Team:CSU Fort Collins/HP/Gold
Out Reach Gold
Following the Larimer County farmer’s market, we used what we learned from our outreach to determine the aim and scope of our project. An activity called Tech Tokens invited participants to invest fake money in various synthetic biology industry ventures. These industries included biofuels, biomedicine, pest control, and the production of synthetic flavorings. An overwhelming majority of people chose to invest some of their fake money into biofuels, even people who were opposed to things like biomedicines and synthetic flavor production. This was a fascinating outcome, and we fully considered it while designing our project, which should improve biofuel production capacity.
Following the farmer’s market, we were also made very aware of the importance of being able to communicate our ideas well with others. We would all like to discuss our research with the public and other scientists, but this can prove to be a lofty endeavor. It is important to consider various ways to communicate an idea to people of varying backgrounds. There are many ways to get an idea across to someone, but the best way is found only through trial and error in the form of repeated attempts at communication. It’s good practice!
