As recorded in Chuanxi Lu 132, Wang Yangming writes: "Knowledge is the outset of action; action is the consummation of knowledge", underscoring the original unity of knowing and doing. Our Jiangnan-China team integrates this philosophy throughout our educational initiatives, believing that synthetic biology education is not merely knowledge transfer, but the collaborative cultivation of cognitive construction and practical capabilities. Against the backdrop of global challenges, particularly antimicrobial resistance (AMR), we use antimicrobial peptide (AMPs) LL-37 as a vehicle, deeply integrating the technical principles of synthetic biology with social needs through progressive, interdisciplinary educational design. This approach embodies responsible bioscience innovation—a forward-looking, reflective, and participatory model of research and governance—thereby simultaneously advancing public scientific literacy and tangible solutions.
Based on experience from previous iGEM projects and this philosophy of "Knowledge is the outset of action; action is the consummation of knowledge", we've constructed a dynamic educational cycle of "Reach - Listen - Adapt - Inspire". We reach diverse audiences through multiple channels; genuinely listen to their feedback and concerns; adapt our educational strategies and research directions accordingly; and ultimately aim to inspire correct understanding and innovative responsibility for synthetic biology. This cycle is not unidirectional; it is an iterative feedback loop that ensures our educational activities always resonate with social needs, putting the knowledge-action unity into practice.
Education is not one-way delivery; it is a multiparty dialogue among communities, schools, and beyond. By analyzing public cost sensitivity and application concerns about LL-37, we focused our research direction on medical fields and so on; through school cooperation, we transformed educational outcomes into sustainable science communication resources. This process embodies the deep logic of "Knowledge is the outset of action; action is the consummation of knowledge", advancing responsible innovation in synthetic biology through the cycle of practice and cognition.
To provide an intuitive overview of our diverse interactive engagements, this educational roadmap is organized into four key segments that capture distinct outreach dimensions by illustrating our strategies to reach, listen, adapt, and inspire across different platforms and populations in such areas as online and offline activities, art-science integration, and collaboration.
We develop accessible, interactive content that meets the public on their preferred digital platforms. The core of all these online efforts is to more effectively launch our educational cycle. We create content to reach the public, listen to their authentic voices through analyzing comments, live comments, and questionnaires, quickly adapt content strategies and narrative methods accordingly, with the ultimate goal of inspiring independent critical thinking, a deeper understanding of synthetic biology, and a proactive interest in its societal implications.
To expand the interactivity and engagement of synthetic biology education, we developed an online educational game "Cytopia Defense," designed to help players understand the principles and applications of antimicrobial peptides through gamification mechanisms. Players act as the "Antimicrobial Squad," strategically deploying LL-37 against pathogens while balancing real-world challenges like cost, efficiency, and safety. The game integrates fundamental synthetic biology knowledge, core project logic, and social-ethical considerations, becoming an important part of our educational system.
Since launch, the game has rapidly attracted widespread participation from students, teachers, and the public, with over 3,000 cumulative visits and an average playtime of 24 minutes. The game not only serves as an effective channel to reach younger audiences, but its interactive mechanics also provide real-time data support for continuously optimizing our narrative and educational strategies.
The game is not just an innovative form to reach and inspire young audiences; its feedback also provides valuable data for continuously listening to player behavior and adapting game difficulty and science communication depth.
Click the image above to play Cytopia Defense game!
Synthetic biology often seems both complex and distant to the public. To bridge this gap, we partnered with Northeast Forestry University and Hainan University teams to create a livestream titled "Exploring the Wonderful World of Synthetic Biology." Through real project cases, vivid metaphors, and visual slides, this livestream transformed common questions like "What exactly is synthetic biology?" and "What's the significance of iGEM?" into narrative analogies grounded in everyday examples. For example, when viewer "cacaca" asked in the chat "What exactly is iGEM?", we explained it in accessible terms connected to real-world problem-solving scenarios. This livestream also demonstrated our "listening" philosophy in practice: content design fully incorporated questions and misconceptions collected from previous activities. Through real-time Q&A and themed presentations, we addressed common concerns about safety and ethics, helping audiences develop more scientific and responsible understanding of synthetic biology.
The livestream was a successful cross-school outreach practice. Through exchanges with both teams and online audiences, we listened to specific questions like, "What can LL-37 actually achieve outside of the competition?" and "How does this impact our daily lives compared to antibiotics?" This feedback made us realize that our previous presentation leaned too heavily on the experimental process, underemphasizing its practical value. Recognizing that the public cares more about these real-world implications, we were prompted to adapt our project presentation priorities for educational activities. Consequently, we shifted our core narrative from "how we conducted our project" to one that focuses more on "how LL-37 and synthetic biology can tackle real-world problems like AMR." This process not only deepened public comprehension of iGEM but also more effectively inspired interest in the application prospects of LL-37, building a more holistic public understanding of synthetic biology from both competition and practical angles.
Facing widespread public doubts and information barriers in synthetic biology, we firmly believe that proactively responding to and debunking widespread scientific rumors is key to building public trust. Therefore, we partnered with iGEM teams at CJUH-JLU-China University plus 33 additional university teams to co-produce the handbook "Smashing synthetic biology rumours science brochure(OCR)."
This handbook clarifies common global misconceptions about synthetic biology, using rigorous scientific evidence combined with accessible analogies to transform complex technical principles into easily understood reading material. This handbook is not just an outcome of our science communication efforts, but a direct embodiment of our "listening" phase—its content directly stems from the most common and pointed concerns collected from various audience interactions. By directly addressing these questions, we aim to eliminate misunderstandings, promote rational discussion, and advance more responsible and clearer understanding of synthetic biology globally.
Click the handbook image to view the first part
We have established a dynamic and inclusive science communication network across multiple digital platforms—including WeChat Official Account, Little Red Book, TikTok, Bilibili，Instagram and YouTube—releasing a wide range of educational posts and videos to engage diverse audiences.
We have built an integrated science communication network across major Chinese digital platforms, with each channel serving a distinct strategic role. On video-centric platforms including Little Red Book, TikTok, and Bilibili, we published dynamic visual content, such as promotion videos, in a style similar to the engaging format of our Instagram and YouTube posts.Simultaneously, our WeChat Official Account served as a key hub for textual interaction, where we regularly posted post-event summaries and previewed upcoming online activities, ensuring continuous audience engagement and extending the impact of our educational initiatives.
To further engage with global audiences and participate in cross-border scientific dialogue, we maintained active English-language profiles on Instagram and YouTube. Our Instagram and YouTube accounts featured visually-driven posts and stories highlighting project milestones, behind-the-scenes moments, and bite-sized science facts. These platforms showcase our project's value and establish a line of communication with international iGEM teams, synthetic biology enthusiasts, and the broader academic community.
On the audio-based platform Microcosm, we launched a specially designed podcast series titled SynBio Voices, produced to prioritize auditory accessibility and bilingual dialogue. Each episode was recorded in both Mandarin and English with careful attention to clear narration, descriptive language, and minimal visual reference, making the content fully accessible to blind and low-vision listeners. The series included:
Episode 1 "The Antibiotic": Discussing the global AMR challenge and the role of antimicrobial peptides like LL-37 as natural alternatives.
Episode 2 "Antibacterial Peptide": Exploring how synthetic biology tools can optimize antimicrobial peptides for real-world applications.
Episode 3 "iGEM": Sharing insights from our team's journey in the iGEM competition and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration.
The podcast surpassed 800 plays, reaching audiences in varied scenarios such as commuting and home settings, and was widely praised for its inclusive design and educational clarity.
This series is merely the starting point of our science communication initiatives. Moving forward, we will continue to roll out more podcast content covering cutting-edge topics such as gene editing, biosafety, and sustainable materials, consistently delivering high-quality, interdisciplinary, and inclusive scientific insights to the public. We firmly believe that science should have no barriers, and dialogue should never cease.
We designed highly participatory experimental activities to make abstract scientific principles tangible and concrete. We also engaged directly in communities for face-to-face dialogue.
Offline activities provided valuable opportunities for deep dialogue with the public and complete practice of our educational cycle. We reached participants through hands-on experiments and face-to-face communication, listened to their first-hand reactions through on-site observation and questionnaires, these insights directly helped us adapt activity design and science communication priorities, ultimately inspiring their love for science through personal experience.
In our laboratory, fluorescent proteins are more than just colorful markers; they are essential tools that help us visualize the invisible workings of cells. To efficiently test the strength of different genetic promoters without relying on slow and costly methods, we engineered a special system where blue and green fluorescent proteins act as real-time indicators of gene activity. We designed this activity to help young participants understand that scientific progress often depends on creating smart tools to see and measure the hidden processes of biology.
In the fluorescent protein microbial painting experiment, middle school students used inoculation loops dipped in engineered bacterial solution to freely create patterns on petri dishes. When UV lights illuminated the bacteria, causing them to emit a vivid green fluorescence that brought their artwork to life, participants gained an intuitive understanding of "gene expression" and "protein function." The enthusiastic response from students - many of whom could clearly explain LL-37’s role in preservation and expressed strong interest in further scientific activities—reinforced our belief that embodied learning is one of the most powerful ways to ignite scientific curiosity. We also learned that presenting complex technologies through low-threshold, sensory-rich experiences significantly increases public openness to synthetic biology.
Through the fluorescent protein painting activity, we effectively initiated our educational cycle by reaching students via hands-on creative engagement. As participants worked with the bacterial solutions and witnessed their designs illuminate under UV light, we actively listened to their questions, observations, and moments of surprise - gathering invaluable qualitative feedback in real-time. This direct engagement allowed us to adapt our explanations and support on the spot, simplifying complex concepts like gene expression based on their immediate responses and level of understanding. Ultimately, the experience inspired not only a practical grasp of synthetic biology principles but also palpable excitement about the potential of science to create beauty and solve real - world problems, embodying the continuous and responsive nature of our "Reach - Listen - Adapt - Inspire" approach.
During our He Yun community engagement, we recognized that residents of different age groups have distinctly different habits and needs for receiving scientific information. Therefore, we adopted targeted, precision science communication strategies, designing different interactive formats and content for young families with children and community elderly, achieving more effective reach and resonance.
For young families with children, we set up fun interactive Q&As and "Handwashing Song" teaching sessions. Through scenario-based questions closely tied to daily life like "Can antibiotics treat colds?" and "Can antimicrobial peptide bread replace anti-inflammatory drugs?", we guided parents and children to think and judge together. Children learned scientific knowledge through games while parents clarified long-held medication misconceptions through interaction. This family-unit participation model not only enhanced the fun and immersion of science communication but also extended scientific concept dissemination from individuals to family units.
For elderly community members, we adopted more direct and patient communication methods. Team members actively went to community squares and rest areas, distributing carefully designed large-font, illustrated science communication flyers, and explained topics like "why we shouldn't misuse antibiotics" and "antimicrobial peptide applications" using local dialects and life-based metaphors. This "coming to your side" communication eliminated elderly people's sense of alienation from unfamiliar technology, making them feel respected and cared for.
Through this targeted strategy, we not only achieved broader reach but also completed deeper listening—from young parents' high concern for children's health to elderly groups' deep worries about medication safety. These insights enabled us to continuously adapt the focus and expression of science communication content, ultimately truly inspiring residents of different generations to establish more scientific and healthy antimicrobial concepts.
We went beyond traditional lectures to build platforms for equal dialogue, listening to audiences' original ideas and critical thinking. In the leaderless group discussion at Tianyi High School in Jiangsu Province, focusing on "how to improve yeast production efficiency of LL-37," high school students including Li Lele and Sun Siyu proposed highly innovative solutions like "installing metabolic sensors for yeast" and "using AI to predict optimal fermentation temperature." These ideas not only provided referable technical optimization approaches but also amazed us with Gen Z's excellent systems thinking and problem-solving potential.
Leaderless group discussions went beyond one-way reach to create spaces for equal listening. Students' highly creative ideas not only provided adjustable technical approaches but also profoundly inspired us: Gen Z itself is a powerful problem-solving force.
In the frisbee challenge event held at the university, we skillfully integrated sports interaction with scientific metaphor, using the “throw-and-hit” motion of frisbee to simulate the process by which antimicrobial peptides precisely target pathogens. Participants attempted to hit the target area by throwing Frisbees - the blank area of the target symbolized the “bacteria” to be eliminated, while the Frisbee represented the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 with its targeted bactericidal function. During the activity, the students repeatedly adjusted their throwing angles and force in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, personally experiencing the technique and control required for “precise targeting.” This allowed them to gain a more intuitive understanding of the precise biological principles underlying antimicrobial peptides' ability to recognize targets and efficiently eliminate pathogens. The activity not only enhanced participants' comprehension of the synthetic biology project’s logic but also deepened their awareness of the importance of “targeted delivery” in biomedical applications. Post-event survey feedback showed that participants believed the Frisbee challenge significantly improved their understanding of the antimicrobial peptide’s mechanism, particularly in aspects such as “target recognition” and “action precision.” This design also demonstrated our ability to transform abstract scientific principles into perceptible, interactive educational experiences, truly embodying the idea of “Knowledge is the outset of action; action is the consummation of knowledge.”
We firmly believe that the light of science education should illuminate every corner of the land, whether in bustling cities or remote mountains and seas. Driven by the mission to promote educational equity, our team visited into Dongying in Shandong and Fuding in Fujian to carry out science education activities. These two regions, though geographically distinct, share a common thirst for new scientific knowledge, allowing us to witness the boundless possibilities of synthetic biology education.
To deepen the practical application of synthetic biology education in resource-constrained regions, the team conducted experimental teaching at Shengli NO.2 Middle School in Dongying during the summer vacation. In response to the local situation of emphasizing theory over practice, we designed and demonstrated a comprehensive experimental course centered on gas production and property investigation. By guiding students to understand scientific principles through intuitive phenomena, we put into practice the educational philosophy of “Knowledge is the outset of action; action is the consummation of knowledge”.
The session began with carbon dioxide generation and characterization: students assembled a reaction system using large test tubes, connectors, and gas collection bottles, then introduced 5-10g marble chunks followed by dilute hydrochloric acid (1:1 concentration) through a long-stem funnel, immediately observing vigorous bubbling. After air displacement, CO₂ was collected via upward air displacement method and verified by flame extinction at the bottle mouth.
Three key property tests followed - the purple litmus solution turning red confirmed acidity, limewater developing white precipitate demonstrated carbonate identification, and strategically extinguished candle flames from bottom to top in a beaker vividly illustrated density and combustion suppression properties.
The experiment transitioned to oxygen production using a conical flask apparatus with manganese dioxide catalyst, where controlled addition of 6% hydrogen peroxide solution generated steady bubbles for water displacement collection. The definitive oxygen test showed a glowing splint reigniting dramatically in the gas-filled bottle.
These gas experiments transformed abstract principles into tangible phenomena, reaching and igniting the students’ initial curiosity about experimental science.
After the activity, we held in-depth discussions with Principal Shu Fengqin of Shengli No. 2 Middle School. Principal Shu highly appreciated the innovative educational approach we brought, noting, "Traditional education often focuses on knowledge infusion, while the inquiry-based, experiential learning you introduced truly stimulates students’ active thinking and innovative awareness. This provides invaluable insights for our future teaching reforms, specifically on how to integrate profound scientific principles into basic education in a low-threshold, highly participatory manner." We attentively listened to Principal Shu’s sharing about the current state and challenges of rural science education, deepening our understanding that science popularization is not merely about transmitting knowledge but also about empowering educators.
To more vividly convey the core principles of synthetic biology—precision, collaboration, and systems thinking—to teachers and students at Shengli No.2 Middle School in Shandong Province, we specially designed an innovative team-building activity with the theme of "Cell Factory" on the occasion of International Women’s Day. This event aimed to break gender stereotypes in science education, enabling female students to equally enjoy the excitement of cutting-edge technological learning and promoting educational equity through concrete actions.
In the first game, "Signal Transduction and Stress Response," participants simulated sensing components within a "cell factory," demonstrating the response mechanism of engineered bacteria to external environmental signals by reacting swiftly to randomly dropped instruction rods. In doing so, we emphasized that women equally possess precise judgment and rapid responsiveness in scientific research, allowing female students to experience a sense of achievement in scientific exploration through gameplay.
The subsequent game, "Protein Folding and Transport," allowed participants to experience the complete process of protein synthesis to functionalization through team-based hula-hoop passing. Throughout this activity, we ensured every female student played a key role, highlighting their unique value in teamwork and putting into practice the ethos that "science thrives on diversity" and equality.
Through this special Women’s Day event, we not only enabled students at Dongying No. 2 Junior Middle School to experience the charm of synthetic biology but also demonstrated through action that science education knows no gender boundaries. Every young woman passionate about science deserves the opportunity to explore the unknown and showcase her talents. This stands as a testament to our commitment to educational equity—allowing the seeds of science to take root in everyone’s heart, regardless of gender.
During an educational activity at Dongying Shengli No. 2 Middle School, we introduced a challenge project based on the sport of curling to demonstrate the precision of targeted delivery in synthetic biology. This "Precision Delivery Challenge" required students to slide curling stones toward a target area, perfectly illustrating the accuracy needed in biological systems.
The activity served as a direct metaphor for the targeted mechanism of antimicrobial peptides. Just as a curling stone must accurately reach its target on the ice, our synthetic biological systems, such as the LL-37 antimicrobial peptide, need to precisely act on specific pathogens while avoiding healthy cells. The students' control over the throwing force and trajectory reflected the delicate balance required in drug dosage optimization - excessive force would cause the stone to deviate from the target, while insufficient force would fail to achieve the desired effect.
Xin Fan shared after the activity: "I never thought curling could be so scientific. After multiple adjustments, when I finally made the perfect throw, I understood the importance of drugs needing to reach their target accurately. It's not just about creating drugs but also about achieving precise delivery." His reflection fully demonstrated how hands-on experience can transform abstract concepts into tangible understanding.
Through this practical approach, we emphasized that synthetic biology is not only about creating biological systems but also about controlling them with precision. The curling rink became a laboratory, allowing students to personally experience the critical importance of precision in both sports and scientific research.
This activity not only brought joy and excitement to the campus but also conveyed an important message: precision in bioengineering can be as deliberate and accurately controlled as a perfectly thrown curling stone. This is yet another successful practice of ours in making complex scientific concepts accessible and engaging.
In the mountainous region of Fuding, Fujian, we conducted a unique "Nature Observation Workshop." We guided students to use magnifying glasses to observe leaf veins, insect structures, and soil particles. We designed a "Microbe Hide-and-Seek" game, allowing students to collect samples from different natural environments and compare microbial growth differences between shady and sunny, dry and humid areas. Team members used vivid metaphors to explain the mechanism of antimicrobial peptides, comparing them to "guardians of nature," helping students understand the mysteries of the microbial world.
One student shared after the activity, "Every leaf and every stone tells a story of science." These low-threshold, highly interactive activities made us deeply realize that scientific enlightenment does not rely on expensive equipment but rather on stimulating curiosity to explore nature.
Dongying and Fuding, one in the north and one in the south, one urban and one rural, equally demonstrate the profound mission of synthetic biology education: to guide action with knowledge, transforming abstract principles into tangible practices; to promote knowledge through action, gaining feedback and insights from real-world environments. These two expansion activities perfectly embody the "Reach - Listen - Adapt - Inspire" education cycle, allowing responsible innovation to take root and flourish in broader landscapes.
During our educational activity in Fuding's mountainous area, we organized a fun team game called "Collaborative Drumbeat" for local teachers and students. In this activity, small groups worked together by pulling strings attached to a large drum to bounce a ball continuously without dropping it. Everyone had to cooperate and adjust their movements carefully to keep the ball going.
This simple game helped show an important idea about how synthetic biology works: just like in the game, where every team member must coordinate to achieve a common goal, in biology, different parts of a cell also need to work together smoothly to get a task done. It taught us that good teamwork and attention to details are important both in science and in everyday problem-solving.
Yang Jianfeng said after the activity: "At first, we were all pulling the strings randomly and the ball kept falling. But once we started talking and moving together, we found a rhythm and even broke our record! It made me understand that doing science isn’t just about working alone - it’s about listening to each other and adjusting as a team."
Through activities like this, we wanted to show that science is for everyone - no matter where you are. It doesn’t always require advanced equipment; sometimes, learning can be hands-on, joyful, and deeply connected to real life. The laughter and excitement in the school that day reminded us that great things happen when people work together.
The fusion of art and science is our strategy to transcend disciplinary silos and kick-start our educational cycle. We reach groups with different aesthetic preferences through IP characters and biological paintings, listen to public emotional resonance points by collecting feedback on designs and artwork, adapt our artistic expression accordingly, and ultimately aim to inspire the public to perceive the inherent romance and beauty of science.
Most teams design IPs based on research subjects, but we created a black cat character, called "Sheriff 37 "from the perspective of practitioners and protectors, making the IP subject no longer limited to certain keywords or elements from experiments, thus more inclusive.
Choosing a black cat as our IP character multi-dimensionally aligns with core project values. From scientific acuity, cats' excellent night vision is consistent with our team's original intention and practice—both keenly discovering antibiotic inhibition problems and focusing on core issues to precisely formulate and implement solutions. Culturally, the black cat image is cute with neutrality, symbolizing good fortune in Asian culture and mysterious power in European culture, able to resonate broadly across cultural boundaries. Functionally, cats' hunting characteristics echo antimicrobial peptides' precise destruction of pathogens in the project, intuitively conveying the project's core efficacy, making the IP character a vivid carrier of project values.
Eager to discover the creative thinking behind these designs? Click the link to explore the comprehensive range of derivatives created for our IP character.
To transform abstract synthetic biology projects and cute IP characters into tangible, usable entities in public daily life, we designed and produced a series of exquisite cultural creative products, including logo badge pins, black cat refrigerator magnets, antimicrobial peptide themed food tote bags, black cat phone grips, and black cat stickers.
These merchandise items are not simple promotional materials but extensions of our science and art communication strategy:
Functional Integration: Phone grips, refrigerator magnets, tote bags deeply integrate into daily life scenarios, allowing IP characters and project concepts to reach users invisibly, achieving high-frequency "soft touch."
Emotional Connection: The cute, neutral black cat image and high-quality product design sparked collection and sharing desire among the public, especially young people, establishing positive emotional connections and effectively inspiring their curiosity and goodwill toward the project.
Conversational Activation: Whenever someone asks "What's this little cat?", our merchandise becomes a key to opening dialogue about synthetic biology. By observing public preferences and feedback on different merchandise, we also continuously listen, providing inspiration for future product design and science communication directions.
These merchandise items gained widely popularity in online and offline activities and exchanges, not only strengthening team brand identity but becoming our mobile "science business cards," bringing synthetic biology into thousands of households in a warmer, more approachable way.
We firmly believe that science and art are two common languages through which humanity understands the world. To break disciplinary barriers and spark public, especially youth, interest and imagination in life sciences, we jointly launched the "Light of Life" biological painting activity with SKLBE-CHINA team. We encouraged participants to set aside complex formulas and redefine what life science looks like with brushes, transforming the cells, antimicrobial peptides, enzymes, and DNA and so on into story-filled artistic images, such as "Cell City" and "Antimicrobial Peptide Little Guards." This activity attracted individuals and teams of different ages from different regions globally, successfully transforming synthetic biology's technical principles into visualized romantic narratives, becoming an innovative bridge for reaching broader audiences and conveying the beauty of science.
As active members of the iGEM community, we firmly believe collaboration and open exchange are core drivers for advancing synthetic biology innovation and outreach. We actively initiated and participated in multiple inter-school, cross-regional exchange activities. Each collaboration is an extension of our "Reach - Listen - Adapt - Inspire" educational cycle. We reach other teams' wisdom through exchange, listen to their professional suggestions and critical feedback. These valuable inputs greatly helped us adapt our project's research path and human practices strategy, while also inspiring more diverse innovative ideas through mutual encouragement. These valuable interactions greatly broadened our technical horizons, and the feedback generated has been directly integrated into project iteration and optimization, perfectly embodying the collaborative spirit advocated by iGEM.
We built an extensive collaborative network, conducting in-depth exchanges with top teams from different provinces and cities nationwide:
Led by TJUSLS-China, we gathered online with teams from YAU-China, NWU-China, NEFU-China, and OUC-China. The meeting focused on interpreting inclusivity award criteria and efficient management experience for large teams, providing extremely valuable framework guidance for our subsequent project planning and team collaboration.
Six School Online Exchange Meeting - Part 1
Six School Online Exchange Meeting - Part 2
In this online exchange meeting of Chinese university iGEM teams (PekingHSC-China,SUSTechOCAEN,Jiangnan-China,CJUH-JLU-China,NEFU-China, XJTLU-China ,OUC-China) shared their cutting-edge explorations in synthetic biology.
SUSTechOCAEN demonstrated a machine learning-based red tide biological control system with impressive innovative light-controlled expression systems and precise delivery solutions; Jiangnan-China focused on efficient synthesis of antimicrobial peptide LL-37, sharing progress in yeast optimization and food preservation applications; OUC-China emphasized practical aspects including proper safety form completion, human practices closed-loop design, and effective government communication strategies; PekingHSC-China's riboswitch liver disease treatment project showcased the unique value of medical synthetic biology with its dual-track research framework and deep inclusivity design.
Through heated discussion, participants reached an important consensus on strengthening synthetic biology core features, deepening HP activity feedback mechanisms, expanding government-enterprise cooperation channels, and implementing inclusivity design concepts. Teams will subsequently focus on improving safety forms, advancing inter-school cooperation, optimizing science communication, and addressing common challenges like engineered bacteria stability and HP effect quantification. Through candid and efficient exchange, this meeting provided valuable optimization ideas and cooperation opportunities for teams, powerfully advancing the transformation of synthetic biology projects from laboratory innovation to practical application.
At this offline gathering, we shared mid-term project progress with partners from East China. The creative science communication methods (like interactive games, art design) demonstrated by teams gave us tremendous inspiration, directly influencing our subsequent science handbook and social media strategies.
As the annual grand event of China's iGEM community, we conducted intensive exchanges with over 100 teams including Fudan and NJTech-China. During roadshows and coffee breaks, we received numerous constructive feedback from judges and team members with different disciplinary backgrounds, particularly obtaining specific technical optimization suggestions for LL-37's antibacterial efficacy testing methods and industrialization cost estimation models. Ultimately, our project won 4th place in the Synbiopunk Challenge for its innovation, presentation impact, and social value.
When facing the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), we consistently maintain an open and learning attitude, actively listening to insights from experts with different educational backgrounds. As an important part of the "Listen" phase in our "Reach - Listen - Adapt - Inspire" educational cycle, we specially invited food microbiologist Professor Sabrina Tian and interdisciplinary education Professor Chen from New Zealand to conduct in-depth dialogue on Sino-New Zealand educational differences and scientific literacy cultivation.
Professor Sabrina Tian, combining her research and teaching experience in New Zealand and China, pointed out differences in stimulating innovative thinking and practical capabilities between the two regions' science education. She suggested that synthetic biology education should focus more on interdisciplinary integration and real problem orientation, such as integrating AMR topics into middle school curricula, guiding students to understand scientific value from social needs.
Professor Chen shared how to cultivate students' system modeling and complex problem-solving abilities through teaching methods combining computational thinking with biological experiments. He praised the "dry-wet integration" research model in our project and suggested promoting deep integration in cognition and collaboration among multidisciplinary teams through workshops, data sharing, and other educational practices.
These voices from international scholars not only broadened our cognitive boundaries regarding AMR issues but also provided practical optimization suggestions for our technical routes and team collaboration. We promptly integrated these insights into project iteration and educational content design, truly achieving “Knowledge is the outset of action; action is the consummation of knowledge”. Meanwhile, through these cross-cultural, interdisciplinary dialogues, we also conveyed synthetic biology's open, collaborative, and responsible innovation concepts in a broader scope, further enriching the iGEM global community's knowledge sharing and ethical consensus.
The following impact data illustrate our “Reach – Listen – Adapt – Inspire” cycle in action. It clearly shows how we collected opinions through listening, how we adapted actions accordingly, and ultimately measured what changes we inspired. This closed loop ensures our educational work is not self-admiring but a dynamic process of continuous progress with society.
Throughout our educational activities, we actively collected feedback from diverse audiences through questionnaires, interviews, and online interactions. What were their deepest impressions, most pressing concerns, and most genuine perceptions of our project? The word cloud below, generated from their direct feedback, visually summarizes the core focus of public discourse. Words like "Safety","Cost","Reliable" and "Work" prominently emerged, directly guiding how we adapted and refined our project.
[1]Wang, Y. (2012). Chuanxi lu (Annotations and commentaries)(Z. Deng, Ed.). Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House. (Original work published circa 1518)
[2]Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice-Hall.
