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Team:UCSF/Exploratorium
From 2013.igem.org
Teaching Synthetic Biology to the General Public: Usually the general public relates “Synthetic Biology” (or more commonly, “Biotechnology”) with “Genetically Modified Organism,” a current ethically-charged term concerning genetic engineering of the food that we consume every day. The 2013 UCSF iGEM team wanted to change the perspective many have toward synthetic biology by introducing the basic ideas of Synthetic Biology in a special evening event at the San Francisco Exploratorium.
The Exploratorium (www.exploratorium.edu) is a museum dedicated to various science-related exhibits aimed to teach science and its practical applications and inspire learning by self-discovery to its guests. The night event is an 18-and-older event that approximately 4-5 thousand people attend the first Thursday of each month. Each event revolves around a unique theme, and we presented our work on synthetic biology in the theme of Transformations. The transformations exhibited ranged from origami folding to metamorphosis to ice cutting, and our focus was on micro-transformations in cells. In accordance with the theme, our team presented information involving the central dogma of DNA and basic in vitro transformation in order to show the benefits of synthetic biology and the many applications it can have in the future.
