The SynBio Connect
Our team hosted this event/seminar in SBOA School and Junior College, Chennai where we had the opportunity to interact and educate 9th and 10th graders about the basics of synthetic biology, genetic engineering and recent advancements in the field of biotechnology. We conducted fun-filled activities and experiments to keep the session engaged. The students had the opportunity to perform DNA extraction from tomatoes, concepts and experiments pertaining to food adulteration and various streaking methods using colour water were demonstrated.Our team gave the students a sneak-peek into the project that we are working on, followed by which an entertaining Q&A session took place. The students were extremely curious and the team had a great time with them.
Enlightening young minds
We addressed the students of Sacred Heart School, Chennai. Since we had students of diverse courses, we stared from scratch and gave a brief explanation of the basics of biology and lectured on genetic engineering and synthetic biology. Followed by this, we proceeded to speak to the students about iGEM and what iGEM does. Fun activities involving various experiments were organised for the students such as fingerprint analysis, chromatography and streaking methods using paint and watercolor. Finally, we grasped the attention of the young minds with a a fun and enthralling activity, “pipette art”. Students had the opportunity to learn how to handle the pipette correctly with care while they were busy bringing their art to life. The aim of this program is to create a general awareness about the ongoing growth of biotechnology and it's role in reducing heavy metal toxicity while making sure the students find the program helpful and entertaining.
The DNAwesome Talk
We had conducted this Bio-Talk program in the Bhavan's Rajaji Vidhyashram School, Chennai. An educational seminar was conducted here and this program will hold a special place in our hearts. We had the opportunity to interact with extremely inquisitive students. Right from the start of the session, the curiosity to learn and understand what it is that we iGEM teams are trying to do was observed. We had the opportunity to interact with 12th graders belonging to the biology and mathematics stream. What kept the session extremely lively was the genuine interest displayed by the students who seemed eager to learn. We taught them about the advances of synthetic biology in bioremediation and therapeutics. We introduced the students to the mechanism and functions of biofilm in our day-to-day life. This event was a two way communication as the students reverted back with interesting new ideas in synthetic biology at the end of the day. We believe our event here kindled a spark of biotechnology in these young minds.
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