Team:Montpellier/Public Engagement
Events
During our project we participated in different events that had for goal to popularize synthetic biology and present our project to the public. In this section we are explaining the different events and how we got involved for them.Presentation in labs: A feedback from the Scientific community
The CBS of Montpellier ( Center of structural biochemistry ) hosted 2 presentations of our project. Indeed, we presented our project and its ideas to the members of the CBS in order to get their feedback. Two and a half months after that, we did another 2 presentations in the CBSand also in the DGIMI lab (Diversity Genomes & Insect Microorganisms Interactions, INRA) to conclude about our summer of lab work in the CBS. Those 3 presentations were a good way to improve our scientific speech skills and prepared us for the Giant Jamboree as well as presenting our project to biologists and physicists to have feedback about it.
Fête de la science
October 5th to 6th, we participated in the “Fête de la science” at the Faculty of Education, Montpellier. It’s the major event for scholar and large public about science in France that occur every year. There, we explained the major concepts about DNA, bacteria and GMO to student from 10 to 15 years old and their parents. fig1) Explaining Synthetic Biology to children and public Construction of an helical double stranded DNA, cardboard constructions allowed us to show them what DNA is and how the cell can use it to encode every protein it needs. Moreover, we realised several posters that explain synthetic biology. The Cardboard game We constructed a game made out of cardboard pieces to explain to kids (from 10 to 16) how to make a genetic design They first learned a simple map constituted of Promoter - RBS - Gene - Terminator Then once they could remember the “phrase” they had to find out how the expression will work with or without some part fig2) Plate with bacteriART , E coli producing RFG and GFP Because kids usually prefer to see actual things rather than being explain concepts we brought plate with transformed bacteria that produce RFP or GFP. In large plate without antibiotic we put our hand, our mouth to show differents kind of bacteria from differents parts of the body. fig3) Our stand at the ‘’Fête de la Science” in the Montpellier Science Village , Education Faculty The most important thing is they had a lot of question and curiosity about synthetic biology ! While talking to children, we also met adults with whom we discussed about the project Vagineering !