Summary
As MonChassis aims to impact the general understanding of new manufacturing methods, we figured that communication and education set the basis for an informed discussion with society. To this end, we engaged with diverse groups of our local society, using materials or experiments matching the different audiences. Addressing the broad public, we set up information booths in Münster, and took part in a locally produced podcast. Reaching out to young students, we held a lesson at a local high school performing experiments that were designed to comply with the German biosafety regulations. Addressing our fellow biology students, we prepared a lecture on the ethics of synthetic biology and were part of a trivia night. On two occasions, we informed seniors about synthetic biology, using fermentation as a gateway. To allow future iGEM teams to conduct similar experiments, we shared all protocols on our wiki. Thus, we educated and communicated with diverse groups of our local society and provide self-designed and self-tested learning materials matched to different age groups.
Science knows no age - getting in touch with senior citizens
Education and information about synthetic biology in Germany mainly focuses on young people, although senior citizens are a major part of our society. That is why it was particularly important to us to address and involve elderly people in our education program. Our aim was to provide an insight into biotechnology and synthetic biology, as well as the potential of the industrial use of microorganisms. In doing so, we presented synthetic biology as a future-oriented, emerging branch of science with great relevance for society and introduced 25 participants of our retirement home and a senior sports group to our iGEM project MonChassis. Our goal was to have a conversation at eye level and give participants a connection to their everyday life, adapted to their age group. Starting with a general introduction into biology and the diversity of microorganisms, we built upon previous knowledge of the participants and discussed the ambivalence between the risks and benefits of microorganisms. To give the participants an opportunity for a hands-on experience, we investigated the ubiquity of microorganisms and the effect and importance of disinfectants in short experiments, like showing the difference in microbial growth before and after the usage of disinfectant. Furthermore, we looked at the process of kefir manufacturing, which emphasizes our industrial approach within our project. We supported our exchange with several materials including a poster, everyday biotech products as well as small experiments. Our visit expanded their knowledge and understanding of the relevance of biotechnological products in their daily lives, emphasizing the importance of biotechnology for our society.
School meets science – exploring synthetic biology
Thinking back to the times sitting in high school, many of our team members experienced little to no education about the use and potential of modern biology. We thought about what we have liked to learn about modern-day biotechnology and synthetic biology. Therefore, we aimed to provide insights into the fascinating possibilities which, among others, synthetic biology carries.
Hence, we developed experiments adapted to the requirements of a common classroom, while also providing valuable hands-on experience for the participants. To realize our plans, we organized a lecture at the Schiller-Gymnasium in Münster. In advance of this lecture, we asked the students to fill in a small survey we designed to probe for their level of knowledge regarding the topics of genetic engineering, biotechnology and synthetic biology. While some knowledge in genetic engineering and biotechnology was present, we found that the term synthetic biology was mostly unfamiliar. To meet the students at eye level, we prepared our lecture using these topics as a gateway to understand synthetic biology. Starting with fermentation being used as the oldest application of microbes by humankind for thousands of years, we wanted to emphasize that biotechnology in this regard is not a recent invention. Continuing with the application of the genetic engineering toolbox, we followed up with a discussion about modern-day biotechnology. We further incorporated the iGEM competition in general and different iGEM projects from recent years, as well as our project MonChassis to explain the fundamental ideas and principles of synthetic biology. To demonstrate workflows and procedures from the lab, we prepared an experiment for the class regarding horizontal gene transfer between two Escherichia coli K12 strains. As horizontal gene transfer is not considered genetic engineering, we were allowed to conduct it inside a normal classroom at school. This experiment is well suited for students to learn common procedures when working in a wet lab, providing hands-on experience. It follows that understanding biological processes is the key to a subsequent development of a bio-based technology, which is the goal of synthetic biology.
Based on the positive feedback we received, we believe that we could encourage and inspire all participants, sparking their interest in biotechnology. The students especially enjoyed conducting their own experiments and learning about possibilities and the versatility of synthetic biology.
We hope that our efforts inspired some students to pursue a career in life science, by applying and exploring synthetic biology themselves.
The general public meets synthetic biology
In talks with the general public, we noticed that they often lack general knowledge regarding biotechnology, genetic engineering, and synthetic biology, oftentimes resulting in negative connotations. As a result, the development of new technologies that would bring sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives to classic manufacturing processes is hampered by constrictive legislation or acceptance by society. Hence, we wanted to bring these topics closer to the public and reduce prejudices by reaching out to the public as broadly and as diversely as possible. To this end, we set up our information booth on two days, one in the city center of Münster and one at our local zoo, contributing to the theme day of the forest. On top of that, we designed our information booth to be as interactive as possible addressing all age groups.
Through an interactive poster, we were able to introduce the people to the world of microbes, and together with a microscope, they could make their own discoveries. Moreover, we built a miniature lab, where participants could learn how to isolate DNA from tomatoes. With the help of a pin board, passers-by were able to write and pin their initial thoughts on the subject of synthetic biology. Although being interested we noticed that the majority could associate little with the term. This helped us improve further conversation by considering their level of knowledge.
Matching the zoo’s forest theme day, we took the opportunity to raise awareness about our local bark beetle problem that we are tackling with MonChassis. We introduced our project by the example of verbenone, a monoterpenoid that is a repellent against the bark beetle. This we used as a gateway to lead over to our yeast-based production system. We noticed that many people were already aware of the threat the bark beetle poses and the need for action against it. Some were worried about the effect of verbenone on the bark beetle and overall nature. We addressed these concerns by highlighting the advantages of verbenone not being a pesticide or toxic. Discussing MonChassis we received many positive and supportive responses. All the information presented was accessible in a folder as well as via a QR-Code and we handed out flyers and logo stickers to the attendees.
The information booth was a great possibility for us to discuss not only synthetic biology but also MonChassis with a broad and diverse public. Whereas the bark beetle issue was well known, our approach and the synthetic biology behind it seemed nearly unknown. Therefore, further education, in addition to legislative changes, regarding these subjects, is necessary for society as a whole to take the next steps towards a more biobased industry.
Reaching out to the next iGEM generation
Since we are the first iGEM team in Münster, we felt the responsibility to popularize synthetic biology and its promising possibilities and find future iGEMers for the next teams at our university. Therefore, we chose two ways to inform our fellow students.
In our first approach, we reached out to students and other interested people during a biology trivia night at our university. For this quiz event, we provided questions concerning the subject of synthetic biology and further introduced iGEM and our project MonChassis to about 70 participants.
In our second approach, we wanted to not only inform them about iGEM and synthetic biology, but also educate and talk about the ethical aspects of this emerging research field and further relate these to our project MonChassis. The university gave us the opportunity to organize a bioethics lecture for 60 biology students in the fourth semester. There, we presented iGEM, our project MonChassis and different aspects and opinions about the ethical implications of synthetic biology. In the first half of the 90 minutes lecture, four of our team members impersonated different experts during a talk show. In an exaggerated manner, we gave the audience an introduction to different perspectives on the ethics of synthetic biology, for example, if the construction of synthetic cells is recreation of life. After this, we started an open discussion where we assessed the potential risks of MonChassis, examined the importance of science communication, and debated the ethics of synthetic biology in general. Additionally, we shared our project experiences with the audience and told them about the unique adventure of an iGEM year.
Thus, we communicated with students and other people from the university in different ways and had interesting conversations with them about synthetic biology, iGEM and our project MonChassis. We hope we could motivate students to be part of the following iGEM generations and planted the seed for a flourishing synthetic biology community in Münster.
Podcast
Another way to reach out to the broad public was to take part in a podcast from the local start-up center REACH. This center supports people who want to found a start-up in Münster and focuses on the transition from research to business. In the podcast “REACH Start-up Podcast”, entrepreneurs, scientists, and economists talk about different topics of the start-up culture, such as their businesses models, innovative ideas, and ways of financing. Luckily, we had the chance to be guests there! Our team member Henrike Brandt was interviewed by the podcaster Dr. Anne Vortkamp about iGEM, MonChassis, and the possibilities of creating a business out of creative scientific ideas. Here, you can listen to the 30-minutes episode on Spotify.