Education & Communication

The Research Showcase began with intensive workshops about the scientific method, how to prepare a research poster, and about public speaking, which were prepared and delivered by our team members. Then, the students selected a topic of their preference for their research. They were given over a month to develop their research and prepare their posters for the final presentation, with mentoring by our team members. The students effectively presented their projects and were evaluated by Nathaly Movilla Meza. After a successful presentation day, the first three students were awarded with a position as Interns on our team and were given a spot on our SynBIO 101 Summer Program.

After conducting the Research Showcase Program for high school and undergraduate students, the top places were awarded the position of intern in the iGEM-RUM team. For approximately 6 weeks, the students rotated between the three iGEM-RUM divisions (Biology, Engineering and Social Impact Team) including the executive board, to get a sense of undergraduate research. The students attended weekly team meetings, workshops and participated in activities related to synthetic biology. The program was entirely online due to the COVID-19 situation in order to protect the students' health. At the end of this program, the students were able to learn about synthetic biology from a research perspective.

Students participated in their first workshop on culture media, where they were able to expose a petri dish to their surroundings and later observe the growth. Additionally, Dr. Carlos Ríos Velázquez gave an overview of Synthetic Biology as the students represented a genetic circuit using building blocks.

The second day students had the opportunity to attend a workshop on DNA extraction and its properties, as well as searching reliable scientific literature. The research also included genetic circuits, since for their final project they had to design their own prototype to solve a problem. They also performed DNA extraction using strawberries.

Students used a laboratory simulator to investigate how bacterial growth is affected by environmental factors, they also performed a gel electrophoresis protocol using a petri dish as the gel and a pipette. At the end of the day, they learned about public speaking skills in addition to laboratory procedures.

By using a potato and vitamin C, students were able to gain knowledge in agricultural biotechnology through experiments focusing on enzyme activity and redox titration. Also, personal professional development was encouraged by offering strategies to strengthen the Curriculum Vitae. Lastly, they learned and practiced how to use platforms commonly used in research, such as Benchling.

The students participated in a variety of sessions that discussed how to strengthen their personal statements that are vital for their academic careers. We talked about our team iGEM-RUM, outlining our current project and future goals. The students were then given a post-questionnaire to gauge the impact of the summer program and how it improved their understanding of synthetic biology.

On the last day of our program, the students were able to present the prototypes they developed throughout the summer program at our institution and personally interact with the group members. They designed prototypes to solve problems related to the accumulation of sargassum, treatments for cancer, and the degradation of microplastics, among other topics.

Some of the students had the opportunity to participate in the extended session of our summer program. They attended a lecture about the significance of following safety laboratory procedures and aseptic techniques. They also participated in a workshop about the preparation of culture media, in which they had the opportunity to prepare it. In addition, they learned different streaking techniques and their use afterwards, they were able to execute the techniques they had just acquired. They were also able to practice pipetting techniques in wells of small electrophoresis gels. Lastly, the students had the opportunity to go on a tour around the Microbial Biotechnology and Bioprospecting Laboratory at UPRM guided by Dr. Carlos Ríos Velázquez.

On the last day, the students had the opportunity to view the result of the streak plate they prepared the day before and subsequently carried out gram staining on the same plates. They used microscopes to visualize gram-positive bacteria in the shape of cocci and bacilli. Afterwards, the students learned how to perform restriction enzyme digestion and the Miniprep protocols. The professor Dr. Carlos Ríos Velázquez, presented a last workshop related to gel electrophoresis and visualization of the bacterial transformation process to finalize the extended session program.

Throughout the year, our team members organized online seminars at three nearby high schools: Lola Rodríguez de Tió in San Germán, Segundo Ruiz Belvis in Hormigueros, and Monserrate de León Irizarry in Cabo Rojo. During our presentations, we were able to speak with high school students about iGEM, Synthetic Biology and our project. Although these lectures were initially planned to be in-person, the implementation of new COVID-19 regulations in these schools forced us to change our approach. However, the objectives of these activities were achieved, which was to teach students the importance and applications of synthetic biology in an easy and engaging way, while helping them to better understand how DNA works.

In order to target a younger audience, our team prepared a graphic novel called "Sintetizando un Mundo Mejor." We prepared this book in Spanish since scientific knowledge about synthetic biology is limited in Latin America countries.  This book introduces synthetic biology utilizing simple vocabulary and vivid graphics to enhance the reader's understanding. We hope to promote synthetic biology to young pupils in our country through this effort. The fundamental purpose of this story was to teach students the value and applications of synthetic biology in a simple and enjoyable way, while also assisting them in better understanding how DNA works. We are eager to collaborate with future iGEM Teams and international schools to translate this novel and make it available in multiple languages.

During October 22, 2022 we will have the opportunity to participate in the Engineering and Technology Festival at the new EcoExploratory: Science Museum of Puerto Rico. This activity was initially planned on September 17, 2022 but it was postponed due to the arrival of Hurricane Fiona. Throughout this activity, we will discuss the applications of engineering in synthetic biology and will also engage in activities that stimulate creativity in children aged six to twelve years old. The participants will be able to construct their own cell out of craft materials and build genetic circuits out of building blocks.

During November 2022, we will celebrate The Synthetic Biology Week to promote the understanding and investigation in Synthetic Biology. This activity was initially planned in October, but it was postponed due to the arrival of Hurricane Fiona. During the whole week, we will hold a number of workshops such as: “An Introduction to Synthetic Biology” and “What is iGEM”. In addition, we will invite an iGEM ambassador to speak about the organization, as well as encourage diversity through American Sign Language Language (ASL) workshops.