Team:UCSC/Integrated Practices

Integrated Practices

Our mission was to unite the two distinct crises of agricultural waste and the rising obesity epidemic into a mutual solution. In order to accomplish this goal, we knew we needed to do more than just convert agricultural waste into erythritol, we needed to ensure expanded accessibility and adoption of zero-calorie sweeteners. In every step of our journey to understand public perceptions surrounding health consequences of alternative sweeteners, promote cost reduction, and explore the definition of ‘natural’, we collected vital information regarding how to communicate and connect with the public. Each interview we conducted from the diverse array of professors, nutritionists, elected officials, iGEM students, industry experts, and researchers allowed us to accumulate and analyze this information. Our debate, presentations, student engagement, survey, bioreactor, and Build-A-Bioreactor handbook represent our integration of that information into our overarching missions of reducing costs, educating the public, and ultimately expanding accessibility to zero-calorie sweeteners.

Check out our Human Practices main page here!