Education


Overview

Our main goal for this iGEM season was to communicate relevant and educative information regarding both synthetic biology and the pathophyisiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) to the following audiences:

  • The general public.
  • High school students, mainly aged 14-18.
  • University students, in any discipline (e.g. the Arts, Engineering etc.) but particularly those within the Life Sciences.

We achieved this through the use of several different avenues, spanning from our social media presence to podcasts (available on our Communication page) and even international workshops. Having sent out feedback forms, we received 100% satisfaction from both our International Educational Outreaches and BioArt workshops. All our materials abided by necessary safety protocols and any survey sent out respected ethics and GDPR rules.

International Educational Outreach

Our goal was to address a variety of demographics and utilise an abundance of different mediums to spread the knowledge of synthetic biology, neurodegeneration, and our overall project to the largest audience possible. For high school students, we believed it was essential to communicate the current developments and uses of synthetic biology. Specifically, this was mainly inspired after we noticed aspects of biotechnology and synthetic biology being included into the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, of which final year Middle Years Programme (MYP) students are about to enter. Named examples of specification points include the novel production of insulin in Escherichia coli using recombinant plasmids - an extremely similar (but simplified!) method to how we plan to produce pterostilbene using a genetically modified E. coli system. Using the IB syllabus, we were able to adapt our resources and workshops to ensure the utmost relevance for students in a way that benefits them the greatest.

In order to bridge the gap between the IB curriculum and our project aims, the KCL iGEM team hosted two international educational workshops with the Independent Schools Foundation (Hong Kong) and Southbank International School (United Kingdom). Our main motivations were to:

  • Introduce students to synthetic biology, and relate this to syllabus points in the MYP and IB HL Biology and Chemistry curriculum.
  • Educate students on the current and future prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia, and touch upon the pathophysiology of neurodegeneration.
  • Engage students with the iGEM competition, and increase student participation and interest in creating their own iGEM team, whether with iGEM or with an extracurricular club.
  • Increase interest in our KCL Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology Biohackathon and provide students with resources to host their own for their institutions!

 

Here is a PDF version of the slides used when presenting our workshop.

 

Overall, we believe our educational outreaches, supplemented by our other science communication resources (podcasts, ScienceMind magazine, our Instagram presence etc.), were extremely beneficial in teaching students globally about synthetic biology and AD. Students mainly engaged with the applications of synthetic biology in therapeutics and its relevance to their IB syllabi points. Additionally, students were extremely interested in researching these topics further after our workshops, leading us to providing them with engaging and informative resources stemming from the topics of dementia to genetic engineering to making your own iGEM team! Moving forward, we hope to collaborate with more institutions in the future, and also look forward to supporting new 2023 iGEM teams who were inspired by our workshops. We have secured a future collaboration with CLS_UK in creating more educational outreaches, and the potential of hosting a Biohackathon with students from their institution.

 

The structure of our educational outreach workshop consisted of a short introduction about our team members and how we were introduced to synthetic biology, then we opened it up to our audience first with a Padlet. We identified during the session the knowledge students had or did not have regarding synthetic biology, and if they were able to make educated guesses using knowledge they already have.

Results from our Padlet displayed a generally accurate definition of synthetic biology, with the majority of students stating it is in relation to genetically engineered organisms (GMOs) and/or the modification of organisms for human benefit. We discussed these responses with the audience first then provided them with the A level (IB equivalent) definition of synthetic biology to consolidate their understanding and ensure relevance to their curriculum.

Afterwards, we introduced students to the iGEM competition to provide context for our project abstract. At this stage, IB students would have come across AD in their curriculum. To students, they are taught that AD is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that is often due to a variety of different environmental, lifestyle, and genetic factors. We presented the statistical prevalence of AD within the UK and globally, which shocked students. In doing so, we were able to validate our motivations for our project idea.

To directly link our workshop to their curriculum, we included a diagram (Figure 2) commonly assessed in IB HL Biology exams. Students are first introduced to genetically engineered E. coli and yeast through the novel production of insulin. Similar to our protocol but on a smaller scale, students are familiar with the terms ‘recombinant plasmid’, ‘sticky ends’, and ‘transgenic bacteria’. Using this, we were then able to discuss our intended wet lab protocol whilst ensuring students understood every step of the process.

 

Figure 2. IB HL Biology Genetic Modification Specification Point. Image taken from Cornell (2016). This is an essential specification point of the HL Biology syllabus, often being used in long answer questions. Students become very familiar with the concept of integrating one gene into a bacterial plasmid. To link this to our project, we are in essence using a similar method but for four genes instead.

 

Although not included in their syllabus, students were interested in receiving a brief description of our plasmid assembly method and wet lab protocols. We introduced them to Type IIS Assembly and pJUMP, finding ways to integrate IB terminology into our speech. Examples include ‘restriction enzymes’, ‘DNA fragments’, and ’centrifuge’. Students were extremely interested in this segment, and asked several questions to understand more. Gina Davies, a Biology teacher from ISF, informed us that some students even conducted research on this topic after the workshop, suggesting to us that the students are focussing on developing their open dialogue within these fields!

For students who were inspired by our project, we also briefly described the iGEM cycle and how they can get involved for next year. Additionally, in collaboration with the KCL Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology society, the KCL iGEM 2022 team will be hosting a Biohackathon in February of 2023 (tentative date). This is for students who are unable to commit to the long-term iGEM competition, and to also introduce students to the structure of the iGEM competition. Overall, this experience will help students develop their skills in critically analysing literature, having confidence in conducting scientific research, and introduce them to an ever-growing field of science.

During the planning of the materials and structure of our workshops, we were in close contact with Gina Davies (Biology Teacher at ISF) and Duncan Blair (Head of Science at Southbank International School). Following our workshops with the students, Duncan stated:

 

“The Symemco Therapeutics team from King’s College London delivered a series of wonderful presentations for our students at Southbank International School. They spoke to a number of classes ranging in age from Grade 10 through Grade 12, inspiring them with a talk about their specific synbio project and the general iGEMS competition. Nikki, Aaliyah and Emmeline were outstanding communicators and model ambassadors for their team and school.”

 

After hosting our workshops, we had asked students to complete a short survey so we can better understand the impact we had on their education and any ways we can improve further. Overall, we had 28 responses to our survey. Figure 3 displays the extent of which students knew about synthetic biology before attending our workshop. Figure 4 demonstrates the number of students who stated our workshops directly helped them consolidate their knowledge of synthetic biology.

Figure 3 Student Knowledge of synthetic biology before workshop
Figure 4. Student Knowledge of synthetic biology after workshop

As demonstrated, only 7.1% of students had researched synthetic biology in their free time and had a significant understanding of the topic. 39.3% of students had a shallow level of understanding whilst the majority, 53.6%, had not heard of the topic at all. After our workshop, 100% of students stated our presentation helped them consolidate their knowledge on synthetic biology.

Interestingly, 96.4% of students had heard of GMOs before (Figure 5). We explained to students that GMOs use emerging techniques from biotechnology, which hold significant overlap with synthetic biology. GMOs are also a major application point within HL Biology, mainly focussing on the genetic modification of common fruits and vegetables to produce larger or tastier products.

Figure 5. Student Knowledge of Genetically Modified Organisms

One of the potential challenges our team brainstormed when integrating our product into the market was the public perception of ingesting therapeutic drugs produced by genetically engineered bacteria. Of course, we were aware that students educated with the IB Biology syllabi had been exposed to the use of E. coli and yeast. Thus, students had an overwhelmingly positive opinion (92.9%) on using genetically engineered bacteria in therapeutic drug production (Figure 6). Two students (7.1%) had a neutral perception of the topic.

 

Figure 6. IB Biology student perception on using genetically engineered E. coli to produce therapeutic drugs

 

We had also asked students what they found to be the most interesting segment of our workshop. Of the 28 responses, here is a breakdown of favourite topics:

  • Our project, including our research topic (AD) and our wet lab protocol (10 students).
  • Genetically engineered E. coli for the production of therapeutics (7 students).
  • The iGEM competition and how to get involved (5 students).
  • The KCL Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology Biohackathon (3 students).
  • Synthetic Biology: Its current and future applications (3 students).

In regards to the KCL Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology Biohackathon, we introduced students to the potential of a 5 day competition. A general structure of the competition would be as follows:

  1. Monday: Students get split into groups of 3-5. Each group is given a chosen local or global problem, and each team has until Friday morning to create a novel solution using synthetic biology. We will also have a professional speaker present a talk on ideation and how to get started.
  2. Tuesday: Students will generally split their group into two, where one half researches their problem and the other researches possible solutions. Once they have identified a plausible solution, they will begin their wet lab literature review.
  3. Wednesday and Thursday: Students may begin their human practices and entrepreneurship segments, identifying possible researches to contact regarding validation of their method and potential investors.
  4. Friday: Student groups will present their project with a 5 minute presentation to a panel of judges. This panel will consist of KCL iGEM 2021 and 2022 alumni, the KCL iGEM PIs, and select professionals within the realm of biotechnology and biobusiness.

Results from our survey (Figure 7) demonstrated that 5 students were interested in joining our Biohackathon, whilst 8 students were interested in hosting their own Biohackathon within their institution! We explained to students during our workshop that we will be able to support students hosting an independent Biohackathon with resources and advice before and during their competition. The students who were uninterested in participating in a Biohackathon explained it was due to scheduling conflicts with their IB coursework, final year exams, and the university application period (changing for different countries they are applying to). These students mentioned they would be interested in participating once they have graduated Grade 12/ Year 13.

Figure 7. Interest in the KCL Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology Biohackathon

 

As we had provided students with a brief timeline of an iGEM project and introduced them to the iGEM competition as a whole, we asked students if they would be interested in creating their own iGEM team (Figure 8).

Figure 8. Student interest in participating in the iGEM competition

 

A keen 21.4% of students, particularly from ISF, were interested in creating their own team for 2023! We are currently in communication with Gina Davies, their biology teacher, to aid them with team formation and iGEM registration processes. Additionally, 57.4% of students were interested in forming a team but wanted to conduct more research on iGEM first. To help them, we, in collaboration with NYCU_Formosa, created a series of educational materials and infographics to share with students and their institutions after our workshops - including how to create an iGEM team and top tips from current iGEM teams. This is further discussed in the ‘Our further resources’ segment.

We had also asked students for their preference on further educational resources. We theorised five main areas of interest we thought students would enjoy after our presentation, and asked them to rank their top three (Figure 9).

Figure 9. Student preferences for further educational material

We were very pleased to see there was quite a large variety of interests for all five of our theorised areas of interest. The three most popular ideas were:

  1. Synthetic Biology - Its applications right now and in the future (78.8%).
  2. The Multidisciplinary Aspects of Science -Entrepreneurship, programming, etc. (64.3%).
  3. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease -What is it caused by? What are its symptoms? (60.7%).

Due to a large amount of interest for each resource, we decided to create resources for all of these topics. They are displayed below.

 

 

BioArt Workshops

We have held multiple workshops in collaboration with the NYCU_Formosa iGEM Team surrounding the topic of BioArt. This theme was chosen because science communication teams on both sides were passionate about opening up the field of synthetic biology to a larger background of people, for example those who do not have a direct link to STEM and perhaps are looking for a way to break into the field instead. The workshops were attended by more than 70 people, with feedback forms at the end of each session proving those who participated left the sessions feeling inspired.

In the initial session, the guest was Kuang-Yi Ku, a renowned BioArtist in Taiwan. He spoke about the importance of destigmatizing taboo topics and public engagement with regards to particular cultures, as well as his own work and exhibitions in London and Taiwan.

The second workshop was set around how to market complex scientific information to different audiences. We were joined by Gill Brown, an illustrator focusing on communicating neuroanatomy through the visual arts. The first half of the workshop took the format of a lecture about Dr Brown’s career path and the importance of the arts in science, while the second half was an interactive session where Dr Brown took us through the ideation process and using Adobe Illustrator to start creating our own pieces!

In the final workshop we encouraged a free flowing discourse and networking session from the participants where we launched a BioArt virtual exhibition.

Reference

Cornell, B. (2016). Genetic Modification: Bacteria Producing Human Insulin [Image]. Retrieved from https://ib.bioninja.com.au/standard-level/topic-3-genetics/35-genetic-modification-and/gene-transfer.html