Intoduction

Our work in education and public engagement is aimed at intertwining society and our project, iGEM, and synthetic biology. These education and public engagement elements differ from those of outreach because they integrate the perceptions and concerns of society into our project which produces a relevant and responsible design. After meeting with our stakeholders, Kinross and the WWTP, we learned there was improvement needed in the education of our team, our project, iGEM, and synthetic biology. We developed internal and external programs, both aimed at informing iGEM members and society as well as encourage public and stakeholder interaction incorporation in future iGEM projects.


University research faculties are the primary vehicles for the execution of publicly sponsored research and have great influence on the nation’s science policies, the scientific agenda, the broad nature of the public’s research priorities and the public's understanding of how new knowledge will be deployed. The understanding of computational procedures, laboratory experiments, and ethics and public policy have a significant influence on the very character of the scientific enterprise. We produced innovative educational tools and public engagement activities, such as workshops, a SynBio Forum, and a public survey, to spark new scientific curiosity and establish a public dialogue about synthetic biology from the opinions of those outside the lab.

BIOETHICS WORKSHOP

We understand the importance of teaching our iGEM members that with the rise of synthetic biology research and development, bioethics becomes more prominent. Bioethics examines and determines basic human values as well as the morality of developments in healthcare, life technology, medicine, and society’s responsibility for the health of its citizens.


The bioethics workshop provoked conversation and allowed participants to analyze the consequences of synthetic biology research, a core characteristic of policy and practices. This workshop encouraged participants to investigate the importance of integrating science and bioethics. Producing an adequate understanding of this integration will result in ethical scientific development and scholarly researchers. After this workshop, participants were able to critically analyze the development of science and biotechnology and its ramifications.


This workshop is important for iGEM members and students of all backgrounds and learning stages because it will provide the necessary means to formulate ethical, social and political assertions that positively progress synthetic biology rather than interfere with its growth.


Each class included an interactive activity, in the form of an informal debate, to engage participants to understand and evaluate the nature of the disagreements. Participants will be given a problem or scenario that requires them to formulate questions, analyze evidence, connect evidence to pre-existing theories, derive conclusions, consider all perspectives and reflect on their learning.

The bioethics workshop comprised of four sessions:

• Agricultural Biotechnology -- Introduction to bioethics and its prevalence in synthetic biology, engineering, and medical sciences. At the end of this lesson, students will have demonstrated the ability to define bioethics and bioethical principles, ethical norms, moral objections and concerns in the synthetic biology field.
• Gene Drive/Biomedical Ethics -- Alteration of one’s genetic inheritance via genetic engineering has controversial bioethical issues. Discussion of the utilitarian principle and new knowledge to eliminate disease.
• Ethical Research Practices -- Research that involves human subjects promotes complex ethical, legal, social and political issues. In research ethics, the objective is to protect human participants, ensure research is conducted in a way that promotes the interest of individuals or communities and examine specific research activities for their ethical soundness. Discuss issues such as management of risk, protection of confidentiality and the process of informed consent.
• Science Policies & Ethics -- Although there are laws in place, depending on the jurisdiction of engineering practices, this does not ensure ethical behaviour. Discuss and understand some interactions made between science and government in which political decisions are made. The government involvement in biotechnology is an important component of research and development.

DRY LAB WORKSHOP

The dry lab workshop was constructed for all iGEM members, from all disciplines, to engage in the computational and mathematical components of our project. The dry lab workshop comprised of five sessions:

• Introduction to Mathematical Modelling and Single-Variable Optimization
• Multivariable Optimization
• Statistical Analysis
• Dynamical Systems
• Markov Chains and Stochastic Biological Models