Education
Overview
We have been committed to reaching different groups and sowing the seeds of synthetic biology as much as we can, in an attempt to let the knowledge and spirits of life sciences take root in as many communities as possible.
By popularizing some theories and techniques as well as discussing and exchanging ideas with each other, we not only contribute to the spread of synthetic biology and the inspiration of their enthusiasm for knowledge, but also receive valuable suggestions which are important for the development and improvement of our project. We have various activities intended for groups with different backgrounds.
High School Teenagers
High school team from Shengyu Education
On February 20th, 2022, some members of the high school team from Shengyu Education, including students and teachers, came to the WHU campus to have a brainstorm with our members of the WHU-iGEM team. During the meeting, we introduced our project framework and design scheme respectively. Then came the free talk time! We discussed the problems about the projects of both sides and put forward some suggestions on the project design of these high school students. While understanding different design concepts, we also tried our best to help each other improve the idea of the project.
The meeting lasted about an hour and a half. In this process, both sides had a deeper understanding of the project. We were glad to notice the amazing creativity and passion these teenagers possess, and this activity played an important role in the future development of our projects.
The collision of different ideas sparks new possibilities, in the course of which each idea shines and the power of science is enhanced.
Interactions with several other high school teams were similar to the above description, so the details are not shown here.
High school students from Elite Program
In the sunny July, several students who participated in the Elite Program came to the College of Life sciences of Wuhan University to start a three-day journey to the wonderland of molecular biology and synthetic biology. Certainly, the guides werewas the wet lab members of the WHU-iGEM team!
In the sunny July, several students who participated
in the Elite Program came to the College of Life sciences of Wuhan
University to start a three-day journey to the wonderland of molecular
biology and synthetic biology. Certainly, the guides werewas the wet lab
members of the WHU-iGEM team!
1. Epidemic safety: All the students and members were
required to have green health codes and 72-hour negative COVID-19 nucleic
acid certificates.
2. Experiment safety: The rules of laboratory safety
were taught and emphasized before each experiment started. We offered lab
coats and gloves and our members were always there to help the students.
3. Personal safety: Every day the participants were
requested to check in, and their parents were responsible for their travel
safety.
All in all, we hoped they could have fun in experiencing the experimental procedures and creating their own engineering bacteria with GFP all by themselves. After three days, they would leave with some pretty photos of their creative artwork, a strong sense of achievement, precious friendship and unforgettable memories.
High school students from Elite Program
July 16th
Experiment 1: Restriction endonuclease digestion - Gel extraction -
Ligase reaction
July 17th
Experiment 2: Bacterial solution PCR- Preparation of chemically
competent cells - Plasmid extraction – Transformation
July 18th
Experiment 3: Inducible expression – Draw with bacteria solution
creatively - SDS-PAGE
To our excitement, the transformation results of all groups were completely successful. We picked a colony and incubated the bacteria at 37℃ in advance to amplify them.
Since the experiment lasted long, our team members arranged the time reasonably. All the students operated according to the protocol at the beginning. In the waiting time, principles were explained by our team members and creative drawings on the culture medium with the bacteria solution were created by these students.
In the three days we spent together, we witnessed
their progress and growth. They were obviously more skilled and quicker in
operation, and more enthusiastic about biology. They also began to take the
initiative to ask questions about the problems they encountered in the
experiment. We were glad that they had a deeper understanding not only of
the experiment, but also of synthetic biology. We successfully raised their
interest in life sciences and inspired their passion and imagination for the
future biology.
As for us, the activity showed us the difficulty to prepare
for experimental lessons and the happiness to taste the final success. At
the same time, we were impressed by the strong curiosity and creativity of
the younger students, as well as the surprising charm of synthetic biology.
This was just the beginning, we would carry on spreading relevant knowledge
in the following days.
General Public
DO & GO
Led by some core members, DO & GO is a mental health care organization for teenager patients with depression. In the big family, teenagers can find their own hobbies and make like-minded friends through colorful activities and various clubs, such as movie club, DIY club, reading club and music club. The members help each other out and support each other in every sad and painful day, in an attempt to rebuild the bonds in their souls to trust and connect with others in the world.
On the evening of May 2nd, 2022, we had an online meeting with some members from DO & GO. After the self-introduction of both sides, we explained the concepts about synthetic biology and the framework of our project to them, especially the source of inspiration, our final purpose, and the innovative forms of our final product. In the discussion part, members from DO & GO put forward a lot of potential problems and valuable suggestions. From a professional point of view, YaYa, a graduate student in the field of life sciences, interpreted his opinions on our project. Chai Meina, Chai Fei and other partners shared their suggestions from the perspective of patients.
We benefited a lot from this meeting. There were many to consider and improve. After the meeting, we summarized as follows:
1. The measure to achieve efficient bacterial
colonization
2. The possibility of cock-tail therapy containing multiple bacteria
3. The improvement of the final product form and taste for the sake of
promoting commercialization
4. The refinement of the SAMe quantitative secretion considering sensitive
patients
5. The ultimate value of the product
Through this communication, we showed them new possibilities in the field of research and development of drugs. In the future, there may be less resistance and aversion to antidepressants owning to new drug forms and pleasant taste. We hope we could bring hope to them and bring sunshine and warmth to their life. We hope that the power of synthetic biology could make the world a better place, and we believe this is the meaning of iGEM competition and our original intention.
Popular science lectures – Join hands with NJMU
From April to May, 2022, iGEM team from Wuhan University and that from Nanjing Medical University jointly held a series of popular science activities with an aim to take this opportunity to popularize the knowledge of mental health as well as synthetic biology to the public.
On the evening of April 26th, we held the first online lecture in the "Mental Health Week". Two speakers, Wang Zhilin, a teacher from the Mental Health Education and Research Center of NJMU, and Yaya, a consultant from "DO & GO", were invited to discuss mental health issues. After each speaker's lecture, there was a free time of 10-15 minutes for questions. A total of 186 attended the lecture. They raised many questions actively, including not only the troubles in daily life, but also the thoughts related to the current events or full of deep thinking.
On May 22nd, we held another online lecture to publicize the related concepts of synthetic biology and iGEM projects of both sides.
With our joint effort, all the attendees obtained a lot and became more interested in both mental health and synthetic biology. Knowledge broaden and friendship strengthened, we got new inspiration and ideas to refine our projects in the future.
Freshmen in WHU
Class meeting centered around mental health for 2021 freshmen - Say goodbye to all your anxiety
On May 2nd, 2022, the students in one class of 2021 in College of Life Science held a class meeting with the theme of "Saying goodbye to all anxiety" in order to cope with the common anxiety among college students, especially students in Grade 1. Confused about the future, they invited our members to introduce learning experience and scientific research activities.
Certainly, we interpreted iGEM competition and introduced our project briefly. The students were very interested in the design process of probiotics, so we further introduced it and answered the questions raised by them. Also, we discussed the harm of depression, the difficulties in treatment, and the underlying causes of anxiety. Meeting their eager gaze, we saw many talented scientists in the field of life sciences in the future. We learned some useful tips to relieve anxiety and were delighted to offer them help in their study and life.
iGEM introduction for 2022 freshmen
In the middle of August, 2022 freshmen enrolled in Wuhan University. We Introduced synthetic biology and the history, spirits and contents of iGEM competition to them, along with our present project. To our surprise, this activity attracted plenty of freshmen. They asked questions with curiosity actively even a week later. Some freshmen kept in touch with us and decided to join in iGEM competition next year. Wish them better achievements!
Online Academy
Online Academy was an important part of the education plan for the college students majoring in basic subjects in our country, with an aim to build a learning and living community for these students in and out of class. WHU-iGEM team was honored to be invited to give a lecture on biology as student representatives in the online academy activity held by Wuhan University.
On the morning of May 26th, 2022, we introduced iGEM competition and synthetic biology, and shared the experience in iGEM competition of WHU-iGEM team. The audience came from all over the country and covered different age groups, including college students, high school students and even their parents, as well as those interested in basic subjects. Through online academy, we believed that iGEM competition and synthetic biology were brought into the sights of more people.
WeChat official account
Meanwhile, we have built an official account on WeChat to push some tweets about the knowledge of depression, mental health care and synthetic biology, also to report the progress of our teamwork.
