Team:Toulouse/Practices

iGEM Toulouse 2015

Practices


The iGEM competition is not all about wet lab and finding sponsors. To breath life into a project public contact is paramout. When we first started to reach out to the public we realised that the decline in bee population was a well known issue, in spite of this, most of the people interviewed weren't aware of the Varroa destructor influence.

ExpoSciences Midi-Pyrénées

Communication in high school

ExpoSciences International

Looking forward

ExpoSciences Midi-Pyrénées

Our team took part to regional ExpoSciences in Toulouse. This event brings together scientists of all ages and levels who want to share scientific knowledges. It’s a good exercise which enables to explain what’s synthetic biology. Given that DNA is our main work tool, we decided to let the children try out banana DNA extraction, with ethanol and dishwashing soap. The stand having drawn everybody’s attention, our intervention has been broadcasted on a local TV (TLT), and we also have been selected to take part to International ExpoSciences.

Recipe for a successful banana DNA extraction!

  • A ripe banana (Brownish)
  • 50 ml of water (About a half cup)
  • 2 teaspoon of salt
  • 2 teaspoon Dishwashing soap or detergent
  • Rubbing alcohol (cold)
  • Coffee filter
  • A test tube (or narrow glass)
  • Narrow wooden stirrer
  • Peel and smash half of the Banana into a pulp
  • Add the 50ml of water(must be at ambient temperature), the salt and the Dishwashing soap
  • Stir until a soft foam starts to appear
  • Let the mix pour through the coffee filter (about five minutes)
  • Throw out the coffee filter and its content, keep the liquid
  • Take a 2ml sample and pour it in the test tube
  • Add 4ml of alcohol, two layer should form in the test tube
  • In the alcohol layer, a white cloud with bubbles should appear, this cloud is DNA!

This simple, yet interesting experience helped us attract children to our stand. It was a great starting point for us we managed to start some indepth conversation with them about what they knew of DNA and what could be done with it. Some of them weren't aware that banana had DNA at all and some teacher told us that our demonstration was very well though up and easy to understand without distorting the truth.
We were the first most visited stand in the expo (thanks to the pungent smell of smashed banana) and our intervention has even been broadcasted on a local TV (TLT[1]). our success had us selected to take part to the International ExpoSciences in Brussel!.

Communication in junior high school

To carry on our education vibe, we met with the science teatcher from the Leonard de Vinci junior highschool of Tournefeuille to meet with the students.

Teatching about varroas and bees

We prepared a short presentation on varroa and organised a question and answer with the pupils about the disparition of bees, pesticides, chemical treatments and varroa. The presentation was followed by a Q and A session where student were able to interact with us and each other about varroa and synthetic biology.

An unexpected advice

During the Q and A, we were asked about our studies and what kind of diploma we had. Question led to another and without realising we where already doing a full guidance lecture about the choices these children will have to do in the following years (which school to attend too and why, why should I study science? etc...). The point of view from students who had to go through those choices not so long ago helped them gain assurance and ease their fear about their future studies.
We hope that we helped create a few scientific vocations during this talks! (or maybe a future iGEMer!)