Difference between revisions of "Team:Tufts/Public Engagement"

 
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<h1>What is a Toehold Switch? </h1>
  
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<h1>What is a Toehold Switch?</h1>
 
  
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<p> This page is dedicated to all of the things we did to engage our community. This includes: </p>
  
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<li> Creating a video to teach the world about the use of a toehold switch  </li>
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<p>There is substantial general apprehension about synthetic biology and the responsible limits of its use. By explaining the mechanisms behind the process, the synthetic biology aspect is demystified and becomes a tool more people would be willing to use. This video is also one of few existing videos on the subject and has an engaging format, which may interest viewers in pursuing synthetic biology as a career, allowing the field to expand.</p> </li>
  
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<li>We taught a two part series on genetics and synthetic biology at a science summer camp for children between the fourth and sixth grades in Winchester, Massachusetts, at McCall Middle School. </li>
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<p>We collaborated with the teachers of the course, Mrs. Dimare and Mr. Row, to fit our curriculum into the topics that were already being studied and to format it in a way that is accessible to children. Our first lecture focused on the basics of genetics, which was used to establish a foundation for the synthetic biology lecture. This included a DNA beads activity, in which the children made bracelets with colored beads corresponding to a portion of the DNA sequence of their favorite organism. We used this to segue into a discussion about the principles of base pairing, and then talked about heritability. The lecture was concluded with a video about dominant and recessive traits. The following lecture centered on synthetic biology and its applications, including the design of our toehold. We discussed the rapidly emerging field of synthetic biology and genetic engineering, and how it could be used for a wide variety of applications, such as curing genetic mutations. We also drew a model of our project design and explained its mechanism in detail, and how it could be potentially used to detect diseases in the future. We used this to start a discussion about the limits of genetic engineering and where ethics become a grey area. By the end of the lecture, the students were aware that synthetic biology is already used in many different fields, and were interested in the field themselves. This summer, we helped spark an interest and understanding of synthetic biology in the younger generation, possibly inspiring the bright minds of tomorrow. </p>
  
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<p> "Thank you for the lecture iGem. I really think the kids understood it all, and some of them seemed really excited by the idea that genes could be edited. Great job!"              <p>-Mrs. Dimare
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<p>Innovative educational tools and public engagement activities have the ability to discuss the science behind synthetic biology, spark new scientific curiosity and establish a public dialogue about synthetic biology from voices and views outside the lab. </p>
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    <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2018/5/57/T--Tufts--Teaching2.png" width="400" height="300">
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  <div class="desc">Val prepares to teach a class on Heredity</div>
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<p>On this page, your team should document your Education and Public Engagement work and activities. Describe your team’s efforts to include more people in shaping synthetic biology (such as creating or building upon innovative educational tools and/or public engagement activities to establish two-way dialogue with new communities, and/or engaging new groups in discussions about synthetic biology and public values). Describe your approach, why you chose it, and what was learned by everyone involved (including yourselves!).</p>
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    <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2018/4/4c/T--Tufts--Teaching1.jpg" width="400" height="300">
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  <div class="desc">Anna and Val look on</div>
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<p>This work may relate to or overlap with the work you document on your Human Practices page. Whereas Integrated Human Practices relates to the process of refining your project purpose and design, this page may highlight significant efforts that go beyond your particular project focus and/or address a significant broader concern in iGEM.
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    <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2018/7/70/T--Tufts--Teaching3.jpg" width="400" height="300">
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  <div class="desc">Students continue to work on group activity</div>
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    <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2018/c/c3/T--Tufts--Teaching4.jpg" width="400" height="300">
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  <div class="desc">Students engage in discussion regarding their activity</div>
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<p>For more information, please see the <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Human_Practices">Human Practices Hub</a>. There you will find:</p>
 
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<li> an <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Human_Practices/Introduction">introduction</a> to Human Practices at iGEM </li>
 
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<li>tips on <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Human_Practices/How_to_Succeed">how to succeed</a> including explanations of judging criteria and advice about how to conduct and document your Human Practices work</li>
 
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<li>descriptions of <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Human_Practices/Examples">exemplary work</a> to inspire you</li>
 
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<li>links to helpful <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Human_Practices/Resources">resources</a></li>
 
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<li>And more! </li>
 
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<p>If you nominate your team for the <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Judging/Awards"></a>Best Education and Public Engagement Special Prize</a> by filling out the corresponding field in the <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Judging/Judging_Form">judging form</a>, the judges will review this page to consider your team for that prize. The criteria are listed below. </p>
 
  
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<p>How have you developed new opportunities to include more people in shaping synthetic biology? Innovative educational tools and public engagement activities have the ability to establish a two-way dialogue with new communities by discussing public values and the science behind synthetic biology. Document your approach and what was learned by everyone involved to compete for this award.
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Latest revision as of 20:00, 16 October 2018

HOME
TEAM MEMBERS
PROJECT
Description
Design
Experiments
Notebook
InterLab
Results
Attributions
SAFETY
HUMAN PRACTICES
Human Practices
Education & Engagement
AWARDS
JUDGING FORM ⇗

What is a Toehold Switch?

This page is dedicated to all of the things we did to engage our community. This includes:

  • Creating a video to teach the world about the use of a toehold switch

    • There is substantial general apprehension about synthetic biology and the responsible limits of its use. By explaining the mechanisms behind the process, the synthetic biology aspect is demystified and becomes a tool more people would be willing to use. This video is also one of few existing videos on the subject and has an engaging format, which may interest viewers in pursuing synthetic biology as a career, allowing the field to expand.

  • We taught a two part series on genetics and synthetic biology at a science summer camp for children between the fourth and sixth grades in Winchester, Massachusetts, at McCall Middle School.

    • We collaborated with the teachers of the course, Mrs. Dimare and Mr. Row, to fit our curriculum into the topics that were already being studied and to format it in a way that is accessible to children. Our first lecture focused on the basics of genetics, which was used to establish a foundation for the synthetic biology lecture. This included a DNA beads activity, in which the children made bracelets with colored beads corresponding to a portion of the DNA sequence of their favorite organism. We used this to segue into a discussion about the principles of base pairing, and then talked about heritability. The lecture was concluded with a video about dominant and recessive traits. The following lecture centered on synthetic biology and its applications, including the design of our toehold. We discussed the rapidly emerging field of synthetic biology and genetic engineering, and how it could be used for a wide variety of applications, such as curing genetic mutations. We also drew a model of our project design and explained its mechanism in detail, and how it could be potentially used to detect diseases in the future. We used this to start a discussion about the limits of genetic engineering and where ethics become a grey area. By the end of the lecture, the students were aware that synthetic biology is already used in many different fields, and were interested in the field themselves. This summer, we helped spark an interest and understanding of synthetic biology in the younger generation, possibly inspiring the bright minds of tomorrow.

    "Thank you for the lecture iGem. I really think the kids understood it all, and some of them seemed really excited by the idea that genes could be edited. Great job!"

    -Mrs. Dimare

    Val prepares to teach a class on Heredity
    Anna and Val look on
    Students continue to work on group activity
    Students engage in discussion regarding their activity