Team:KIT-Kyoto/Humanpractice

Overview

People all over the world today tend to lose interest in science, so we think that this tendency disturb progress of synthetic biology. For example, ordinary people seem to think recombinant DNA technologies, which are the basis of synthetic biology as unpleasant. In this way, they do not fully understand what recombinant DNA technologies are, and they still hesitate to buy and eat GM foods. These problems seem to be faced in the world when recombinant DNA technologies will be developed and used in many fields. We want a lot of people to know not only in Japan but also in the world, so we try these things as Human Practice.

At the campus visit (2013/08/9,10)

We prepared a booth to introduce iGEM in KIT Campus visit and explained our activity of iGEM to a visitor.

To make the presentation simple, we tried to avoid using technical terms.

Besides, we displayed model organisms used in genetics, such as fruit-fly Drosophila melamogaster, and colon bacterium Eschericia coli. Students could see Drosophila mutants. And we displayed "E.Coli Pen" and some pictures drawn with it.

We aimed to make their understanding clear, and make them feel familiar to genetic engineering.

There were about 100 students and their parents who came to our booth. They told us that their ideas and conceptions about biology were broadened by looking closely at the model organisms.

Survey

“What project do we do in ? iGEM 2013?” It is the first difficulty for us to decide it. In order to get a clue, we have researched about public awareness on genetic technology and gene modified foods, as a human practice project.

Introduction the class of Bioart

  2013/09/17～2013/09/19

In our college KIT, bioart was firstly introduced as a lecture with practical course called "Fusion of Science and Art" using our project 2010, E. coli pen in this year. Undergraduate students who major not only biology but also various fields of science can take the lecture.

Students learned the mechanism that the ink of E. coli pen emits fluorescence and drew paintings on agar plates using E. coli inks. And they gave a presentation on their concept of bioart.

Furthermore, the bioart described in E.coli Pen will be carried by the textbook of the high school student.

We realize synthetic biology spreads out steadily.

This lecture helps various students to know synthetic biology and to feel familiar with genetic engineering. We expect that it will develop into global lecture and disseminate synthetic biology to the world from Japan like iGEM which was a practical course of bioengineering in MIT.

Furthermore, the bioart described in E.coli Pen is carried by the textbook of the high school student.