Team:Sydney Australia/Outreach
We wholeheartedly support the importance that iGEM places on the need to provide information to the public with regards to synthetic biology and its applications.
We understand the importance of informing students about synthetic biology and its use in ensuring a sustainable future.
We understand that a strong understanding of the ethical considerations of each application has to be instilled to avoid misuse of the technology.
We also believe that without training our students, we cannot train a new generations of researchers which can carry the research forward.
Furthermore, by increasing public awareness, we can teach communities about the benefits and dangers of synthetic biology to tackle the epidemic of pseudoscience used to oppose all synthetic biology research. It is the scientists' responsibility to maintain a bridge between science and the public to ensure that groundbreaking research is supported and only unethical research is opposed.
Hence, as part of our outreach program, we tried to engage as many members of communities across multiple demographics on different platforms. From the ABC Radio, Rotary presentations, school workshops, and presentations in the park we attempted to inform the community in order to maintain mutual understanding and trust between the science community. You can find more information below.
Alexandria Park Community School Outreach
[http://www.alexparkcs-c.schools.nsw.edu.au/ APCS] is a public school in the inner suburbs of Sydney, and Matt's previous school. On the 22nd July, we conducted two workshops at the school for year 10 and 12 school students. In the morning session, we talked to year 12 biology students about university, biology, genetics and cloning. We also talked about the ethics behind making GMOs. The students were greatly intrigued, asked questions, and were highly engaged in the content. All this was done over delicious scones, jam and coffee thanks to Mr Peter Miller, the students' very generous biology teacher.
Following, we conducted our workshop for year 10 science. We began by giving a talk about synthetic biology, the use of cloning to generate GMOs and also explaining the process of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) in the context of forensic analysis of a crime scene. Using all that knowledge, we explained what we are trying to do in our project. We also ensured to highlight the ethics behind the use of synthetic biology, where it should only be used in appropriate projects such as making good quality pharmaceuticals products. We have provided links to these worksheets in the hope they can assist future iGEM teams in school specific outreach activities.
At the end of the session, we received a heartwarming applause form the students and the teachers were really thankful and impressed by our workshop. But at the end of the day, the enthusiasm of the students in listening to us, answering challenging questions and participating in the activities was what really made us leave the school with big smiles on our faces.
Activity 1: Merlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Stolen Pen
Science in the Swamps
LIZZIE TO ADD
Australian Museum Science Festival: JAMS Stall
LIZZIE TO ADD
[http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/syd-uni-designer-genomes-in-world-competition/6525626 ABC Science Show Radio Interview]
Two of our members, Gaia and Harry, decided to enlist in the frightening journey of radio interview. They spoke to Robyn Williams, renowned scientists and radio presenter of the famous nationwide popular science radio show, [http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/ ABC Science Show with Robyn Williams], run by the national broadcaster [http://www.abc.net.au/ Australian Broadcasting Corporation]. They talked about designing genes, cloning and use of synthetic biology in manufacturing vital compounds difficult to make using traditional chemical synthesis methods. To listen to this enlightening interview, click on the hyperlink in the title.
Listen to our interview by downloading it here.
Rotary talks
We participated in giving talks to various Rotary clubs to communicate with communities across Sydney and different demographics, most prominently with no to little science background and passed the stage of tertiary education. At every talk, we were posed with many questions ranging from the previous applications of synthetic biology to how we use various techniques such as cloning to create our genetically modified bacteria. We were also asked about patents which we found to be the hardest question. Maybe next time we should include a lawyer in our team!
We believe that this was very successful and other teams should think about including Rotary talks in their outreach programs. The large number of good questions that we were being asked showed that our message came across very well. The audience were dazzled and enlightened every time, approaching us at the end of the talk to inquire more about synthetic biology and our project.
The best response I received from a Kings Cross Rotary member to our project was that "only 50 years ago we just found the structure of the DNA, and now not only we know so much other than the structure, but that we are creating new organisms." This really gets you thinking and gives you a very enlightening perspective.