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From 2013.igem.org

As a freshman on iGEM and therefore surrounded by novelty, our team invested on human practices both to let nearby people know about synthetic biology and iGEM, and to reinforce on us what we had come for. And that was hugely rewarding and pretty fun!

Contents 1 Divulgation 1.1 In the news 1.2 Social Media 1.2.1 Facebook 1.2.2 Twitter 1.2.3 Google + 1.3 Our Materials 2 The Brickard Game 3 Aumented Reality App 4 BiOS 4.1 Website 4.2 Blog 4.3 Questions&Answers 4.4 Gamification 5 Metalab 5.1 DIY Equipament 5.2 The Lab Business 6 Part by part 7 Our talks 7.1 Synbio OpenHouse 7.2 Seminar 7.3 UFMG&Escolas Project

Divulgation

In the news

Social Media

Facebook

Twitter

Google +

Our Materials

The Brickard Game

Aumented Reality App

BiOS

Website

Blog

Questions&Answers

Gamification

Metalab

DIY Equipament

The Lab Business

Part by part

Our talks

Synbio OpenHouse

Seminar

On April 19th, when we were starting to be known inside the university, we were invited to make a presentation about iGEM, our team members and project proposal for the competition on the seminar schedule organized by the Biochemistry and Immunology Post-Graduation Program. Then, we could already practice a formal presentation and still receive valuable tips from UFMG researchers, concerning both the preliminary chosen biomarkers and the experimental approaches for achieving our aim.

UFMG&Escolas Project

In order to introduce children to synthetic biology universe (literally… virtually travelling to Mars!) of present and future applications, we have created and applied a didactic (and, please… fun!) game for middle school students. This opportunity and public arose from a preceding, very prestigious project (called “UFMG & Escolas”, literally UFMG & Schools; http://www.icb.ufmg.br/biq/ ufmg-escolas/) from the Biological Sciences Institute (ICB) of our university, whose intention is presenting compulsory school students to scientific life. Along a week, students participate in a sort of activities related to what academic community produces and also develop and present the proposal and results of an empiric project they themselves idealize and execute. According to our planning, a short presentation told students about the concept of synthetic biology, the biological structures and techniques supporting it and the iGEM competition. Once students had this basic information, they were oriented to separate themselves into seven groups, dispersed along the room where there were monitors from Brazil_UFMG team. Each group received a card deck and chose an initially secret mission to explore by engineering a genetically modified organism (GMO). On a first moment, the card game (BRICKARD) was played among the group mates: each student should individually try joining the set of cards he/she judged propitious to form the GMO able to solve the problem presented on the mission of the group. At this time, they knew only details about their own mission, while there were cards, related to the other missions, whose utility they ignored. Whether no one could show a complete, congruent set, approved by all group mates at the end of 5 minutes, the group together should elect one. On a second phase, independently from how they achieve the agreed set, the whole group should present its mission and chosen solution to everyone, justifying why. The boys and girls were always stimulated to speculate, trace hypotheses and show arguments (for or against), but direct answers were not easily given to them. After each group final presentation, students were argued and evaluated by other students (their pairs!), which decided if the group efforts deserved or not a reward (two yummy chocolates…). All of them received candies and applauses, but the real sweetness was on their discovering about how science is made and where biological engineering may take us.

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