Awards

As a first-year iGEM team, we connected our education outreach directly to SDG 3, target 3.d, which focuses on reducing global health risks. One of the most pressing risks today is the misuse of antibiotics, which is driving the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). While collaboration with large organisations was initially out of reach, we prioritised impactful local outreach and digital engagement to maximise accessibility and relevance.

Outreach to Younger Students - Proper Hygiene (STAR Academy):
At STAR Academy, we focused on a younger audience, specifically kindergartners, as they are at a stage where they have limited knowledge about hygiene practices and antibiotic use. Our team designed a fun, interactive, and age-appropriate lesson plan that teaches the importance of proper handwashing, responsible medicine use, and understanding how bacteria and antibiotics work simply and memorably. Through activities such as storytelling, interactive games, and hands-on demonstrations, we helped students grasp the concepts of good and bad germs and how hygiene can protect their health and the environment. This early introduction aims to lay a foundation for long-term health awareness and AMR prevention starting from a young age.

Outreach to the Elderly - Proper Use of Antibiotics (Ton Yen Hospital):
At Ton Yen Hospital, we focused on the elderly, the demographic statistically most vulnerable to AMR due to weaker immune systems. With support from the Hsinchu Health Bureau, we combined a short educational session with interactive Q&A. Participants were asked how they could prevent AMR and what risks it poses to vulnerable groups. Misinterpretations were corrected, and those who contributed were given small gifts provided by the Health Bureau, fostering dialogue and engagement.

Outreach to Adolescents - Thinking About the Future (Hsinchu International Academy):
At Hsinchu International Academy, our outreach targeted older students already considering future careers in medicine or science. We connected AMR prevention directly to their academic and career interests, showing how synthetic biology could contribute to healthcare solutions. This allowed students to see themselves as potential contributors to global health innovation.

Digital Outreach to Communities - Avoiding AMR (Wayground.com, Instagram, Facebook):
Beyond in-person activities, we created globally accessible interactive games through platforms such as Wayground (formerly Quizziz), as well as educational posts on Instagram and Facebook. These tools provided a fun and yet informative way to spread accurate information about AMR and encourage responsible antibiotic use and hygiene to a broader audience beyond our local community. >> Wayground: https://wayground.com/admin/quiz/6882dd842a0a0180db925c15

Our team has dedicated significant effort to educating learning audiences on how they can contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with outreach programs designed for both kindergarten and high school students. Throughout our outreach activities, our primary goal was to educate students and provide them with opportunities to benefit from and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals in the future, specifically SDG 3, “Good Health and Well-being.” By introducing these concepts at an early stage, we aim not only to raise awareness of public health challenges, such as antimicrobial resistance, but also to inspire the next generation to see themselves as active participants in building healthier, more sustainable communities.

Education For All Ages:
At STAR Academy, we emphasised creativity and curiosity by not only presenting our project and its goals but also inviting kindergartners to imagine how they might change bacteria to solve global challenges in the future. This approach introduced synthetic biology as a field where their imagination and problem-solving skills could one day play a role.

At the high school level, our team organised structured sessions in which smaller groups of iGEM members visited every class in our school. These sessions were designed to demonstrate how synthetic biology directly connects to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 15 (Life on Land), and to highlight the diverse range of career paths in medicine, pharmaceuticals, and scientific research. Many students demonstrated interest in these areas, with some expressing aspirations to become doctors or scientists. By presenting not only the technical possibilities of synthetic biology but also its societal impact, we provided high school learners with concrete examples of how their future careers could contribute to solving pressing global issues, from antimicrobial resistance to environmental sustainability.

Environmental antimicrobial resistance is a significant contributor to several issues regarding life on land. Understanding more about antibiotic pollution and its impacts on the environment helps not only to address this issue within clinics and medical facilities, but it also contributes to solving this issue as a whole. This topic addresses SDG 15.1, which emphasises the restoration of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their associated services. Our project as a whole presents a mindful solution to this issue, demonstrating how our experimental plan can successfully mitigate problems caused by antimicrobial resistance if implemented in the environment.

Solution Implementation:
To extend our project beyond the laboratory, we envision implementing the BLIP conjugation system in environmental contexts, particularly through wastewater and soil remediation. Our aim is to control the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at its source, within the environment, before it reaches human populations. After identifying key environmental contributors to AMR, we focus on sources such as agricultural antibiotic use, wastewater irrigation, and runoff.

Our dry lab simulations model how the engineered BLIP gene could function in both soil and wastewater systems, exploring various protocols, delivery methods, and expected outcomes within a theoretical framework. Hoping to develop effective strategies to mitigate resistance spread and lay the groundwork for future environmental applications.

Consultation Finding- Hsinchu Health Bureau:
During our interview with the Hsinchu Health Bureau, they addressed an issue they had to deal with: the constant change of pesticides to prevent the emergence of Dengue fever or mosquito larvae within local communities. Because of resistance in mosquitoes, they have to swap out pesticides for community sterilization every couple of years, maybe even in shorter durations. This interconnected link to our topic, as chemical/pesticide runoff pollution can be one of the causes of resistance in insects due to the potential exposure to low concentrations of chemicals. This likely increases their tolerance, which creates a crisis for communities in tropical areas that are prone to vector-borne diseases.

Interview feedback- Dr. Lourena Arone Maxwell:
From the interview, it played a critical role in deepening our project’s alignment with SDG 15.1, which focuses on the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. Through her expertise as a phytopatologist, she played a critical role as our stakeholder. We recognised that our current work is not yet a direct environmental solution, but rather a foundational model that could inform future advancements in ecological biotechnology. Dr. Maxwell’s insights helped us reframe our project as a research-driven contribution to understanding the environmental impact of AMR, particularly in soil and water systems that support terrestrial ecosystems. By modelling how resistance develops and spreads, our project can help guide more targeted interventions in the future, such as the development of CRISPR-based environmental tools or bioremediation techniques. Although our implementation is in early stages, this interview reinforced our long-term commitment to supporting sustainable land use and ecosystem resilience through synthetic biology research and education. The shift not only clarified the scope of our impact but also strengthened our connection to SDG 15.1, positioning our work as a valuable model for environmental biotechnology in future studies.

Our project thoughtfully aligns with the three intended SDG goals. It addresses the issue through various aspects (socially, environmentally, etc), demonstrating the promotion of a mutual dialogue whilst considering feedback and the negative/positive interactions with other factors.

SDG 3 is addressed through the series of in-person and online education activities conducted for age groups ranging from 4 to 80. Each activity thoughtfully incorporates creativity and engagement while weighing in crucial aspects like the different targets for each audience. The in-person events mostly include interactive Q&A sessions as well as a basic hygiene promotion course to ensure that the proper use of antibiotics and the prevention of AMR, like washing hands and following prescriptions, are known. Our social media covers topics from “What is AMR?” to weekly progress updates and promotions, updating our community about what work we’ve done and what we’re anticipating.

SDG 4 is simultaneously touched upon through the educational activities we’ve conducted, alongside the feedback we’ve received from our various interviews. These activities promote dialogue that resonates through different age groups and inspires interest in middle and high schoolers to contribute to the synthetic biology field in the near future. Other than that, our interview sessions with important SDG stakeholders with different expertise led us to feedback we can effectively utilize to improve and reflect upon our plans, tailoring the event to best fit our audience.

SDG 15 is also mentioned through our project implementation (dry lab simulation) and consultation. The goal for project implementation surrounds the effective management of environmental antimicrobial resistance in wastewater and soil to prevent resistant wild bacteria’s contamination of food or drinking water caused by wastewater pollution, antibiotic agricultural runoff, or soil pollution. Not only this, but our consultations with Dr. Lourena Arone Maxwell and the Hsinchu Health Bureau provided valuable insight regarding our project’s realistic implementation and a phytopathologist’s opinion.

Each of these qualities demonstrates excellence in addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations and depicts how our solution is beneficial for the long term, with actual societal, economic, and environmental impact. Professional advice from stakeholders across various sectors was utilized and greatly weighed in our designs, presenting the effective consideration of the negative/positive impacts of our project in relation to other SDGs, taking multiple perspectives into consideration.

In the end, our project isn’t just about completing a competition or a delegated task; it is also about caring for this world that all humans share.