Introduction
Our educational goal was to communicate science, to make our project understandable. The source of our educational orientation was goal 4 from the 2030 Agenda of the UN for Sustainable Development: “Ensure inclusive and fair quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. We reached out to people of all ages, empowered by ideals of equality and active learning. We established truthful and beneficial relations, regardless of socioeconomic background. We adjusted information to the needs and learning styles of different individuals. We not only managed to pass on the basis of synthetic biology but also evolved as individuals. Our passion and ideas reached the people we came in contact with. They conveyed the inspiration to expand capabilities in the field of STEM. We are grateful to all the associations, schools, and individuals who taught us how to teach and share.
All Ages
“Finding life in space” at Noesis Science Center & Technology Museum
Noesis, Science Centre and Museum of Technology, is a cultural and educational public non-profit institution. It brings students and the public closer to STEM, technological artifacts and the history of science. On the 17th of September, our team participated in the AstroParty. Noesis organised this event and approximately 5,000 people attended. There were a lot of activities, science workshops, exhibitions, lectures, and documentaries. We approached children of ages 2-14 years old, teenagers, university students, and adults. We planned our activities to educate participants on what synthetic biology is. We explained how we could use it to make living on other planets sustainable and what forms of life exist in space.
We showed some cultivated bacteria in Petri dishes, from everyday surfaces. We explained how scientists modify bacteria to live in space. We had a video presentation for kids that showed we have to add a cold resistance gene because, as kids know, space is icy cold. You cannot “put coats on bacteria”! To improve the kid's experience, we offered them the level-up leaflet, which explains synthetic biology in a comic. You can find the leaflet in our Educational Materials section, below.
The second step of our activities was the design of microorganisms with Lego bricks. We introduced the term "biobricks". (Now, even our dry lab knows what a biobrick is!) The third step aimed to educate people on the structure of eukaryotic cells, bacteria, and neurons. We then helped the kids make paintings and three-dimensional cells with plasticine.
The smiles of our little friends could warm even the coldest hearts! We are happy that we educated many people in such a fun and creative way. The age group we were not expecting was the kids between ages 2-5. They had the most fun with our activities and were curious about aliens and what we demonstrated.
European Researchers’ Night
Researcher's Night is an annual event with more than 1 million visitors in Europe and beyond and every year the event is happening at the same time in 25 different countries. The event aims to promote science and its application in everyday life. Also, participants get closer to researchers and learn more about their passion, motivation, and goals.
This year, on September 30th, our team had the pleasure to participate in this major event by having a variety of activities. We introduced synthetic biology and our project while demonstrating bacterial cultures, interacting with over 6000 people. Most visitors were impressed by the difference in the bacterial cultures before and after washing an apple, realizing the importance of washing fruits and hands better. We also had a small space with Lego bricks, where everyone could make DNA molecules while we were explaining their structure. We also provided everyone with post-it notes and challenged them to draw cells and bacteria. The goal was to create a big canvas with all the creations of our participants to show how different people of all ages imagine bacteria and how they describe synthetic biology through painting. We will also take this canvas with us to our booth in Paris! This way, it feels like all these people are "joining" us at the Jamboree.
Project Management workshop Eduact
On the 5th of October, we had a workshop for project design and management, according to our iGEM experience. The participants were 16-25 years old, and after introducing our team, we communicated our project and goals, and shared the difficulties we faced during our iGEM journey. We highlighted the importance of teamwork and a healthy working environment, where every member feels free to be creative. For our workshop, we created teams of 3-4 members each. First, they selected a pressing issue and brainstormed on proposed ways to address it. We introduced the "iGEM Cycle"; it started with the need for finding a project and proper funding, followed by the design, and hypothesis testing. Each team had internet access to search useful information for the project they selected.
After each team had chosen their goal, we assigned them with obstacles that they had to face. It's troubleshooting time! We wanted to show that every project idea should be resilient and easily adaptable to uncontrollable factors. In the end, all of the teams presented their proposals with arguments, while accepting questions from us and the rest of the participants. It was a very creative and fruitful workshop, which demonstrated how ideas coming out from an everyday problem can be implemented and change the world we live in!
Kids (5-12 y.o.)
Centre for Creative Activities - Thermi
On the 19th of June, we visited the Centre for Creative Activities in the municipality of Thermi for an experimental demonstration for the kids. This centre hosts kids of low-income families during working hours when both parents are working. Most of these kids heard for the first time what synthetic biology is, and we hope this presentation will become their first step into a world of imagination and infinite possibilities. This workshop was co-organized with ReAction; the Chemistry Students' Association AUTh.
We demonstrated our experiments to 20 kids, between the ages of 6-10. We explained what the role of DNA is and then we extracted DNA from bananas to visualise it. We also talked about chemical reactions normally happening inside the cells for their proper function. To explain what a chemical reaction is, we used the “elephant's toothpaste” experiment. In this experiment, the yeast acts as a catalyst to the hydrogen peroxide breakage into water and oxygen. We were astonished by the enthusiasm of the kids. They paid close attention throughout the whole experiment! As this was one of our initial educational actions, it motivated us to keep going and extend our vision to include more and more people; synthetic biology is for everyone! Please feel free to use our protocols for DNA extraction from fruits and elephants toothpaste protocol; approved by kids for kids!
Mandoulides Schools elementary
On the 10th of October, we visited Mandoulides elementary school. Our team presented the iGEM competition and synthetic biology, following Iro Koliakou's guidance. We talked to the kids about how we can redevelop microorganisms for the benefit of medicine, argiculture or manufacturing. We devoted a lot of time to explaining to the kids the answers to their questions, which were more detailed and challenging than we expected from 11- and 12-year olds. Our workshop also included observation of histologic samples under the microscope and a lesson on how microscopes work, along with a demonstration of a bacterial culture. We then explained to them how we culture bacteria in petri dishes!
Everyone was very excited although you could call the teacher rather tired by their incessant questioning. What could anyone say… kids will be kids! We also felt like kids again near them. After all, what is better than fun interactive learning? This was our team’s last educational action for the year and we couldn’t be more touched, seeing all those smiley faces! It meant everything to us; our mission had been accomplished successfully.
Teenagers
CTY Summer School Greece at Anatolia College
The Center for Talented Youth Greece (CTY) is an event organised by Anatolia College, Johns Hopkins University in the US and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Its goal is to offer students the opportunity to gain new academic skills and knowledge while developing their soft skills. In our presentation on the 13th of July 2022, called "Synthetic Biology in a Nutshell", there were 50 students from 2nd to 11th grade attending from all over the country. We made an introduction to synthetic biology, focusing more on DNA technology and how biobricks work. The young students found the iGEM competition very interesting and were curious about how they could be part of such a team and what expertises someone should have. Our young audience understood what synthetic biology is and how it could contribute to solving problems such as cancer. We were inspired by the active participation of the students in our presentation and their pure motivation to learn more things about the world of science and synthetic biology. We definitely hope to see more Greek high school students in next year’s iGEM competition!
Synthetic Biology and laboratory experience workshop with teenagers
On the 30th of September, we visited the 20th High School of Thessaloniki. The participants were senior high school students who would like to study STEM sciences. We discussed what synthetic biology is and how it compares to bioengineering, and we communicated our project as an example of what an iGEM participant could do to solve a problem. We shared our experience in research, and pointed out the importance of interdisciplinarity in teams and the obligation of a scientist towards society.
Our main workshop included observation under the microscope of a lot of pre-made samples such as karyotype, red blood cells, and gram-positive and -negative bacteria. For demonstration purposes, we also had some bacteria cultures in sealed plates. To create these cultures, we took samples from everyday utilities, such as a laptop, a bicycle and our hands -before and after washing them. They definitely want to wash their hands now! However, the best part was the dancing. “You can’t teach synthetic biology with dancing” they said. Challenge accepted, we responded! To explain Theriac hairpins' response to biomarkers, the students were holding each other arm in arm (engagé) dancing while the microRNAs (other students) were trying to find their complementary sequence to attach. We definitely felt like the dancing queen.
The highlight of our visit was the carrier orientation session. We answered a lot of questions about possible jobs in the field of synthetic biology and the opportunity that all scientists have, independent from their expertise, to contribute to a synthetic biology project.
University Students
"Simulation in Python: Monte Carlo in synthetic Biology" workshop, PATh to PLANCKS 2022
On the 26th and 27th of March, we participated in the PATh to PLANCKS. This is a theoretical physics competition in which any undergraduate or postgraduate student can participate, in groups of 3-4 people, with the task of solving problems from various branches of theoretical physics. Our team introduced the iGEM competition to the young physicists. We described how they could become a part of the synthetic biology community and how physics can contribute to such an interdisciplinary field.
We organised a workshop called "Simulation in Python: Monte Carlo in Synthetic Biology". When scientists want to examine a scenario, in which the outcome is random, the Monte Carlo method can be a very useful tool. This method can help with the estimated outcome of a problem by repeating the simulation many times (Harrison 2010). For the workshop's purposes, we used an imaginary laboratory scenario: our team had a plate with E. coli and added some ampicillin. We had to calculate the estimated time for the restoration of the solution's balance. After our workshop, the participants were asked to fill out a form, giving us feedback. More than 75% of the participants thought that our workshop was very interesting, and most of them weren’t aware of how they could participate in the field of synthetic biology before our workshop.
Bacteria culture teaching to Space Dot
Space Dot is an interdisciplinary research student team, supported by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh). The team consists of more than 40 students from AUTh and other universities across Greece and Europe and their project is related to innovative research on space applications and their experiments involve fluorescence measurement for their imagining system. In this context, on the 26th of September, a member of Space Dot, visited our lab for a brief training session on bacterial cultures and transformations. After the session, we provided her with some plasmids from the iGEM kit to test all the protocols learned with her fellow members and PI. We wish them the best results!
Inclusivity
Workshop at Down Syndrome Association of Greece
On the 23rd of September, we had a workshop with the Down Syndrome Association of Greece. To organise and carry out our workshop in the most efficient way, we first came in contact with Dr. Anna Papachristou, a psychologist-systemic therapist, and Danai Papadopoulou, a social worker of the association. They explained to us how we should communicate difficult scientific topics and abstract notions to people with Down syndrome. They pointed out that we should use a lot of metaphors and examples from everyday life, images and questions to make the process more interactive and fun. They also highlighted the importance of music to achieve better concentration and relaxation.
During our workshop, there were a doctor, a Psychologist-Systemic Therapist, a social worker and two special education teachers in the room that guided us through the whole activity. To begin with, we explained what biology is, showing pictures of eukaryotic cells, bacteria and DNA. Our goal was to create a canvas with paintings of how our participants understood life sciences, microorganisms, cells and DNA! We had a great time and everyone enjoyed learning in a creative and cooperative way. The passion for learning, the imagination and the noble causes of all participants are the definition of synthetic biology and the iGEM competition. Thank you, DSA Greece team. Your way of seeing things is such an inspiration for us!
“DNA and cells” workshop at the Centre for Education and Rehabilitation for the Blind
On the 29th of September, our team organised a workshop for people with vision impairment at the Center for Education and Rehabilitation for the Blind, in Thessaloniki. We had a conversation about synthetic biology and the iGEM competition, and we tried to explain the structure of DNA molecules and bacteria. Our goal was to achieve an interactive way of learning and in this case, we couldn’t think of a better way than a clay workshop. We encouraged the participants to recreate the structures of DNA and bacteria using clay, as they envisioned them from our verbal explanation. After the completion of the workshop, we provided the participants with pictures of what these molecules actually look like. We used “picture in a flash” (PIAF), a tactical image maker that produces high-quality tactical graphics for people who have vision impairment. We were very impressed and excited by the high similarity level of the participants’ creations when compared with PIAF. But the best part was the smiles and excitement of the participants themselves.
Moreover, we had leaflets written in braille, which explained what synthetic biology and iGEM are. Braille is a writing system for visually impaired people (blind, deafblind or who have low vision), to make the workshop more creative and educationally adapted to their needs. We are happy we found such a way to include people with vision impairment in the magical world of synthetic biology!
Educational Material
With all these events, we tried to introduce synthetic biology to as many people as possible. People with different backgrounds and socioeconomic characteristics. All these could not be possible without the appropriate educational materials and the support of the experts who helped us create them.
Braille leaflets creation
This year, we also created leaflets written in braille, in collaboration with the Center for Education and Rehabilitation for the Blind. We communicated with both the department of Thessaloniki and Athens, and the leaflets were produced in Athens. These contain information about the iGEM competition, our team, and synthetic biology. We were offering them during big events and educational activities, like the Thessaloniki International Fair, Noesis Science Center & Technology Museum, Researcher’s night, our project reveal event and our workshop at the Centre for Education and Rehabilitation for the Blind. The people who were visually impaired and blind were glad we had created a leaflet they could take with them, consisting of such scientific information.
Easy-to-read leaflets creation
Easy-to-read is a way of writing and creating educational materials to make information easy for everyone to read and understand. This type of writing is necessary for people with intellectual disabilities so they can understand complex notions and learn new things. As mentioned above, we wanted to make our educational activities available to everyone. Thus, in collaboration with the Down Syndrome Association of Greece, we created leaflets written with the easy-to-read method. We are more than excited about the outcome and, more importantly, about sharing it with the world.
Click here to learn more information about easy-to-read techniques.
Level up leaflets
In collaboration with iGEM teams Patras, Stockholm, and ULaval, we created 4 different brochures to explain synthetic biology to different target groups. Please feel free to use our leaflets. To learn more visit our collaboration page!
Board Game: Lab Experts!
Lab experts is a fantasy card game based on synthetic biology, munchkin card game, although we have designed our own rules and characters. In the game, you are a scientist who wants to finish his project and win the cup of the annual lab experts competition. In order to achieve this, each scientist has to face different microorganisms and go through many disasters in order to level up and reach level 8 before all other players. Lab experts is an educational game for both children and adults. It’s a great opportunity to play with your friends and, at the same time, learn interesting things about science. Each card has information about different things related to synthetic biology, such as microorganisms, lab tools, lab safety coats, etc. For example, a microorganism card gives information about the kingdom it belongs to, about gram staining, and fun facts, too! The game can be used in many educational events, like school courses and science events. On our behalf, we tested our game’s resonance with university students, and the feedback was very rewarding!
SynBio Rings the Bell
This card game consists of different types of cards, which demonstrate bacteria, viruses, DNA and a brain. It is inspired by the Halli Galli board game, although the illustrations of the cards and the characters are completely prototypes made by our team. It is an easy and fun game, ideal for young kids. It tests the participants' reflexes in recognising the images mentioned above. We were more than happy to teach kids the basics of synthetic biology through this game. A big smile was constantly painted on their faces, and we should admit our own guilty pleasure in playing the game while waiting for our bacterial transformations, too!
Guidance from experts
Advice for our educational plan: Dr. Iro Koliakou
Dr. Iro Koliakou is a physics teacher and the coordinator of STEM at Anatolia College. She was awarded the “Global Teacher Award 2021” by the AKS organisation for her inspiring and creative teaching work. She coordinates two European projects, “Green Education for a Sustainable Future” and “Mini Open Labs”, which promote STEM and green education in Europe. Dr. Iro Koliakou really helped us to organise our educational plan and school visits and supervised the content shared. She pointed out some key secrets on how we can make our activities more interactive and appropriate for kids. We are very thankful for her constant support and feedback that helped us become even better every time and correct our mistakes.
Lab Autism: Laboratory of Autism - Developmental Spectrum disorders and behavioural difficulties of the human
We also met with the coordinators and members of Lab Autism from the University of Macedonia. Lab Autism is a team consisting of experts and researchers such as university graduates, postgraduates and sub-PhDs, specialising in autism. They have professional experience in training units, diagnostic evaluation and counselling centres. We are very thankful that they agreed to be our mentors. Their guidance was of high importance. They consulted us on the educational practices used for people with autism and guided us on the implementation of these practices in our events and educational actions. During our educational events and visits to schools, we felt prepared to make this experience great for people with autism. We are happy we learned how to meet their needs and hope that by sharing this information, more people can make them feel included.
Social Media
We used our social media platforms, not only to inform everyone about our events but also, to educate our followers on the scientific aspects of our project. Every week we made quizzes, on a different topic each time. We realised that our followers knew a lot about biology, but not synthetic biology, nor the computational aspects of our project. So, after each quiz we made a post on the topic, with more and detailed information. Our content included information about the iGEM competition, synthetic biology, precision medicine, artificial intelligence, cancer, and even more! All these quizzes and posts can be found on our Instagram account, feel free to have fun by checking them!