Team:Rice/Public Engagement

Education & Engagement


iGEM in the Community


Over the summer, our team presented to local high schools in the greater Houston area, discussing our project and the iGEM competition overall. We also shared tips on college applications, majoring in STEM, and getting started in STEM research in general.

Among our larger presentations were the presentations to: the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at Rice, the Bioethics Debate program at Rice, and students in the School of Science and Technology (SST).


Rice iGEM presents to REU program

Rice iGEM works with students in Bioethics Debate program

Rice iGEM presents at the School of Science and Technology. We were able to guide the students through the iGEM competition requirements, thus providing them the support they will need to grow into a successful high school iGEM team.


Another aspect of our community outreach involves the distribution of our bacteria buttons and project brochures at Rice. These items are a fun way to spread knowledge of iGEM and to get more people involved in our project. Through our buttons and brochures we can quickly and effectively make our project more accessible to a general audience.


Bacteria Buttons


Rice iGEM Brochure


Educational Outreach


Program Proposal for K-12 and the General Public

The Rice iGEM team created a three-tier program for teaching introductory synthetic biology to elementary schools, high schools, and the general public. The program will provide participants an opportunity to learn about engineering non-model organisms, our project, and policy surrounding genetic engineering through various activities catered to their age group. Click here for more details.



Proposal for K-12 and the General Public

iGEM Student-Taught Course

At Rice, we are planning to start a college class the following spring semester. Rice University offers undergraduate students a unique opportunity to teach a one credit hour class which counts towards the participating students graduation requirements. Our team developed a syllabus and course proposal for an iGEM student-taught class which will be offered at Rice University in the spring. The course will provide a comprehensive introduction to synthetic biology and iGEM by engaging students with primary literature and giving them an opportunity to come up with their own novel synthetic biology designs. Through research into past projects and the development of their own project proposal, students in the class will have a better understanding of iGEM and will play a role in the selection of the next iGEM project. Students will also have the option to stay on the team through the summer and the following competition season.



Course Syllabus for Student-Taught iGEM Class at Rice


Engaging Experts


Rice iGEM also engaged experts from a variety of fields and industries during the development of our project.

Safety

While trying to determine which organisms we should use in our project, we met with Petko Ivanov, the Biological Safety Specialist at Rice who inspects biological laboratories to ensure they are upholding safety requirements, teaches laboratory safety, and certifies students to work in labs. Click here for more details.

Safety Specialist Petko Ivanov with the iGEM Team

Academia, Industry, and Government

As our project developed we looked into the intersectionality of our project in various fields. In order to explore the opinions and needs of these fields, we consulted Dr. Daniel Wagner, Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Rice. Click here for more details.

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology with the iGEM Team

Looking for more direct feedback from industry and government, our team contacted several experts, including Dr. Aaron Regberg and Dr. Lynn Rothschild of NASA. Click here for more details.