Participating in the iGEM competition enables students in school or university to take the first steps towards developing, researching and executing their very own project. While working on their projects for the better part of a year, participants not only learn how to work as a team, to design and conduct experiments and to engage the public in complex topics like synthetic biology, but they also have to manage a multitude of safety aspects. They range from receiving the necessary safety instructions at the respective institution over implementing safety into the project design to reviewing potential risks the project poses to the environment and society.
Approximately 6000 students from 350 teams participate in the iGEM competition each year (iGEM, 2022). For many it is the first time coming into contact with topics concerning biosafety and biosecurity in their educational path. iGEM has majorly contributed to the education of aspiring scientists in regard to safety by increasing awareness in participants throughout the competition.
A great example is the project safety form, that each team has to fill out and provide details about their project, the steps they take to ensure safety of team members and environment as well as potential dangers originating from their project idea. There are a great number of safety precautions such as the white list, check-in and animal safety forms in place to ensure the safest execution of each project. Each year iGEM provides additional opportunities for participants to further their education in safety-related topics. For instance in 2022, there was a webinar series discussing mental health in STEM as well as multiple conferences concerning safety, such as the Responsibility conference that will take place during the Giant Jamboree (iGEM, 2022).
Exemplary projects are rewarded with safety and security awards by the Safety Committee to inspire further contemplation in safety. Past winners contributed to the understanding of safety in a significant manner. The 2015 iGEM team of the University Bielefeld-CeBiTec published a report on dual use concern of research (DURC) and the 2012 team of Paris Bettencourt designed a three-level containment system reducing the risk of horizontal gene transfer, amongst others.
We have taken several steps to ensure the safety of team members, environment and general population. A detailed summary of our implemented safety measures can be viewed here.
Furthermore, we have written an essay titled "Challenges for young researchers" which addresses hurdles prospective scientists have to face. It provides a detailed overview of information relevant to safety related to these issues. These cover a large area, including the lack of education in safety aspects in schools and universities, the declining mental health in STEM as well as current laws and the dual use dilemma, just to name a few.