collaboration
Public engagement and education: Synthetic Biology Workshop:
How synthetic biology can change our life
What is synthetic biology? What can we do with synthetic biology? From the GATC of DNA, we
guided members of the YouthBiopark Summer Camp through their first voyage into synthetic biology.
Collaborating with China International Education Institute, we made Tsinghua a highlight in
the twelve-day summer camp. Members were middle school students, barely with any background
in molecular biology, recruited throughout China, who took a genuine interest in life
sciences. Starting from the basic principles of molecular cloning to the infinite possibilities
of synthetic biology, the lecture we gave pictured this exciting branch of life sciences in a
nutshell, which was received with widened eyes and dozens of questions.
The ideas planted immediately sprouted, blossomed and fruited.
What if we identify the sex-determining gene in mosquito, and by genetic modification, make
the progenies all male?”
“I’m thinking about making a bacterial sensor for PM 2.5 or other common sources of pollution...
perhaps, when it sensed the pollution it could give a clear indication of risk, like changing
into different colors.”
We were truly impressed by the ideas they came up with, just at a first glimpse into this world.
We discussed each of them thoroughly, dissecting every step to examine its feasibility, demonstrating
how we can convert a fancy idea to a practical project based on the principles of synthetic biology.
Though some of them seemed far away from reality, there were intriguing perspectives in every
suggestion. At the end of discussion, we gave a general summary of the fields that synthetic biology
has already influenced or even shaped: pharmaceutics, pollution management, energy, diagnostic,
nutrition...and many other aspects in basic research.
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Following the idea-to-project workshop was a lab tour to catch a glimpse of the “real world” where
all those fantastic possibilities are realized. We briefly introduced the procedure, equipment
and materials for molecular cloning in the lab, and showed examples of genetically engineered
organisms.
Though the journey didn’t last long, it was a fruitful and memorable one. We got really encouraging
feedbacks: “This is so cool and I’d like to explore more about synthetic biology in the future!”
Meanwhile, we were also inspired by the ideas and comments they gave. It was a privilege to bring
the ideas of synthetic biology to the members of the summer camp, and to see that our efforts can
indeed make a difference and attract more people to learn about, or even fall in love with this
branch of science.
