Team:UCSF/ALHS Project1

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Human Practices: Lincoln High School Outreach

A common misunderstanding held by proponents of organic food, is that once genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are incorporated into our food supply, they will become undetectable, and cannot be differentiated from other foods. To educate their peers, students in the Biotechnology Academy at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco offered to teach their fellow students in the school’s ecological Green Academy how to test for, and recognize, genetically modified food ingredients. Additionally, we taught our peers about some of the beneficial real-world applications of GMOs.
Our educational program included a pre-learning survey, direct instruction by our biotechnology teacher, George Cachianes, and a series of three lab exercises in which the iGEM/biotech students taught the Green Academy students how to recognize genetically modified foods using common biotech lab techniques. Afterwards, a post learning survey assessed the knowledge of the Green Academy students to see if their attitude and knowledge about GMOs had shifted.

The Exploratorium (www.exploratorium.edu) is a museum dedicated to various science-related exhibits aimed at teaching science and its practical applications as well as inspiring learning by self-discovery in its guests. The night event is an 18-and-older event that approximately four to five thousand people attend the first Thursday of each month. Each event revolves around a unique theme, and we presented our work on synthetic biology under 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 genetic transformation in order to show the benefits of synthetic biology and the many applications it can have in the future.

Download this presentation on our Materials Page !
The goal of our exhibit was to provide relatable information about the general techniques scientists use every day in the laboratory. We presented brief “elevator talks,” broken down into two topics to more clearly present the information to the public. The first talk explained the Central Dogma of Biology, where DNA is transcribed into mRNA, and mRNA translated into protein. The second elevator talk was about the execution of transformation in molecular biology and the basic experimental concepts, while also giving real life examples of how it is used as an application. In addition to our presentations, we gave away synthetic biology informational bookmarks and scientific temporary tattoos, and brought culture plates with E. coli transformed with GFP and RFP for visual demonstration of transformations in cells.
The UCSF iGEM team interacts with patrons at the Exploratorium: After Dark event

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