Diversity and Inclusion

Overview

Within the scope of our project, it was essential we integrated diversity and inclusion plans in our outreach and marketing to ensure we developed a deep trust with our public audience. Specifically as our target is early stage Alzheimer’s disease (AD), affecting those aged 65 and over, it was necessary for us to take into account each reader’s unique needs, such as visual and auditory impairments, as well as providing a broader outlook to the research. Reaching a variety of audiences will offer us new perspectives to our work. Diversity and inclusion also encourage greater innovation and creativity, and we want to install an environment of trust, where everyone feels safe to offer their own ideas and share knowledge, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or background.

Accessibility in Social Media Platforms

Alt-Text and Image Description

On our social media platforms, we used alt-text and image descriptions under every publication to ensure those with visual impairments could still understand the information.

Colour Scheme Adjustment

We adjusted our colour scheme using a colour-blind simulator to ensure those with visual impairments would be able to easily view the text and images on the posts.

Our Instagram post on the 4th of July marks the start of our Chroma Campaign.

Our current feed places a great emphasis in using colour contrast and abiding to the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).

We used the Coolors website colour contrast tool to determine our Colour Contrast Accessibility Score (in accordance to guidelines set by the WCAG).

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Subtitles and Captions

On all our videos, we used captions and subtitles as to not exclude those with auditory impairments. Our promotional video was also recorded in 13 different languages to ensure it was accessible and inclusive to a global audience.

Accessibility into Science

Furthermore, we encourage public participation throughout the term. We wanted to make the information regarding synthetic biology and AD accessible by all, regardless of background. We accomplished this by:

Science Communication and Outreach to Public

We have translated lab science into layman’s terms to ensure everyone was included and understood the research. In addition to this, we incorporated a 'Synthetic Biology in Pop Culture' series to relate synthetic biology to mainstream pop culture, for example Spiderman and Jurassic World, in order to engage the younger audience with things they have already encountered in their daily lives.

Variety of Platforms Used for Outreach

We have consistently created free platforms (including the Symemco Talks Podcast, Instagram and Cellular Space Blog) to publicise new research in synthetic biology to help those without a background in STEM better understand the world of synthetic biology, opening up the field to wider audiences - promoting trust and transparency with our audience.

Diversity in Audience

Educational Outreach to Independent Schools Foundation (Hong Kong)

Educational Outreach to Southbank International School (United Kingdom)

BIOART Phase 1

BIOART Phase 2

BIOART Phase 3

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As well as recording our promotional video in 13 different languages, we wanted to take extra steps to ensure we were reaching a wider, more diverse audience. Here is how we accomplished this goal:

• Held both in-person and virtual workshops to ensure we could reach a global audience, as well as a local one, promoting a diverse demographic.
• The workshops were open to and attended by people between the ages of 14 and 24.
• Sent out a qualitative questionnaire to understand how to best adapt this information, as well as apply it to future workshops and educational guides.
• Perform another qualitative study to better understand how our project is being received by the public.
• Talked to academics specialising in science communication to broaden our own understanding of how best to communicate complex scientific information to various audiences and backgrounds, and through different mediums.
• Posted regularly on the impact of diverse cultures on scientific discovery.

We ensured that everyone partaking in our online Human Practices survey was aware what the data they are contributing will be used for in our research prior to completing the questionnaire. As well as this, we carried out risk assessments and garnered consent when necessary. More information on our educational outreach events can be found in our Education page.

Ethical Considerations

We also made several ethical considerations:

• Ethics and anonymity: Consent forms, including an outline of the project
• Make sure everyone is aware of the project and where this data is going (ensure trust and transparency)
• Safeguarding when going to schools, as well as carry out risk assessments