Education Through Art
Overview
The Baltimore Biocrew 2025’s education endeavor was aimed at increasing awareness of synthetic biology, creating new excitement for science in a fun, yet educational manner that incorporated as much hands-on as feasible. We utilized several different educational and outreach opportunities in order to better reach as wide a demographic as possible in our region.
Education through Art Outreach
Who we reached:
We hosted booths at large art festivals in major cities in Maryland (Baltimore and Annapolis) to reach two groups:
- Children from the area, to try to get them interested in synthetic biology through hands-on activity, and to learn what aspects engage them most
- Adults from the area, to share about our project and how synthetic biology can do great things for the world, and to hear their thoughts about both of these
What we did:
At the art festivals we had people learn about synthetic biology through the creation of agar art, in which the artist uses yeast that has been genetically modified to produce various pigments. The artist paints from a palette of multiple yeast strains onto a petri dish, which is then brought back to the lab where we incubate the microorganisms so they can grow into the artwork. Pictures are later sent to the artist so they can see their finished artwork.
What we learned:
As the artists were creating their work, we had conversations with them about synthetic biology, and they had the chance to ask us questions
in a casual setting. Through these individual conversations, we learned a lot about which synthetic biology concepts they found most interesting,
and which ones were a little confusing and needed better explanations. This information was later incorporated into the design of our classes and
talks.
From both children and adults, we learned about the importance of the language we use. Both children and adults told us that they loved the agar art
project and that they liked being engaged with hands-on scientific activity. But we also heard some apprehension when we talked about applications of
synthetic biology, mostly because of unfamiliarity with the term. From talking to people after they had heard more about synthetic biology from us,
we learned from them that yeast was a great entry point to the conversation, since it’s something people could easily understand and relate to.
We also learned which steps of the agar art protocol were easy for participants to follow and which needed more direct guidance. Based on feedback
from the first festival, we improved both our verbal and written instructions to clarify some areas of confusion, optimized the configuration of our
tables to improve the flow of traffic, and further developed age-appropriate language to explain agar art and synthetic biology to a younger audience.
At the second festival, we were able to test these changes and decide which to incorporate in our classes and talks. We documented all of this
feedback if our team does agar art in the future, and a lot of what we learned also applies to community engagement activities more broadly.
The two art festivals were fantastic ways to alert the general public about the fascinating field of synthetic biology. Because these are large festivals, we reached a high number of people, with over 400 individuals doing an agar art. Our activity helped to increase interest in synthetic biology because at the second festival, 78% of people who came to our stand left wanting to learn more about synthetic biology.
Education through Classes and Talks
Molecular Biotechnology Summer Camps
Who we reached:
We also supported two Summer camps for the children ages 12-17 which were held at the BUGSS lab. We got involved with these camps because they are hosted for our local community, and in contrast to the general audience at the art festivals, they allowed us to connect with a group that already had some interest in the subject. We also could have multiple interactions with them and hear how their understanding of synthetic and molecular biology developed over the course of the camp.
What we did:
The first camp was on molecular biotechnology wet lab techniques and concepts, such as PCR, bacterial transformation, DNA ligation, and restriction digestion. The students first learned micropipetting, then went through lessons to hone those skills. Our team members helped them out with material preparation, understanding of protocols/concepts, and how to do the lab work since each class was full with 15 students. The second camp focused on plant biotechnology. The students learned about plant transformation using Agrobacterium using a gene gun. In thiseir case, they manipulated plant leaves so as to cause the plant's leaves to producegrow red pigment over a couple of days. They also learned bacterial transformation, PCR, and sterile technique. Additionally, our team leader Sharifah led 2 lessons on the use of Benchling, an electronic lab notebook, and on the real world applications of restriction digest and gel electrophoresis. Below is the ad on Eventbrite advertising the course and some pictures (all students gave consent for pictures)
Samples of what was taught are included here:
What we learned:
Helping with this course gave us a lot of insight into how to structure a lesson to be informative and engaging. The biggest thing we heard from participants was that hands-on activities, like labwork, were fun, and that having multiple ways of presenting information, for example some slides and some short videos, was helpful to students. This feedback helped shape the way we organized our later talks/sessions at libraries.
Science Slam
Who we reached and what we did:
To reach the general public, three of our members gave a talk at a local science talk called the Science Slam. This is an event hosted by the BUGSS lab in which scientists from around the Baltimore region give a 5-7 minute talk that is geared for the general public. This talk was held at Checkerspot brewery at noon on a Saturday afternoon and about 50 people from different backgrounds were in the audience. This was a great way to reach an audience that is generally interested in science but is not familiar with our specific work.
You can view a PDF document of our presentation here.
What we learned:
We received good feedback on our presentation, and each talk was ranked by the audience on a scale of 1-5 in several categories. We received a 16.5 out of 20 possible points with our lowest rating for “Broad audience score”, which was a 3.95/5 and our highest for “Overall Science” where we got a 4.5/5 and won the award for best science presentation! This audience feedback helped us in our later talks, giving us a better idea of what to prioritize in a talk of this length and how to talk about the scientific aspects of our project with a wider audience.
Classes at Libraries
To reach a younger audience, we held a pair of genetics classes for middle and high school students at local county libraries including the Annapolis library, which advertised the class on their website and set the time, as part of their regularly scheduled programming. The students were taught how to read a codon chart, analyze amino acid sequences, and find errors in DNA sequences based on the amino acid sequence which is supposed to be produced. To start the class, we went through a series of definitions to provide a foundation and ensure that all students have the required knowledge. The class then moved on to how dominant and recessive genes work and the Punnett square. The next section was on gene structure. In this section, promoters, coding regions, and codons (with the codon chart) are introduced to the students. After this section we briefly discussed proteins and AA sequences. The students were then told about CRISPR and transformation to introduce genetic engineering. We concluded the class with the ever fun agar art. This is a copy of the advertisement posted by the libraries for our event:
Our materials are included here so that other teams can build off of what we presented.
Library-Class-TimefraimWhat we learned:
The classes held at the library were incredibly successful; all of the children from both classes enjoyed the class. We were able to incorporate what we had learned from participants in all our earlier outreach activities about structuring hands-on activities, designing engaging lessons, and being thoughtful about how we explain synthetic biology concepts. We were able to get very detailed feedback from participants. One participant said:
I had the opportunity to participate in the synthetic biology class the [Heimer’s] put together, and I’ve got to say, they did an amazing job! I’ve already taken biology, so I wasn’t sure if I’d get much out of it, but I was impressed by how much I learned and how it reinforced concepts I knew prior to this. The worksheets they made were super helpful for breaking down the concepts. And the hands on experiments were great, I loved seeing my agar art grow! Everything felt age-appropriate too, with the mixed group we had, they found the perfect balance of simple concepts and deep dives, which kept the class engaged the whole time. Also, you could tell the teachers were passionate about biology, and that energy made a big difference. They knew their stuff and explained it in a way that was clear and kept everyone interested. They weren’t just reading off a script—they genuinely cared about the subject and wanted us to understand it as well. Overall, I think they nailed it. The class was well-organized, interactive, and honestly kind of fun. Leopold and Wolfgang put in a ton of effort, and it showed. I’d definitely recommend their class to other students looking to learn something new! -KenzieAdditionally, both of the parents, one of whom had a Ph.D. in biochemistry, who stayed for the class both said that they would recommend a future class. The library where the second class was held (the Annapolis library) was also interested in adding the class to its regular schedule after its initial success.
SynBio Talks and Information Sessions
Who we reached:
Finally, Triagnostics team members Cici Curtis and Dylan Paoletti hosted synthetic biology talks and information sessions at Hereford High School’s National Honor Society (60+ attendees) and Patterson Mill High School’s Medical Club (60+ attendees).
What we did:
At Patterson Mill, Dylan presented a 20+ slide deck introducing students to the basics of molecular biology, the mission of Triagnostics, and how community biology at the Baltimore Underground Science Space has shaped his personal and professional direction. He designed the presentation to be accessible to students across grades 9–12, with a special focus on those considering careers in medicine. To keep the session engaging, Dylan incorporated fun-facts and lighthearted slides that fostered a fun learning environment.
What we learned
One way that participants demonstrated that these talks increased their interest in synthetic biology was by completing a survey expressing interest in being on next year’s iGEM team. We asked on the survey what synthetic biology means to them and why it was interesting and look forward to having those results soon.