Team:Aix-Marseille/Human Practices
Integrated Human Practices
Since the beginning of our project we thought about the Human Practices. In order to make it serving all we discussed with specialist and we investigated the needs of people. By this way we designed and developed our scientific approach. Through this view we were able to optimize and make a relevant process.
We had to imagine our project in an environmental and social field in order to support the needs of population and replace polluting solutions such as insecticides. Indeed, the current insecticides are very harmful with a broad spectrum of action and are a cause of insects extinction like bees. This is why we had to determine an ethical vision in our project. Moreover, people opinion convinced us to don't use GMOs in our trap. By this way, biosafety impacted our initial plan and led us to find an alternative solution.
This is why we concepted our project design both efficient and acceptable to the general public. However, our discussions with experts and feedback from the general public resulted in several modifications to this plan. First, discussions concerning biosafety suggested that a super-virulent fungus was probably not acceptable to legislative authorities. Second, discussion with the bed bug expert, Mr. Berenger, comforted us in the use or a pheromone-based trap. Third, feedback from the general public indicated a trap containing live genetically modified organisms was only partially acceptable. Based on this human practices input our final design incorporates, pheromones extracted from bacteria, and adjuvants to facilitate infection of bed-bugs also extracted from bacteria - but the traps do not contain, or release into the environment, any genetically modified organisms.
Hence, we interested in the different sides of the Human Practices Integrated. This is why we devoted our effort in three points :
Surveys
At first, we didn't know the relation between citizens and bed bugs, how they were impacted by this scourge ? Moreover we wanted to expand our knowledges : what was the needs of infested people? To improve our understanding we decided to perform surveys which was the most appropriate method. First we focused to the general public opinion about : the issues caused by bed bugs, the kind of solutions they needed and theirs GMO's thoughts. Thanks to these surveys we determined the current solution is the insecticides which are a source of pollution. Besides general public reported us a lack of efficiency due to the resurgence of bed bugs. Afterwhile the major feedback to the use of our solution was a trap than a spread. We observed a division in the matter of GMOs, 48,1% for and 51,9% against. This is why we choose to design a trap without including GMOs. More info...
Interviews
Our trap idea was suggest by general public, however it was essential to have the support of professionals. Then we contacted specialists of bed bugs field in order to validate our project feasibility. We met Mr Gremaud who works on bed bugs detection, he approved the use of pheromones.To certify this idea we consulted a bed bugs expert : Mr Berenger confirmed the pheromones-based trap was the best solution to struggle against bed bugs. This expert helped us to the trap development and explained us how optimize our work. We feel privileged to receive Mr Moncler, an entrepreneurship consultant who gave some advices to monitor our project as a company. Thanks to these experts consultations we had conducted the project in the better way.More info...
Testimonies
Our team considered the public vision as a major motor for our purpose. Through a large media publicizing we had the great opportunity to receive several grand public and infested people testimonies. This major interest showed us the great suffer of people facing bed bugs. Moreover we enforced our motivation to fight the bed bugs and we understood the necessity to keep on our public engagement. Especially, testimonies allowed us to collect more information about infestation time and affected area. Based on these observations we targeted and modelized affected area in order to design the most efficient trap.Through these testimonies we had been the ability to process evaluations and grand public feedbacks around our work. More info...