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Science communication is a foundational part of scientific research. It is central to improving diversity and inclusion problems that are associated with science by making science understandable and less intimidating. Communication and education is particuarly important in synthetic biology, where misinformation about working with genetically modified organisms can impede progress yet at the same time adequete care needs to be taken to inform people about the real risks and ethical challenges associated with the field. Synthetic biology has the power to make real-world changes; the research being conducted in laboratories by scientists has the potential to be used by industry leaders, governments and the general public to bring about positive change; for this to be the case, this research needs to be properly communicated!
This is why communication and education has been a key focus of our iGEM project. Our efforts were varied and extensive; we utilised a variety of different platforms and addressed a range of different audiences. Furthermore, at each stage we strived to ensure our communication and education efforts were two-way, meaning that we were listening and learning from our audience too. We took the time to ask what people wanted to know, based on the gaps in their knowledge, and to tailor what we taught accordingly. We encouraged questions and audience interaction, and allowed for feedback to be given where possible so that we could make improvements.
Below we have documented these communication and education endevours; our SynbioSummaries series, our international coding workshops, our synthetic biology book, our public outreach, our school visits, our undergraduate outreach and our prospective student outreach.
Our education and outreach endevours have been documented under our communication page where you can read more about our extensive efforts concerned with education and communication.