                Examples of their suggestions for the applications of synthetic biology include bacteria which:
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                        <p>
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                            </p>
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                            Examples of their suggestions for the applications of synthetic biology include bacteria which:
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                            <ul>
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                        </p>
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                                <li>Remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere</li>
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                        <ul>
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                                <li>Target and kill cancerous cells</li>
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                            <li>Remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere</li>
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                                <li>Help treat Alzheimer's disease</li>
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                            <li>Target and kill cancerous cells</li>
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                                <li>Produce energy</li>
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                            <li>Help treat Alzheimer's disease</li>
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                                <li>Sew up holes in clothes</li>
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                            <li>Produce energy</li>
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                                <li>Produce teeth glue</li>
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                            <li>Sew up holes in clothes</li>
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                                <li>Indicate how long someone has been dead for</li>
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                            <li>Produce teeth glue</li>
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                                <li>Combat antibiotic resistance</li>
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                            <li>Indicate how long someone has been dead for</li>
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                            </ul>
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                            <li>Combat antibiotic resistance</li>
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                            <p>
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                        </ul>
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                                Of our responses, around 40 were related to Medicine and Health [<a href="#PRef1">1</a>]. This led us to choose that track for our project. However, it was our team member George Driscoll’s work at the UTI clinic in London which helped us to select UTIs as a specific cause. Due to the un-aesthetic nature of the infection, it often receives less attention with regard to research.
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                        <p>
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                            </p>
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                            Of our responses, around 40 were related to Medicine and Health [<a href="#PRef1">1</a>]. This led us to choose that track for our project. However, it was our team member George Driscoll’s work at the UTI clinic in London which helped us to select UTIs as a specific cause. Due to the un-aesthetic nature of the infection, it often receives less attention with regard to research.
+
                            <p>
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                        </p>
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                                A large proportion of our responses expressed concern for how Synthetic Biology would be used in society, with several references to the issues of contamination and exploitation for profit. With this in mind, we constructed a second questionnaire about our project, to test whether the public would get behind it.
−
                        <p>
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                            </p>
−
                            A large proportion of our responses expressed concern for how Synthetic Biology would be used in society, with several references to the issues of contamination and exploitation for profit. With this in mind, we constructed a second questionnaire about our project, to test whether the public would get behind it.
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                        </p>
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                     </div>
 
                     </div>
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                </div>
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                        <div id="project-choice-approaching-the-public-initial-feedback">
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                <div id="project-choice-approaching-the-public-initial-feedback">
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                          <div class="slim">
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                    <div class="slim">
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                              <h4>Initial Feedback</h4>
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                        <h4>Initial Feedback</h4>
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                              <p>
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                        <p>
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                                  We sent a second questionnaire to find out more about whether the public would use a Solution from synthetic biology to treat Urinary tract infections. We asked more about whether they had heard of genetic engineering or synthetic biology, and how much they trust a recommended treatment by a doctor. In collaboration with UCL, we also filmed some of these responses on the street. The results were overwhelmingly positive.
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                            We sent a second questionnaire to find out more about whether the public would use a Solution from synthetic biology to treat Urinary tract infections. We asked more about whether they had heard of genetic engineering or synthetic biology, and how much they trust a recommended treatment by a doctor. In collaboration with UCL, we also filmed some of these responses on the street. The results were overwhelmingly positive.
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                              </p>
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                         </p>
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                          </div>
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                         </div>
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                    <div id="project-choice-our-inspiration">
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                        <div class="slim">
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                            <h3>Our Inspiration</h3>
 +
                            <p>
 +
                            </p>
 +
                        <div id="project-choice-our-inspiration-jorge-talk">
 +
                            <h4>Jorge Talk</h4>
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                            <p>
 +
                            </p>
 +
                        </div>
 +
                        <div id="project-choice-our-inspiration-churchill">
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                            <h4>Churchill Hospital, Oxford</h4>
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                            <p>
 +
                            </p>
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                        </div>
 +
                        </div>
 
                     </div>
 
                     </div>
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                </div>
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                    <div id="project-choice-the-problem">
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                <div id="our-inspiration">
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                        <div class="slim">
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                    <div class="slim">
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                            <h3>The Problem</h3>
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                        <h3>Our Inspiration</h3>
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                            <p>
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                        <p>
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                            </p>
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                     </div>
 
                     </div>
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                </div>
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                    <div id="project-choice-our-solution">
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                <div id="project-choice-the-problem">
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                        <div class="slim">
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                    <div class="slim">
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                          <h3>Our Solution</h3>
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                        <h3>The Problem</h3>
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                          <p>
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                        <p>
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                          </p>
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                         </p>
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                         </div>
 
                     </div>
 
                     </div>
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                <div id="project-choice-our-solution">
 
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                    <div class="slim">
 
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                        <h3>Our Solution</h3>
 
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                        <p>
 
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                        </p>
 
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             <ul id="sidebar" class="nav nav-stacked" data-spy="affix">
 
             <ul id="sidebar" class="nav nav-stacked" data-spy="affix">
 
                 <li><a href="#introduction">Introduction</a></li>
 
                 <li><a href="#introduction">Introduction</a></li>
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                 <li>
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                 <li><a href="#project-choice">Project Choice</a>
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                    <a href="#project-choice">Project Choice</a>
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                     <ul class="nav nav-stacked">
 
                     <ul class="nav nav-stacked">
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                         <li>
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                         <li><a href="#project-choice-approaching-the-public">Approaching the Public</a>
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                            <a href="#project-choice-approaching-the-public">Approaching the Public</a>
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                                <ul class="nav nav-stacked">
 +
                                    <li><a href="#project-choice-approaching-the-public-initial-feedback">Initial Feedback</a></li>
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                                </ul>
 +
                        </li>
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                        <li><a href="#project-choice-our-inspiration">Our Inspiration</a>
 
                             <ul class="nav nav-stacked">
 
                             <ul class="nav nav-stacked">
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                                 <li><a href="#project-choice-approaching-the-public-initial-feedback">Initial Feedback</a></li>
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                                 <li><a href="#project-choice-our-inspiration-jorge-talk">Jorge Talk</a></li>
 +
                                <li><a href="#project-choice-our-inspiration-churchill">Jorge Talk</a></li>
 
                             </ul>
 
                             </ul>
 
                         </li>
 
                         </li>
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                        <li><a href="#project-choice-our-inspiration">Our Inspiration</a></li>
 
 
                         <li><a href="#project-choice-the-problem">The Problem</a></li>
 
                         <li><a href="#project-choice-the-problem">The Problem</a></li>
 
                         <li><a href="#project-choice-our-solution">Our Solution</a></li>
 
                         <li><a href="#project-choice-our-solution">Our Solution</a></li>
 
                     </ul>
 
                     </ul>
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                 <li>
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                 </li>
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                    <a href="#project-viability">Project Viability</a>
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                <li><a href="#project-viability">Project Viability</a>
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                      <ul class="nav nav-stacked">
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                        <li><a href="#project-viability-will-our-idea-work">Will Our Idea Work?</a></li>
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                          <li><a href="#project-viability-will-our-idea-work">Will Our Idea Work?</a></li>
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                        <li><a href="#project-viability-ethics">Ethics</a></li>
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                          <li><a href="#project-viability-ethics">Ethics</a></li>
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                        <li><a href="#project-viability-the-uti-clinic">The UTI Clinic</a></li>
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                          <li><a href="#project-viability-the-uti-clinic">The UTI Clinic</a></li>
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                        <li><a href="#project-viability-delivery-method">Delivery Method</a></li>
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                          <li><a href="#project-viability-delivery-method">Delivery Method</a></li>
−
                        <li><a href="#project-viability-increasing-awareness">Increasing Awareness</a>
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                          <li><a href="#project-viability-increasing-awareness">Increasing Awareness</a>
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                            <ul class="nav nav-stacked">
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                              <ul class="nav nav-stacked">
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                                <li><a href="#project-viability-increasing-awareness-uniq-workshop">UNIQ Workshop</a></li>
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                                  <li><a href="#project-viability-increasing-awareness-uniq-workshop">UNIQ Workshop</a></li>
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                                <li><a href="#project-viability-increasing-awareness-utc-oxfordshire">UTC Oxfordshire</a></li>
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                                  <li><a href="#project-viability-increasing-awareness-utc-oxfordshire">UTC Oxfordshire</a></li>
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                                <li><a href="#project-viability-increasing-awareness-bbc-radio-oxford">BBC Radio Oxford</a></li>
+
                                  <li><a href="#project-viability-increasing-awareness-bbc-radio-oxford">BBC Radio Oxford</a></li>
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                            </ul>
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                              </ul>
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                        </li>
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                          </li>
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                    </ul>
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                      </ul>
 
                 </li>
 
                 </li>
 
             </ul>
 
             </ul>

Revision as of 09:20, 8 September 2015

Practices

Introduction

Our project relies on a three way conversation between the team, the public and experts. It touches every aspect of the project, from our choice of application to the details of our delivery system. We promoted Synthetic Biology and iGEM through outreach programs to inspire the next generation.

Urinary tract infections are a huge problem globally with millions of cases reported each year. We’re producing a guide for everything you need to know about urinary tract infections, as well as a treatment to beat antibiotics, which are rapidly becoming ineffective.

We want to make our website as accessible as possible to all readers, regardless of their level of expertise. Words with a dotted blue underline will show a definition when you hover over them.

Project Choice

Approaching the Public

To decide on our project idea, we sent out an initial questionnaire to the public to hear about what they thought about synthetic biology. We asked what big problems they wanted solving. We took the questionnaire to schools, to the streets and to our friends.

Examples of their suggestions for the applications of synthetic biology include bacteria which:

  • Remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
  • Target and kill cancerous cells
  • Help treat Alzheimer's disease
  • Produce energy
  • Sew up holes in clothes
  • Produce teeth glue
  • Indicate how long someone has been dead for
  • Combat antibiotic resistance

Of our responses, around 40 were related to Medicine and Health [1]. This led us to choose that track for our project. However, it was our team member George Driscoll’s work at the UTI clinic in London which helped us to select UTIs as a specific cause. Due to the un-aesthetic nature of the infection, it often receives less attention with regard to research.

A large proportion of our responses expressed concern for how Synthetic Biology would be used in society, with several references to the issues of contamination and exploitation for profit. With this in mind, we constructed a second questionnaire about our project, to test whether the public would get behind it.

Initial Feedback

We sent a second questionnaire to find out more about whether the public would use a Solution from synthetic biology to treat Urinary tract infections. We asked more about whether they had heard of genetic engineering or synthetic biology, and how much they trust a recommended treatment by a doctor. In collaboration with UCL, we also filmed some of these responses on the street. The results were overwhelmingly positive.

Our Inspiration

Jorge Talk

Churchill Hospital, Oxford

The Problem

Our Solution

Project Viability

Will Our Idea Work?

Ethics

The UTI Clinic

Delivery Method

Increasing Awareness

To promote Synthetic Biology and iGEM, we’ve used a variety of approaches.

UNIQ Workshop

We met with 40 prospective Oxford students to teach them about Synthetic Biology. The students had in interest in Biochemistry but knew nothing about iGEM. We hammered home the key message of Synthetic Biology - that we achieve more progress by expanding a registry of standardised biological parts - through a 15 minute introductory presentation on BioBricks. We then split them into groups and gave each one a mentor from our iGEM team. We worked through questions to test their understanding in a tutorial style and asked them to explain the constructs of previous iGEM teams. They finished by presenting their findings to each other.

UTC Oxfordshire

A couple of us gave a presentation on antibiotic resistance to a class of GCSE students from UTC Oxfordshire (a local school specialising in science) at the Natural History Museum in Oxford, The Pitt Rivers Museum. Our talk covered the discovery of antibiotics, the advantages of them (including their use in laboratory work), how they work, and how bacteria can evolve to gain resistance to them, as well as concepts such as horizontal gene transfer and the consequences of antibiotic resistance on our everyday lives. It also covered our project outline, and pros and cons of Solution, showing how it should help combat antibiotic resistance. At the end, we held a discussion between the students and our team about antibiotic resistance, and their perception of the concern. We also asked how they would feel about using our engineered bacteria, and the response was positive, with most of the students saying that if their doctor recommended the treatment, they would be open to using it.

BBC Radio Oxford