As engineers in an continuously changing world, it’s important that we make design decisions not only based on the efficiency and function of our systems but also based on the demands and concerns of the public. From bringing a drug to market to clinically implementing a medical device, turning concepts into reality transcends wet lab work. Although much of our lives in preparation for the iGEM Jamboree have been consumed by painstaking pipetting in efforts to culture and transform our cells, we believe it is becoming increasingly important to maintain a less narrow perspective. Thus, Team Harvard is working to elucidate the impact we may have on our community and beyond. To evaluate and understand our project in relation to the public, we’ve divided our human practices work into three efforts:
- Conducting primary market analysis to understand the demands and tendencies of consumers.
- Seeking the opinions of experts regarding the various design iterations of our project.
- Taking questions from the community and considering common concerns of the public to modify and develop our design.