Difference between revisions of "Team:Lethbridge HS/Practices"
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Revision as of 07:43, 17 September 2015
Human Practices
More than the science
Introduction
Although the science is an integral part of our project, we put some emphasis on human practices as well. Every team member contributed so that we could have a diverse and engaging set of human practices. We reached out many individuals, including one of our MLAs, who is also the Minister of Environment to get her support of our project; rural beekeepers in Southern Alberta to ask about the viability of our project; we also talked to our city council, and an urban planner to see how we could make our city more “bee-friendly”. We interacted with the public by handing out seed packets in parks, and informing them about the decline of bees and the city by-law that makes urban bee-keeping illegal; many signed a petition that we created to remove this by-law. To promote iGEM, we went to two middle schools to tell the students a little bit about our project and what iGEM is.
Government
Meeting with MLA—Shannon Phillips
In August, three members of the Lethbridge High School iGEM team held an interview with Shannon Phillips, the Member of Legislative Assembly for Lethbridge West, and the Minister of Environment, as well as the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women. Our conversation with Minister Phillips was very interesting, and she had many interesting views on our project, and beekeeping in general. Additionally, Minister Phillips showed support for our project. She exemplified respect for our work as well as that of other scientists, stating that “there needs to be a healthy respect for scientific method, for evidence based decision making”. She also recognized that our society may be entering “a phase of people being skeptical of science”. She felt that the only way to overcome this obstacle is through education. Minister Phillips also showed support for genetic engineering in general, stating that she “[doesn’t] see any problem with genetic engineering at large and in most of its applications”.
City Council By-Law
Prior to 1983, residents of the City of Lethbridge were able to beekeep within city limits. However, an amendment to Bylaw 3383 that pertains to bees now prevents residents from being able to do so. In Southern Alberta, bee populations are currently decreasing with reports saying that North American beekeepers are losing approximately one third of their bees each year. As a way to help the bee population, our team made it a goal to try and have this bylaw amended to allow urban beekeeping within city limits.
We drafted a petition to have residents of our city to sign, indicating that if they signed, they support wanting Lethbridge to have urban beekeeping. As we talked to residents, they agreed that bees play a crucial role in our lives and we need them in order to survive.
After petitioning city residents, we presented to our city council about what we want to change in our city.
Community
Seed bombs
We made seed bombs to help spread awareness about the decline of bees, while simultaneously promoting bee population growth. A seed bomb is basically a ball of soil, clay, water, and seeds. The idea is that people plant them in empty lots, undeveloped fields, or even their backyards so that flowers can grow, giving the bees more access to food. We used Smooth Blue Aster, Purple Prairie Clover, and Prairie Coneflower to make our seed bombs because they are native to Southern Alberta, and they would not be considered an invasive species.
We distributed seed bombs to members of the public and informed them about our project and the plight of the bees. Many people accepted our project and showed their support by signing a petition that supported urban beekeeping in Lethbridge, which is currently illegal.
Integrated Human Practices
Beekeepers Visit and Interview
Outreach
School Presentations
We presented to Grade 8. students at G.S. Lakie Middle School and Wilson Middle School in order to expand their interest in synthetic biology and iGEM. We started with a basic introduction to DNA and synthetic biology. This included an engaging experiment in which student volunteers assisted in the extraction of DNA from a banana. We also presented the biofilm and bee issues that we are tackling this year. The students were very interested in the presentations, and asked many questions. Some were even wondering how they could join the iGEM team. Overall, our presentation left a positive mark on the students.