Through presenting to two Biology classes at Pierrefonds Comprehensive High school, we were able to reach out to a young group of individuals about our project. We had the chance to motivate them about pursuing a career in a scientific field, teach them a bit about synthetic biology, and educate them about the core elements of our project. Using their feedback, we were also able to incorporate their ideas into our experimental process.
During part of each presentation, our team presenters asked the students about their knowledge on nanoparticles and their diverse uses. Mainly though, the high school students were encouraged to imagine our ‘cell battle’ and describe what our ‘microgladiators’ could have as ‘nano-weapons’. We found that most of the answers to the last question about nanoparticle design revolved around ‘pointy nano-weapons,’ which led our synthesis team to search for a protocol which could generate the corresponding shaped nanoparticles. Finally, we synthesized gold nanotriangles through the use of the aloe vera plant extract, in addition to the spherical nanoparticles we had also synthesized. This was one of the ways in which we integrated the public’s suggestions into our project.
