Sliver: Dialogue with the public

As an iGEM team, we attached much importance to human practice. We cared about how people felt about what we did, so we planned it carefully to cover every aspect we wanted. Firstly, we put forward three questions to have interviews with the public and we realized many problems. Then, we came up with three approaches, [i.e.,] propaganda, edutainment and imagination to solve the above problems. Finally, we evaluated the approaches to ourselves and targeted groups. Our activities centered on education, public engagement and public perception.

In order to understand the extent of the public’s understanding of biology and synthetic biology for planning our Human Practices, we interviewed hundreds of citizens before our projects started. We hope that we can learn the current social situation and get the project inspiration. From the investigation, the problems existing will make our Human Practices significant and targeted. The feedback we received for using will push our project closer to the public.

Fig.1.Steps of our practice.

Investigation

In order to learn the extent of the public understands of biology and synthetic biology for planning our Human Practices, we interviewed hundreds of citizens before our projects started. We hope that we can learn about current social situation which will ultimately inspire our project. Through the investigation, the problems existing will make our Human Practices significant and targeted, while the feedback we received will push our project closer to the public.

During those interviews, we asked 3 different questions:

• Question1: How much do you know about Biology?
• Question2: What is your attitude towards Synthetic Biology?
• Question3: What advantages do you want DNA storage to have?

We aimed at getting in touch with more and more people, understanding what they are interested in, making clear what they misunderstood. And we had no doubt that we got lots of different feedback that eventually becomes a tool for thought processes. The results of investigation are showed below.

Fig.1.The degree of understanding of synthetic biology pie chart.

In order to identify the situation in different age groups clearly, we conducted a more detailed statistical analysis of the survey results. This helped us to take different approaches to people of different ages.

Fig.2.The degree of different ages understanding bar chart.

Per the graph above we can see the situation is serious. The degree of understanding among the elders is almost none. Young people had fairly better comprehension but still skeptical. It’s important and necessary to change it. In this summer, we tried our best to spread the knowledge about biology and influence more people. As the iGEM spirit encouraged us, we are willing to drive more people to learn biology.

Approach

STEP 01, Propaganda

"Science for all" is a central concept in contemporary science education.

We decided to talk to the public about the knowledge of synthetic biology and also to understand their views and attitudes towards synthetic biology. There is a wide range of people in the community, including people from different industries and people of all ages. So the community is relatively a representative place to do propaganda. Meanwhile, we took forms of posters’ publicity and leaflets’ distribution to exert more profound and durable influence on the masses; we interviewed passers-by’s to directly learn about the level of people’s understanding of synthetic biology and change their wrong views if any. In order to increase the scope of publicity and improve the credibility of the results of the interviews, our footsteps were around every corner in Chengdu. As the communities we interviewed are shown in the picture following.

Fig.3.The places we interviewed.

In addition to conducting interviews and introductions, we had to do focused and targeted propaganda. As we believed that students in primary and middle school are the most people in need to receive some basic education about biology and synthetic biology, we paid attention to holding lectures and activities to arouse their interest in science. In the lecture, we showed synthetic biology and iGEM with stories and videos to more than 200 students in Puyang Junior High School. We built plasmids with functions we wanted together.

As we all know, putting theory into practice is imperative. Students in Grades 6 and 7 accompanied by their parents took part in our activity, “To Be Scientist Tomorrow”. We led them to do a little experiment by extracting DNA from banana, but all equipment used was from our daily life (such as dish detergent, plastic wrap, etc.). All of the kids successfully accomplished the lab activity driven by interest.

Fig.4.The students made experiment by themselves.

Besides, we opened a Sina’s micro-blog which has already attracted 1034 fans intended to collect more valuable feedback as well as push our latest progress to followers. All these methods we use help us get in touch with out-lab people so as to propel us doing better.

Fig.6.Our Sina’s microblog account.

STEP 02, Edutainment

For many people, biology is a subject that they are unfamiliar with. In society, People lack mediums to contact with biology which results in its being separated from ordinary people’s life.

Fig.7.The attitudes of people to learn biology.

We decided to adopt a more acceptable way to make more people touch it directly. So we combined the conceptions of biology with the well-known game-2048. We created a new mobile phone game called Bio2048, which encouraged people to learn more about biology in an entertaining way.

Fig.8.The interface of Bio2048.

We hoped our achievement would be taken into class, because the biology knowledge in game agreed with the contents in book and students preferred to try new teaching methods. We introduced our outcome to students and teachers who were glad to help us access application in class. Puyang lecture was the first time we took Bio2048 to class. Students had high enthusiasm to play our game. After that, we contacted with educational services to try the game in class.

Fig.9.Bio2048 in class.

STEP 03, Imagination

Science is for all. Everybody should dare to imagine the high-tech products. In the interview and lecture, on the lab open day, we led them to have the concept by investigating everyone’s idea about the DNA information storage.

On September 29th, 2016, here comes the 60th birthday of our university. With our project completed, we grasped the anniversary chance to show our achievement.

Fig.10.Introduce our project to the foreign visitors.

Schoolfellows took care of the situation of scientific research and were willing to learn the creative works from students. We set an introduction station to demonstrate what we did this summer. We also took Bio101 in this display to let visitors have a try. Most visitors were professional, so our topic of communication was well over our project. We discussed the synthetic biology development trend, we compared electronic computer with biological computer. Schoolfellows said that not only our project but also DNA information storage system could represent a brand new field, which had huge potential and wide prospect.

Fig.11.A visitor is trying our software.

In the 60-year-old celebration, we showed iGEM, our achievement and the burgeoning subject of nowadays technology. Facing the smile and affirmation of school fellows, we felt what we did was so meaningful. At the same time, we hope our partners in UESTC could be on the way for the palace of scientific research all along.

Evaluation of Our Approach

On the way to achieve our goal, we concentrated on the progress of our project and its result. As we found there were the points that were not considered, we changed our approach. Throughout this process, we learned evaluation is a result of hard work.

Evaluation of Propaganda

According to various interviews, in fact, most people generally believed something related to synthetic biology is dangerous. So they did not eat genetically modified food as far as possible. We introduced simply about synthetic biology and tried to eliminate their mistakes. Obviously, not all of people can accept us. But we will continue to make efforts to correct the public's thinking.

From the lecture, students knew more about synthetic biology and are all interested in biology. Creating plasmids by their own hands makes the technology easily understood. Then the activity let children feel biology more directly through doing experiment by themselves. We remember one boy said that experiment is untouchable in ordinary life, today he felt cool and excited. This is what we want to achieve. The activity changed the stereotyped images of biology, and it becomes vivid in masses’ eyes. Young children are new-rising force of our country. Letting them realize the great development prospect and arousing their interests in biology are significant to continue biology studies.

Evaluation of Edutainment

Bio2048 is a special tool to learn biology. Students in primary and middle school are extremely interested in the way of acquiring new conceptions. Teachers are surprised to see that it isn’t only a kind of edutainment but also an integration of math and biology. In the activity, “To Be Scientists Tomorrow”, we held a Bio2048 game. A parent, as a biology teacher, was delighted in Bio2048, and she thought it was very educational and necessary to be introduced and used in class. Surely, it was the recognition of our work and we are trying our best to realize the idea. We are willing to develop more tools like Bio2048, combining education with interest and focusing on the contents and forms. We believe, our work will influence more people to learn and research biology so that we could imagine a better future.

Evaluation of Imagination

Everyone has rich imagination. When we talked about DNA information storage, many people had their particular views. Actually, science and creativity are not far from us. In most of the time, it’s because we have no idea that we don’t propose these problems.

Through the dialogue with the public, we led them imagine the advanced technology with different sights. Sometimes, someone’s knowledge was over us, their avant-garde ideology inspired us. The unilateral guidance became the discussion between two sides. This effect is bidirectional. Our achievement is limited; however, the influence of imagination is boundless.