Team:SUSTech Shenzhen/Human Practices
The Furthest Distance in Biology
These days, it is the confusing and turbulent media such as TV and Internet news, rather than the scientific details that researches are working on, that put sands in the wheels of the general crowds’ understanding of biological concepts. Although the development of the scientific studies in increasing at a tremendous speed and the investment into these researches have reached astronomical figures, the public (someone like your parents and friends) remain in a state where they don’t understand or don’t have any reliable methods to know more about biological concepts that are related to their own life. What’s worse, things can get increasingly harsh when you realize that the gaps between you and your friends or your families are something as simple as what they eat, how they live and they drugs they take. This year our team have put huge efforts into this problem and tried to reveal, investigate and analyze the distance with extensions through which we appeal efforts from the scientific field, the government and the public to work together and minimize the gap. We paid our attention to the Cognitive gap of syn-bio Concepts in China named as CCC project.
CCC Project
Huh
Our team have found out this cognition gap that existed for so long in China. Through the daily discussions we have with our parents, friends and even peers from the same university, we have realized how serious this problem is.
Emmm
On realizing the problem, we decided that we literally had no handful tools to help us on these concerns. After talks with professors, we decided to carry out face-to-face interviews in four big cities in China and reveal people’s attitudes toward three synthetic biology questions: GM(Genetically modified) food, embryonic editing and diabetes (and insulin).
Ooops
After finishing the street interviews, we analyzed the data and had another discussion with Dr. Yuan to figure out the possible reasons why the interviewee have discrete opinions, and the things we discovered may turn out to be as simple but also hard for anyone to imagine.
Ding
Up till this stage, we have investigated the problem against the public, sorted out the data accordingly and sought through the potential problems. We wanted to start several activities (education, collaboration, open day event and others) that could have impacts on people of different ages and education backgrounds and even our peers who are also studying (synthetic) biology.
Bang
At the final stage of the project, we have decided that what we did so far were all one-direciton moves. The iGEM HP spirit inspired us to do more so that efforts from each member of the society could be applied to shorten the cognitive distances. Therefore, we have made propositions for each aspect of the society to work together, and hopefully we will minimize the cognitive gap in places outside China as well.
Silver Criteria
We have done great jobs in collaboration, public engagement and education and safety considerations that suit the silver medal requirements. Please click on the following links to view details of our Human Practices events!
Engagement
Spreading our project and synthetic biology on the university’s open day
Carrying out street interviews on cognition of synthetic biological concepts including more than 70 people from four cities
Education
Teaching basic biological concepts in No.1 SEEG Primary School
Training future scientists during our annual selection of the next year’s team member.
Safety and Responsibility
Gold Criteria
Our team has accomplished excellent Integrated Human Practices activities to meet gold medal criteria.
Microfluidic Chip modification
Visiting the Microfluidic Chip Company and inquiry of the Dolomite company
Talks and improvements with material science professors
CCC Project and modifications
The CCC Project is the major focus among all of our HP activities this year. We show our appreciation to Dr. Changgeng Yuan from Art & Humanity department of the university who has had a series of discussions with us during our process of designing and carrying out the CCC Project. Click on the following links to view our works with Dr.Yuan!
Collaborations
Interacting with SCAU_China and modifying our experiment and HP.
Collaboration with SZU_China
Collaboration with XMU_China through discussions on microfluidic chips and presentation methods
Collaborations
Collaboration with Greatbay_China
Attedning the 2018 Asia-Pacific Meetup
Attending the 2018 CCiC Meetup
©2018 SUSTech_Shenzhen
