Human practices

School visit

On Tuesday 17th July we visited the Gillespie primary school to teach their year 6 students about the dangers of bacteria and plastic pollution. In the process of doing this students of a very young age would gain a keen interest in biological sciences as well as become more aware of the environmental damage, which is a global issue that affects all generations of people. We specifically taught students about the dangers it poses to marine life as well as the key principles of Reducing, Reusing and Recycling plastics so that they are better prepared for combating these issues. The visit consisted of two presentations which were split apart by a number of activities that included revising the material and strengthening the children’s knowledge about bacteria and plastics through quizzes, as well as teaching them about creatively reusing plastics; with a practical example of reusing plastic bottles as flower pots.

Even before the visit, the children showed a keen interest in science as a subject, however both during and after the presentation we saw the young students actively engaging with the subject. Many students also gave their own examples during the plastics presentation, demonstrating their knowledge and curiosity of plastic reuse. The quizzes also showed us that the students were engaging and listening as the majority of students got questions right. Prior to the bacteria presentation, the students had some previous knowledge as they were taught about bacteria earlier in the year however it was basic and simple. Giving the bacteria presentation greatly enhanced their knowledge and improved their sanitary skills.

Throughout the plastics presentation it became apparent that students already knew the importance of reusing and recycling plastics. The presentation served as an opportunity for the students to suggest different and creative ways to reuse plastics.

School conference

Our team took part in the 15th Anniversary Schools Science Conference where we had a stand informing approximately 420 secondary school students and their teachers about iGEM, and our project. Students were able to engage with the activities the team had prepared teaching them about the engineering of bacteria, synthetic biology and biobricks.

We did put out bins around the university to collect plastics and then use it in the lab to see how much polystyrene is used compared to other plastic.

Also, we planned for the school children to come and make some decorations from the plastic collected...