Human Practices

University Festival

We hald an educational workshop in Hokkaido University Festival that was held from June 11 to June 14, 2015. This was our third year participating in University Festival.

Poster Session

We made posters on following topics.

• What is DNA
• How DNA is familiar to us
• What is synthetic biology
• What is iGEM, and what are our activities

Experiment

We conducted an experiment detecting a DNA extraction from banana. Our aim was to make participants feel more familiar to DNA.

Protocol

1. Crush one third of banana with spoon to break its cell wall.
2. Mix 30 mL of 10% saltine water and 2.5 mL of detergent. Saltine water takes away negative electric charge form nucleic acid, and detergent breaks cell membrane.
3. Pour 1 and 2 into a beaker through coffee filter to filtrate them.
4. After 5 minutes, pour 40 mL of 100% ethanol into the beaker slowly.
5. You’ll see some white lump, which is exactly the DNA!

Questionnaires

We took questionnaires to our participants, and we got 91 answers.

Results are shown on below.

Ratios

Impression about Gene Recombination

Comments

• Age: 30`s / Sex: F

  Score before workshop: 5
  Genetic modification depends on how to use.

  Score after workshop: 5
  Genetic modification is unexpectedly familiar.

• Age: 40`s / Sex: F

  Score before workshop: 2
  I think genetic modification affects our body and environment.

  Score after workshop: 7
  Because genetic modification contributes to food problem.

• Age: high school student / Sex: F

  Score before workshop: 3
  Because it changes inherit DNA.

  Score after workshop: 9
  Because genetic modification dosen't affect our health

• Age: junior high school student / Sex: F

  Score before workshop: 5
  I heard about it last year but I was poor at biology and could not be interested in genetic modification.

  Score after workshop: 10
  I felt DNA familiar throgh your explanation.

• Age: university student / Sex: M

  Score before workshop: 3
  Because I have a image that it was featured on TV program.

  Score after workshop: 6
  Because genetic modification has potential to be useful in the future.

• Age: university student / Sex: M

  Score before workshop: 5
  If it dosen't affect the free selection of people, it should be allowed.

  Score after workshop: 5
  Genetic modification is not ends but means, and it depends on users.

General Comments

• I knew the word DNA but cannot explain it to my children. It was good opportunity that kind young men explained it to them. They knew details and were cool. (from parent of the respondent)
• I had a bad image for genetic modification because I had heard genetically modified foods affected our health. But, I knew it contributed to our society and came to have a good impression through your explanation.
• It was interesting because I could watch DNA from a familiar food, banana.
• I felt DNA familiar through the experiment. It was so fun because I could watch DNA from familiar foods,banana. Thank you.
• The experiments was so fun. Thank you.
• Your explanation was easy to understand.
• You should tell us more the advantage of genetic modification.