High School

This year, we set our outreach activities with three main goals in mind: • Assess the environmental risks associated with our project, • Educate the public about synthetic biology and how it pertains to everyday life • Exchange ideas and explain to some restaurants how to make proper oil disposal During the event “What is this have to do with biodiversity?” in the Federal University of Amazonas we focused on high school students from Manaus, we have set lectures and practicum activities in a didactic and entertaining way. Working with some questioning sections such as “What is all about synthetic biology and iGEM?”, “Differences between fungi and bacteria”, “what is this project Electrobacter?" and “How should be the proper way to dispose used frying oil?”. This year the event had more than sixty students from several high schools. Having in mind this challenge we made this experience the more “learning by doing” we could, bringing up petri dishes with GFP transformed bactérias, fungi from diferent species, to show the class many sorts of microrganism forms of live, and as well to know some of the research which is done at the University . It was also developed dynamics to illustrate what happens when playing the fried oils down in the drain and it arrives in the rivers and soils through the use of water, toy fish, a becker and a little oil an why that happens. In addition, it was showed the correct management to carry out the disposal of these fried oils and how we intend to give a new destination for them through our project. This event is annually realized for UFAM and INPA searches with the intention of estimulate high school students to follow in the scientific career, satiate their scientific facts about everything in biology, and teach academics different forms of teach and to acquire skills of adaptation, since many of them will follow career as not only like researchers, but also as teacher and that the purpose of this event is to assemble the according’s programming to all questions brought by students on the first day of the event avoiding the use of formal lectures and prioritizing dynamics, theater, etc.