Science is meaningless without science communication.
This year, when we launched our project, we noticed that there was a significant knowledge gap among the
general public about fundamental biological principles and synthetic biology.
As a result, we attempted to reach out to a broad variety of audiences,
from preschool students to the general public, providing information on synthetic biology and our
project.
Creating customised activities to achieve audience diversity and accessibility was a crucial component
of our approach.
Receiving feedback
Before developing our educational activities, we thought it was essential to receive people's feedback on fundamental questions since we wanted to base our approach on evidence and create something meaningful.
After contacting different people and creating questionnaires, we concluded with the following
statistics.
Firstly, we realized a lack of knowledge regarding Synthetic Biology and environmental problems
such as Eutrophication. (Figure 1 and 2).
We also reported the insufficiency of the educational system to provide a complete career
orientation and thus inform the students for
professions that have to do with scientific fields such as Synthetic Biology. (Figure 3)
Finally, we also asked our audience if a
board game could communicate a scientific field such as Synthetic Biology to create our own
Synthetic Biology board game. (Figure 4).
All of our statistical surveys were filled out anonymously, following the GDPR regulations
and having obtained the necessary distribution license from the Department of Processing Personal
Data of our University.
Synbionary.com
One of the most essential tools anyone can have while studying is a dictionary. A good dictionary can
help individuals
comprehend the area of study and improve the communication status by ensuring that the words are used
appropriately.
Since we understand that the Greek population is unfamiliar with the scientific discipline of
Synthetic
Biology, our
team decided to create an online Greek Dictionary of Terms. We chose to build a website as, in the
digital world we live
in, anyone can easily have access to it.
Following the collection of a total of 54 terms, we started considering practical ways we could and inform as many people as possible, both scientists and others who aren't familiar with the field.
Therefore, we decided to create a website since, in the current digital era, it is easily accessible to everyone. In our
effort to improve science accessibility, we went a step further and asked our fellow iGEM teams to
provide us with definitions
translated into the most widely spoken languages around the world! After collaborating with the other
teams, the translated
definitions were released online in an effort to create a more inclusive community, in which language
is
a bridge not a barrier. An e-book version of our dictionary is presented below.