Chapter 1: Our Vision of Inclusivity

For our team, inclusivity means making science open and accessible to everyone — regardless of language, education level, or resources.

We believe synthetic biology should be a shared experience of creativity and curiosity, not a privilege for those with laboratory access.

Our vision is to connect science, art, and society through interactive and emotional learning methods that welcome all participants.

To achieve this, we will:

• Present scientific concepts through music and visual storytelling so that anyone can understand the message of climate action.
• Build multilingual and accessible materials for diverse learners.
• Design creative platforms such as songs and board games to make synthetic biology inclusive and memorable.

Chapter 2: Music as a Bridge to Inclusion

Music is a universal language that transcends age, culture, and discipline.

To help more people feel connected to our project’s mission, we rewrote the famous Mayday (五月天) song "OAOA" into our theme song "We Are Dancing J."

It transforms scientific concepts into an emotional journey — from climate crisis to hope through biotechnology.

2.1 Lyrics of "We Are Dancing J"

2.2 Planned Actions

• Produce multilingual lyric videos (English, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean) with subtitles and accessible audio formats.
• Organize creative learning workshops where students translate or remix the song in their own languages.
• Use the song in educational events as an entry point to discuss synthetic biology and climate innovation.

2.3 Licensing

We proactively contacted JVR Music and B’in Music and submitted formal collaboration and licensing proposals.

This not only ensures respect for intellectual property rights but also conveys our ethical and inclusive spirit in cross-domain collaboration between music and science.

Chapter 3: Research and Practices

3.1 Academic Foundations: Music and Inclusivity

We found that music can serve as a universal language across cultures. According to Schellenberg (2005) and Biasutti (2019), music learning fosters intercultural understanding and emotional empathy; in educational settings it effectively reduces language barriers and increases participation among diverse groups.

Therefore, in the Dancing JJ project, we seek to make music not merely a background element but a medium of participation: whether or not you are a scientist, as long as you can listen to the melody, you can feel the rhythm of carbon capture and the cycle of life.

2.2 Academic Foundations: Board Games and Inclusivity

We also found that games are powerful tools for inclusion. Research shows that board games promote collaborative learning and enhance social interaction and inclusivity (Plass, Homer, & Kinzer, 2015; Wouters et al., 2013).

Accordingly, we designed the Dancing JJ Board Game with themes of sustainability and carbon management, enabling participants to simulate decision-making and understand the challenges of carbon trading and sustainable development. Open rule design and multiple character options ensure that anyone can participate, regardless of age or disciplinary background.

3.3 Game Design Philosophy

The game simplifies scientific systems into colorful decisions and storylines.

Players take on roles such as scientists, entrepreneurs, and citizens working together toward a net-zero future.

3.4 Inclusive Learning Goals

1. Equal Participation — Every player can contribute ideas regardless of age or academic background.
2. Visual Accessibility — Clear icons, color-coded cards, and simple language support non-native English speakers and younger learners.
3. Collaborative Learning — Encourages cooperation over competition, reflecting how climate solutions require collective effort.

3.5 Planned Actions

• Translate game materials and instructions into English, Mandarin, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese.
• Develop a digital edition for remote and low-resource classrooms.
• Provide open-source printable kits and teacher guides for schools without lab access.
• Integrate the board game with the project song in joint "Music × Science" workshops.

Chapter 4: Accessibility and Multilingual Communication

To reach diverse audiences, we commit to developing materials that are both linguistically and technically accessible:

• Produce bilingual content in English and Mandarin, and progressively expand to seven languages.
• Offer audio narrations and video summaries for visual or reading accessibility.
• Apply universal design principles (UDL) — clear contrast, font legibility, and simplified graphics — across our wiki and educational tools.
• Implement QR-coded learning cards linking to localized summaries of synthetic biology and climate concepts.

Chapter 5: Future Goals and Plans

Our inclusivity commitment extends beyond iGEM 2025. We plan to:

• Establish a Global Dancing JJ Learning Network, inviting students worldwide to create localized versions of our song or game.
• Build open-access lesson plans and visual storybooks on synthetic biology for non-science students.
• Combine music, art, and STEM to engage communities traditionally excluded from scientific education.
• Collaborate with more NGOs, schools, and underrepresented communities to advance science that everyone can play, hear, and understand.

Chapter 6: Conclusion

Inclusivity is not just formal openness—it is a design philosophy.

Through music, games, and cross-team communication, Dancing JJ brings synthetic biology from the laboratory into everyday life, enabling more people to feel, understand, and participate.

This is our interpretation of the iGEM spirit: let science dance in every heart.