We live in an era characterised by constant change. In the past few years, technological and scientific innovations have altered our lives and societies. In this changing world, people develop feelings of insecurity and mistrust of the scientific community. Sharing science on social media means dealing with naysayers, but it also provides the opportunity to engage such people in thoughtful and productive science discussions. We believe it is crucial that people have faith in science, combined with critical thinking. The only key towards this is knowledge.
According to Eurobarometer only 19% of Greek people think that scientists spend sufficient time meeting the general public in order to explain their work. Also, 67% believe that science is so complicated and they can’t understand a lot about it (https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2237).
Our aim this year was to bring people closer to science through Synthetic Biology and the iGEM Competition. Keeping in mind that science relies on the public as much as the public relies on science, we really put great effort into participating in and organising as many science communication events as possible. We had the pleasure to meet and discuss with plenty of people with whom we share our enthusiasm for the fascinating world of Biology!
Through this process, we also gained knowledge as a team and as individuals. The most important thing we understood is that science communication is a conversation and not a monologue.
Aiming to reach out to even younger target groups, we decided to edit an illustrated fairy tale for children between 3-7 years old. For this reason, we
created an open-access online book, available for teachers and parents in two languages, both English and Greek. We sent our fairy tail to kindergarten
teachers, and we were delighted to find out that it has been appealing for a large portion of kids. The plot is based on the way a cell functions, because
its main pursuit is to introduce to little kids the magnificent world of cellular Biology. We attempted to underline the significance of coordination and
cooperation not only in the frame of a cell, but also in real life. On top of everything else, we indicated in a playful and super simplified way the role
and the location of DNA in the cell’s nucleus. Last but not least, we did our best to design representative, but at the same time, interactive and fun
graphic illustrations.
Wanting to pilot check the response of the younger children to the book we have created, we visited the 128th kindergarten of Athens, after consultation
with the office of primary education of the municipality of Athens and the cooperation of the school director. There, a member of our team read the text of
the book to the kindergarten children and then gave them time to carefully observe the pictures in the book. It was the children's first exposure to
concepts like DNA, the cell, radiation and more so we made sure to give the children as much time as they needed to explore the book and ask us questions.
Their curiosity about this new world that was opening up to them through biology was so great that their response exceeded what we expected as a team.
After the children understood the concepts we presented to them, visualized them through the pictures of the book and listened carefully to the plot and
similes we had created to make the content easier to digest, they wanted to draw what they understood. Images of their paintings can be seen below. As can
be seen the children using their imaginations combined the new knowledge they received and created small "works of art" based on biology.
You can download "The fascinating factory of Mister DNAkis" in
english
and
greek.
On October 10 we visited Anavryta Experimental Lyceum, which was the school of one of our team members. During our visit we did an experimental workshop for
26 senior high school students that aim to continue with life sciences studies. Our workshop had three parts. First, we did a small presentation to introduce
synthetic biology, the iGEM competition, past iGEM projects that really drew our attention when we first encountered the competition, our project and some
basics about the CRISPR/Cas9 System and its applications. Since the school had a laboratory equipped to perform basic biology experiments, we decided for the
students to perform in teams two experiments. The first one was transformation, which is a big part of the syllabus for the third grade of high school. We
explained all the steps and then assisted the students to perform the experiment with the appropriate safety measures (Ethanol, Gloves, Chlorine Water).
Students and their teachers were really thrilled to perform a real experiment of what is presented to them in books.
The second experimental procedure that we used was protein expression using a cell free system. This was a donation kit by minipcr BioBits®: Protein Structure
and Function. Students learned how a cell free system works, how proteins with different sequence may have similar function, how a single mutation can affect
the protein structure and what fluorescent proteins are. During the experiment, students had PCR tubes with cell lysate (cell free system) and the DNA
sequence coding for three different versions of a fluorescent protein FP1,FP2,FP3 and water as the control. The goal of the lab was to find which protein is
fluorescent under blue light, which is safer than UV radiation, which is used for the Green Fluorescent Protein (FP1). After adding the DNA to each tube,
students had the opportunity to observe the result after 24 hours of the experiment our team had already performed the previous day. We hope that this workshop
raised awareness regarding synthetic biology and enthusiasm in the field of biology. Special thanks to the teachers Ms. Stamatia Tzanopoulou and Mr. Anastasios
Botsakos for giving us this opportunity.
UNIque Days was an event organised at the deanery’ s building of the National Technical University of Athens by UNIque Minds. Its main purpose was to bridge
the gap between secondary school and tertiary education, by providing high school students with vocational guidance, by informing them of their academic
options and by advising them to find out what they want to study. The event was particularly focused on giving those students information about studying at
the different departments of NTUA, as well as about the extracurricular activities and teams they can join. Participating in UNIque days on May 7th 2022
gave us the chance to talk to young students and inspire them to follow their dreams.
Towards this goal, it was a great pleasure to attend the NGOs’ Fair organised by BEST (Board of European Students of Technology) Athens, ESN (Erasmus
Student Network) of the National Technical University of Athens and Mindspace. The event happened on the 1st and 2nd of March 2022. The first day, all
the voluntary teams were presented briefly in an online environment. On the second day, we got to meet the participants during the live event at the
deanery’s building of the National Technical University of Athens. Taking into account that the majority of NTUA students aren’t aware of the student
associations, partners and services of their University, NGOs’ Fair gave them the opportunity to get to know the teams and the organisations that are
active at their Student Institution. There, our team had its own stand to inform the young Technical students about our action in the field of Synthetic
Biology and the tasks of an Engineer in an iGEM group.
Another event we attended was Biochem day, powered by Chemecon. Chemecon is the first voluntary, non-profit Association of Young Chemical Engineers in Greece
and is active at the National Technical University of Athens. It is an association with dynamic potential that wishes to contribute substantially to the
connection of students with the subject of their studies. It constantly strives to identify and address the barriers that stand between Chemical Engineering
students and their profession, bridging any possible gap. The goal of Biochem Day was to inform students and achieve the networking between companies and
academia. The thematic axis of the conference is biotechnology, focusing on biotechnological products and the utilisation of biotechnology in industrial
processes.
As a synthetic biology group, it was our pleasure to talk to students and not only, about the field of biotechnology. During the conference, we communicated
the importance of the field of synthetic biology in industry and how through it an innovative approach to the production of biotechnological products can be
achieved. In addition, we discussed with experts, researchers and students about problems to which synthetic biology can provide solutions such as for example
the development of new production methods, methods of increasing the efficiency of already existing processes in the production process, etc.
Finally, having our own bench in the “research corner” we were able to communicate our project and how the system we designed is connected to biotechnology.
Our biosensor was well received by the students who participated in the event, and we hope to have introduced new perspectives to the way synthetic biology is
approached by them.
In September, the online Greek Student Journal “Foititikos Cosmos” (=Students’ world) hosted an article of ours in its online page. “Foititikos Cosmos'’ is an independent and cooperative initiative, created in 2018 by a few 18 years-old students. Today, after 4 years of operation and expansion, the page is regarded by hundreds of readers per day, especially students. The journal’s administratives and the editors opened up the chance to present the rapidly developing field of Synthetic Biology, highlighting how “Synbio” actively makes the world a better place and introduces the iGEM competition, our team and its connection with the Greek universities. For us, it was another opportunity to draw attention to the potentials of “Symbio”, its limitless applications and the gravity to support innovative efforts from ambitious young scientists.
The “Scientific Congress of Hellenic Medical Students” is an annual event which attracts more than 2000 students and 500 professors from all parts of
Greece, as well as from abroad. It represents the vision of hellenic students to actively advance their learning and to cultivate and promote scientific
and social values. The “Scientific Society of Hellenic Medical Students”, which organises this event, is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation of
medical students with 7 Chapters, one in every Hellenic Medical School. This year the “Scientific Society of Hellenic Medical Students” (SSHMS) held the
28th “Scientific Congress of Hellenic Medical Students” (SCHMS) and the 16th “International Forum for Medical Students and Junior Doctors” which took place
in Athens, Greece, from 13th-15th of May 2022, as well as virtually, thus adopting a hybrid format.
One of the sessions of this year’s Congress was dedicated to the Greek iGEM teams. It was programmed for the Saturday 14th of May 2022 and consisted of six
iGEM teams’ presentations of 15 minutes each. At this part of the event, two members of our team displayed the main idea of our project and received questions
and useful feedback. Apart from this, we attended the other teams’ project presentations, and we were inspired by what we learned about the initiatives for
the iGEM competition from other local teams.
On May 15th the conference hosted our workshop on Genome Editing Design with CRISPR-Cas9 on Benchling Platform. The workshop included general information
about the CRISPR-Cas9 system and bioinformatics evaluation guided RNAs (gRNAs), in order to effectively silence the ADE2 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. One
of our main intentions was to present the CRISPR-Cas9 technique interactively, that’s why we set our presentations as an in silico experiment. In the
meanwhile, we helped the participants while working on the Benchling platform and afterwards we had a conversation on the CRISPR-Cas9 system and its
applications.
Our team was very happy to accept the invitation of Greek Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation and European Pharmaceutical Students' Association to
participate in the upcoming conference “18th EPSA Autumn Assembly 2022” scheduled to be held after the Jamboree at November, 05, 2022. There, we will
present a workshop titled “Benchling: A cloud-based platform for biotech R&D and its applications in Pharmaceutical Science”. On this workshop, the
participants will design a gene editing experiment with CRISPR-Cas9 technology, and they will learn about its basic principles and its applications. Also,
they will create in silico recombinant plasmids with the Golden Gate Assembly, and they will learn about the advantages and disadvantages of this innovative
cloning technique.
Every year, TEDxAthens creates unique gatherings and events designed to catalyse and stimulate creativity, entrepreneurship, social change and inclusion.
TEDxAthens is a proud member of TED’s independently organised TEDx events program, and the first ever TEDx event in Greece, established in May 2009. It
amplifies great ideas worth sharing and implementing to the world. To date, it has curated more than 200 talks from world-renowned thinkers, doers and
innovators. These talks have been viewed more than 7 million times online. It is, by acclamation, the most impactful and influential platform for ideas in
Greece and the wider Balkans region.TEDxAthens is a team of 70+ passionate volunteers, who believe in creating opportunities for change, by delivering
high-quality content born from all aspects of life, through conferences, adventures and social projects, in order to educate, motivate, inspire and become
catalysts of change both locally and internationally.
Taking into account the above data, our team couldn’t miss the chance to reach out to such a wide audience, so we were really thrilled when we got accepted to
present an interactive workshop.
The event took place on May 28th at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center and it was where we put our workshop into action. We chose to demonstrate
“DNA extraction from a banana”, considering that DNA extraction constitutes the most common technique, used in Biological laboratories almost every day. Before
the practical part, we made a brief introduction about the molecule of DNA, its properties and some relevant fun facts, in order to warm up our audience about
what was about to follow. Then, each participant has on his disposal his own kit to execute the experiment. The demonstration of the process, as well as the
provide of help were our two principal roles. In the meanwhile, we were glad to explain the order and the significance of each step for the final result. We
did our best with a view to catching people’s attention on the experimental experience and to simplifying complicated terms and lab processes.
Social media constitutes a fun and massive way to inform the public on scientific issues. Besides, in recent years this form of communication is gaining more
and more popularity among all ages, so through them, we could spread awareness to a broad audience quickly and effectively. We were very surprised by the
participation and the feedback we received - not only from students but also from the general public!
Fun fact series
We created a Fun fact series on Instagram and Facebook. Every week we posted from our accounts a story, containing a scientific fact that we found interesting
or funny, with some additional information. We made sure to put the scientific facts forward in a simple and understandable way, with a view to them being
conceived from everyone.
Shortly before the closing date for the submission of the “Project Biosafety Form”, our team organised a debate on the topic of Biosafety open to the public.
On June 17th our debate-event was hosted in the Lecture amphitheatre in the Medical School’s Library in the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
We invited a Greek YouTube debate channel called “The debate podcast” to collaborate with our team on the event. Our duet joined forces to realise an
educational event that aimed to raise awareness of the students, and future scientists on a vastly crucial matter that not only concerns the scientific
community, but also the entire modern society. Furthermore, we invited rhetoric university clubs to present their action. The event was tailored to students
from different fields, who were keen on contemporary biological issues. The main category of students who attended the event was Medical and Biology students,
so we targeted students who will be working in actual labs in the near future.
After introducing the teams, we underlined Biosafety rules and levels, as well as genetically engineered organisms’ social impact. We put great effort in
highlighting that the use of biosafety practices and principles to reduce the health-related risks associated with handling infectious agents, toxins and other
biological hazards is more than important in a laboratory setting. Beside that, we explained how Biosafety levels (BSL) are used to identify the protective
measures needed in every lab to protect workers, the environment, and the public.
It was then when we discussed the safety measures in projects from the past. In this part the interaction with our audience started. We were content enough
to receive their thoughts and arguments on the subject.
In the framework of Integrated Human Practices, we presented our project to the audience and received feedback about the measures we need to take to ensure
that our team complies with all the Biosafety rules. Except that, we were feeling curious to observe how unspecialised Biocomputing people perceive our project’s notion.
The night ended with a very interesting debate among three students on the theme: Is it safe to release genetically engineered microorganisms in nature?
It was a great pleasure for us to have invited three remarkable and skilful speakers, who defended different points of views on the hot-table topic of GMOs.
Aiming to bring the public into contact with Synthetic Biology, we participated in Yannis Sarakatsani’s live show on YouTube in front of an audience of
about 600 people who were connected at the time of the show. Having preceded the
integrated human practices discussion with Yiannis Sarakatsanis,
we explained our project in a tangible and understandable way and answered questions put to us through the chat
clarifying complex concepts of biology as well as genetic engineering. We used examples from everyday life, analogies, and metaphors. Also, we discussed
the implementations that PERspectives could present, and invited them to tell us some of their daily life problems that could be applied. In addition, as
Giannis is a comedian and actor, we approached the whole conversation in a more fun, relaxed, and enjoyable way. The public was excited about the world of
Synthetic Biology, the possibilities it offers us as well as the capabilities of a biological system like ours.
However, keeping in mind that we were addressing the general public, we have taken care to make it clear that all of our experiments (including the organisms
we use, techniques and parts) and our actions are in line with the competition guidelines, as well as with our university's biosecurity guidelines. After the
aforementioned clarification, the audience asked us even more questions about what lab safety is all about and how we as scientists make sure our genetically
modified bacteria don't escape from the lab or their intended purpose. At this point, we took care to devote enough time to answer their questions and to
clarify some common misconceptions about the safety aspects of genetic engineering.
Furthermore, it is important to note that the video from the live show we participated in will remain on YouTube so that it will be approachable to all the
subscribers of Yanni's channel (about 59 thousand people) and to the entire Greek YouTube community. Thus, synthetic biology will be accessible to anyone who
wants to learn about it.
You can find our video here.
Researcher’s Night is a vibrant festival of research, technology and innovation that takes place every year on the last Friday of September in many cities across the European continent. In Athens, it is hosted by one of the oldest and most prominent university foundations of the country, the National and Technical University of Athens, and it attracts a large number of professionals from the educational field -teachers, professors, officials from the Ministry of Education- and, mostly, school and university students: children, teenagers and young adults aged 4 to 25.
Given its non-specialized audience that mainly consists of younger individuals, the central concept of this particular event is for researchers to share their work in a more creative and original manner (meaning primarily with live experiments and demonstrations), in order to give visitors the opportunity to gain a more hands-on perspective of their scientific activities. With that being the case, we perceived our participation in Researcher's Night as an invitation to expand on our Science Communication approaches by organizing a fun tribute to fundamental experimental procedures and biological subjects related to bioengineering, in order to show participants what it means to be involved in Synthetic Biology.
Going through the third decade of the 21st century, it is more than obvious that science has become an increasingly complex and expensive industry, while society is considered as a “customer” and “sponsor” of research. Fighting against this unpropitious reality, our team went to great lengths to establish a genuine science communication, reaching out to the widest public we could. We truly believe that making science understandable to the world can remove the existing disorientation in society and bring confidence in the future. Therefore, science simply must be open, understandable, and accessible to the masses, rather than hiding behind the doors of offices and university auditoriums. Effective communication and a wide scale of educational backgrounds is central to attacking the problems that so drastically affect science with regard to diversity and inclusion. Without effective communication, gatekeeping will persist, and barriers will continue to exclude people from understanding science. Specially, young science representatives bear the responsibility of emphasising these essentials across the community. In synopsis, we managed to target many age groups, as well as people with totally different levels of education and specialisation. From kindergarten kids to middle-aged people, from those with weak academic backgrounds to students of higher education, all were included and considered as important target groups.
We provided not only theoretical education, but also practical, insisting on the development of some important skills. Additionally, passing on the values of cooperation, honesty and respect while working on a scientific project constituted one of our principal goals.
Initially, we were proud to accomplish a mission for doing our duty as the new scientific generation and serve The Principle of Freedom and Responsibility in Science. This principle refers to the unimpeded and responsible practice of scientific methods, which are fundamental to advancement in the field, human and environmental well-being. Scientists are responsible for conducting and communicating scientific work with integrity, respect, fairness, trustworthiness and transparency, and for considering the consequences of new knowledge and their application. This was exactly our direction.
Apart from this, undoubtedly we received valuable and indispensable feedback on our innovation. We created a huge opportunity to meet a vast amount of people with mixed backgrounds, sparking productive dialogue. Moreover, we were able to introduce our team and the whole philosophy of iGEM competition in numerous categories of folks.
Human Practices from the side of Education and Science Communication have been, without any doubt, one of our priorities for this year’s participation. We feel more than grateful for the ethical and moral reward of our action in this domain.
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