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The iGEM category Human Practice deals with informing and teaching the non-scientific public about synthetic biology. The main target of our sub-group is to include people of all ages so every person gets to know the possibilities but also the risks of synthetic biology. Furthermore, we want to encourage them to deal with the advantages and disadvantages, to think critically and build up their own opinion.
To ensure the scientific and technical progress, we think that it’s really important to raise children’s and young adults’ interest in these fields of research. To reach this aim, we followed different approaches. In a collaboration with iGEM FAU Erlangen, we designed a board game for children attending the kindergarten which we presented at the summer fest of the local Max-Planck-Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology. In this game, the player starts with nothing and has to collect organelles to build up a whole cell. With every component you collect, its function is explained in comparison to a city (e.g. the cell membrane as analog to the city walls). To raise the tension in the game, the cells have to fight against each other, components can be stolen from other players and some organelles offer a big advantage in certain situations!
To cover the next age group, we prepared a lecture for primary school students in which we told them about tasks and facts of the human gut microbiota and the general structure of cells. Additionally, we performed some microscopy experiments on onion cells with them. For the fun part, we introduced our board game to them about which they were really excited.
Furthermore, we wanted to give teenagers the chance to visit our laboratory and learn some basics of synthetic biology. So, we invited high school students from Blista, a school for visually impaired students in Marburg. We gave them a lecture about how bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics and the production of medications with microbiology. They were really interested in what they could do in a biological laboratory. So, we showed them a typical day of our work including the preparation of over-night cultures, streaking of bacteria on LB-agar plates and smelling of different E. coli and S. cerevisiae strains to give them the best possible experience. For the examination of cells with different fluorescent proteins, they used a so-called optophone which converts light intensity into different tone pitches. At the end, we discussed our project ideas and further application possibilities of synthetic biology.
One of our biggest events was the iGEM MeetUp – called iGEM meets Marburg – where we invited all German iGEM teams. When they had arrived, we walked through the ‘Oberstadt’, Marburg’s city center. There, we had dinner in one of the 126 bars. The next day, every of the 9 participating teams had the opportunity to present their project ideas, exchange their experiences with arisen problems and think about new perspectives. In afternoon, we organized a boat race at the Lahn followed by a barbecue. Through this event, several collaborations came into being.
Many other teams have done similar projects before but we want to cover all generations. Seniors are also a very important group of our society because of the demographic change which is effecting nearly every country in the world. It’s caused by both, lower fertility and decreasing mortality due to higher living standards. The main reason for the latter is better medical care and living conditions in general. Therefore, it is understandable that aging of the population started in first world countries but nowadays drastically speeds up in developing ones. Extrapolations suggest that the number of people older than 60 years will exceed the number of children by the year 2047.[1]
The reasons causing population aging don’t have only disadvantages, e.g. older people are able to live independently to a much greater extent than a few decades ago. Many seniors are also still able make a living through their own labor. That’s why they have to be remembered as a very important group in terms of elections, essentially determining the policy and political decisions of many countries. To make an optimal decision a fundamental knowledge is of great importance. For these reasons, we visited seniors who use assisted living and keep an active lifestyle to tell them about modern biotechnology and applications of GMOs as many of them haven’t even heard of DNA in their school time.
At the end of August, the prime minister of Hesse Volker Bouffier visited the center of synthetic microbiology where our iGEM laboratory is located. We used this opportunity to present our project and raise the popularity of iGEM in the government and the non-scientific population. He liked our project ideas and was impressed by the combination of science and public relations in the iGEM competition. Also, he encouraged us to go on in our research career as it ensures the scientific progress and thus, leads to solutions for future problems.
To reach people of all ages, we used a booth at the ‘Hessen-Tag’, an annual event with thousands of visitors and differing locations. We isolated DNA out of paprika together with present kids only with items they could find in their own household (e.g. knives, sieves, spiritus etc.). Meanwhile, we talked about synthetic biology with their parents and grandparents, and discussed their concerns about genetic engineering.
By working with every age class of the society, we hope to wield a positive influence on the image of synthetic biology and achieve higher public acceptance.

[1] United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2013).