Educational Outreach

In order to increase community awareness and add to the discussion about synthetic biology and genetic engineering, the Duke iGEM team participated and sponsored events supported by the Building with Biology project, an initiative funded by the National Science Foundation and led by the Museum of Science in Boston as a synthetic biology public engagement project. During the summer, Duke iGEM team members worked with the Museum of Life and Science in Raleigh, North Carolina to help host a Building with Biology event in which over 100 school-aged children and their families participated in hands-on educational activities where they were introduced to concepts of synthetic biology. The Duke iGEM team was also supported by an additional stipend from the Museum in Science in Boston to hold a forum on campus at the beginning of the academic year, “Should we Engineer the Mosquito”. Several dozen high school and college students from Durham, North Carolina engaged with iGEM team members and Duke University faculty in Biomedical Engineering to discuss the scientific and ethical questions surrounding genetic engineering of mosquitos and humans, and the future of the field of synthetic biology as a whole.

Below are photographs from our outreach adventures!

Duke iGEM team members facilitating the Building with Biology event at the Museum of Life and Science in Raleigh, North Carolina

Duke iGEM team members facilitating the Building with Biology event at the Museum of Life and Science in Raleigh, North Carolina

Duke iGEM team members facilitating the Building with Biology event at the Museum of Life and Science in Raleigh, North Carolina

“Should We Engineer the Mosquito” forum