Education

Introduction

Scientific research is often viewed by the media and public as intimidating and complex. It's often seen as something out of reach and unintelligible with scientific jargon being portrayed as an entirely new language. However, through meaningful interactions and impactful conversations, it is possible to shift this viewpoint to create an environment of understanding and curiosity. Our team made educating Austin locals and the community on synthetic biology and harmful algae a priority by emphasizing on educational goals, how we could take action on these goals through implementation, and making relevant reflections to improve our research in the future.

Lady Bird Lake Interviews

1. Educational Goals
   • Introduce HABs and cyanotoxins to Austinites
   • Share how synthetic biology applications can target environmental issues
2. Implementation
   • Conducted interviews on the popular trail near Austin's Lady Bird Lake
   • Spoke with locals on knowledge of algal blooms and recent occurrences in the lake itself
3. Reflection
   • Most people had no prior knowledge of harmful algal blooms and their impact on the lake
   • Motivated locals to research the water quality of the lake before visiting with small pets and children

Texas Science and Natural History Museum Booth

Hand Streaking Activity

1. Educational Goals
   • Introduce freshman students in the College of Natural Sciences to basic microbiology lab techniques
2. Implementation
   • Students swabbed their hands on a Petri dish containing LB+CAM media with and without hand sanitizer
   • Results were sent to their contact information 24 hours after incubation
3. Reflection
   • Most were intrigued by microbiology and lab techniques after conducting the activity

Why it matters?

At the start of the fall semester, we partnered with the Texas Science and Natural History Museum for their CNS Longhorns & Dinosaurs event, which was geared towards freshmen natural sciences students. At this event, we had a booth with an exciting activity to introduce new students to introductory microbiology topics and general lab techniques. At our table, we had students swipe their fingers on a Petri dish containing LB media with chloramphenicol before and after using hand sanitizer. We also collected their names and contact information so that they could be sent their results. After 24 hours, we took photos of each plate and sent them to the respective students. This activity allowed us to give them a simple description of synthetic biology and introduce freshmen students to iGEM.

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Build-Your-Own Organism Activities

1. Educational Goals
   • Introduce children to the basics of synthetic biology
   • Portray introductory microbiology concepts in a simplified and fun manner
2. Implementation
   • Participants created a bracelet with different bead colors representing different nucleotides, which corresponded to an animal in Texas wildlife
   • Children assembled multiple DNA sequences that corresponded to different traits for animals into a plasmid, then drew an animal expressing each trait
3. Reflection
   • The children were able to learn about learn about biology while expressing their creativity through mock-plasmid design and DNA

Why it matters?

On two separate occasions, we held another booth at the museum where we introduced kids that were elementary and middle school-aged (and some adults) to introductory microbiology, molecular, and synthetic biology concepts. We did this through two interactive activities. One activity was a DIY Plasmid Assembly, where there were cutouts of “DNA inserts” that the participant could assemble the parts and then draw their animal based on the resulting plasmid. The other activity was bracelet-making with colored beads representing the different DNA bases, and the sequences corresponded to different animals in Texas wildlife. This booth allowed us to connect with Austin youth and parents and teach them some fundamental topics in biology.

Impact on Synthetic Biology

Each of these activities allowed us to connect with the community's youth population and new freshmen students and teach them beginner biology topics. Through simple interactions with these individuals, we were able to educate them on concepts such as plasmid design and assembly, DNA bases, and expression of genetic material to produce phenotypes. Most participants had little to no prior knowledge on these topics, and everyone was very engaged and enjoyed the activities! Giving a young population a fun introduction to complex biology topics sets a precedent for their education, potentially inspiring future careers in synthetic biology.

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University Campus Interviews

1. Educational Goals
   • Engage in discussions with students regarding HABs, synthetic biology, and any misconceptions they may have.
   • Spread awareness of algal blooms in local waterways to college students.
2. Implementation
   • Participants were asked about their previous knowledge of synthetic biology.
   • Educated students on local occurrences of algal blooms, their consequences, and what our team is doing to help mitigate this issue.
3. Reflection
   • We noticed that many students were unaware of HABs and of synthetic biology.
   • We were able to fill a knowledge gap concerning cyanotoxins and their impact on local waterways.

High School Student Lab Tours

1. Educational Goals
   • Introduce high school students to synthetic biology and microbiology experiments
   • Familiarize students with a microbiology lab space and equipment
2. Implementation
   • High school students toured and viewed the lab space and equipment that is used to conduct microbiology research
3. Reflection
   • Students expressed curiosity and excitement about wet lab procedures and synthetic biology research

Why it matters?

Early in the semester, we provided a tour of our lab space to local high school students. The tour included showing them our equipment, demonstrating the PPE required to work within the space, and displaying different microorganisms expressing various chromoproteins. We had a total of around 25 students across three separate tours. Ultimately, we had the goal of educating these students on synthetic biology and how it was used in our project to solve an issue that is rooted in an area that is considered to be a pillar to Austin locals.

Impact on Synthetic Biology

To introduce the students to the type of research and procedures we conduct, we showed them plates with E. coli with different chromoproteins. This gave us a way to demonstrate microbiology and synthetic biology basics. We also explained how synthetic biology and experimental techniques were used in the context of our own research, providing the students with an introduction to the diverse applications that research in this field can result in. This yielded a strong interest in scientific research among the young individuals, with most students being fascinated by wet-lab applications and procedures.

Student Organization Meetings

1. Educational Goals
   • Introduce HABs and cyanotoxins to a diverse group of students living in downtown Austin
   • Share how to stay safe in Austin's bodies of water and how synthetic biology applications can target environmental issues
2. Implementation
   • Gave a short presentation of HABs and how we can use synthetic biology to combat them
   • Asked for feedback following the presentation from the students
3. Reflection
   • Many students didn't know how severe the algal bloom issue is in Austin and were glad to be made aware
   • Students were receptive to methods on how to protect themselves and their pets from cyanotoxins

Why it matters?

We held a presentation as guest speakers for a student organization at the University of Texas at Austin. During this presentation, we shared information about harmful algal blooms to our audience. We placed an emphasis on spreading resources and ways to stay safe in the presence of proliferating algae species. Furthermore, we gave an overview of how synthetic biology applications could be used to solve this issue in impacted communities.

Impact on Synthetic Biology

The presentation was given at the general meeting of a spirit organization, providing us with a diverse audience of students from different majors. One of the main points made in the presentation was educating the group on harmful algal blooms and proliferations, as well as stating its past impacts on the Austin community. We also emphasized how we are using synthetic biology to develop a quicker solution as compared to current practices. At the end of the presentation, we provided a form where the students could provide us with questions and an impactful topic they learned, which received a total of 62 responses. The pie chart below shows the general distribution of responses we got after this event. One key takeaway from the audience was that they did not know that algae blooms and cyanobacteria could be dangerous to them, especially in an area that is in such close proximity to UT campus. This statement made up 8.1% of all responses. One individual stated that they “did not know [harmful] algae blooms were so close to us,” emphasizing the need for accessibility to education within our community on harmful algal blooms and the impacts of cyanotoxins. Another statement that stuck with individuals in the audience was that Austin is ranked 8^th in the world for having the worst toxic algal blooms. It seems as though this presentation put the severity of HABs into perspective for a lot of students. As previously mentioned, many were shocked that toxins are present in a local body of water, so it is understandable that this fact would resonate with these young adults.

Figure 1: Pie chart exhibiting student organization feedback results.

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Sustainability Symposium

1. Educational Goals
   • Inform college students and professionals on the dangers of harmful algal blooms to Austin waters
   • Share how synthetic biology applications can be used to solve environmental issues in a sustainable manner
2. Implementation
   • Presented a slideshow in front of an audience of college students and professionals
3. Reflection
   • Many seemed receptive to the information and expressed curiosity to how synthetic biology could impact the field of sustainability

Why it matters?

At this convention, we presented an overview of our research and its relation to sustainable practices for environmental safety. The narrative of the presentation was focused on demonstrating how local environmental issues, such as the harmful algal proliferations in Austin's Lady Bird Lake, can be solved in a sustainable way using synthetic biology practices.

Impact on Synthetic Biology

We were able to educate a group of professionals and college students about the impact of synthetic biology on sustainability and its potential to address current issues without creating future challenges for scientists, particularly concerning the environment. Through our presentation, we were able to connect with individuals in different fields and demonstrate how our research could have a greater impact beyond our community. Most individuals in the audience expressed interest in our method of applying synthetic biology to environmental research. By explaining the issue of cyanotoxins in public and high-traffic bodies of water then following with our solution and current research, we were able to demonstrate how synthetic biology could be used in different fields and in the context of sustainability.

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Educational Outreach Conclusions

Through our efforts and activities, we successfully made information on local and global harmful algal blooms more accessible to the Austin community. With activities taking place on campus and near Lady Bird Lake, an iconic recreational waterway in Austin, we reached individuals of diverse backgrounds and age ranges, spanning from elementary-aged children to college students and adults. Throughout our outreach, we became increasingly aware that the general public was not well informed on harmful algal blooms and the impact of cyanobacteria on our local environments and recreational areas. This was noticed especially with our interviews on campus and near the lake where most individuals we spoke with had never heard the news surrounding harmful algal blooms. Our educational efforts allowed us to create an impactful two-way dialogue between us and local Austinites of different ages, bridging the gap and giving these individuals the scientific background on a local issue and ultimately impacting the framework and inspiration for our research. The wide range of activities and interactions we had with our community allowed us to have a long-lasting impact on the people we spoke with and give them an introduction to the world of synthetic biology. Overall, our outreach made scientific research and applications digestible to the general public, making information that's often deemed daunting more accessible while simultaneously raising public awareness on the issue of harmful algal blooms.