Sal Khan, Founder of Khan Academy and Khan Lab School
“Whoever you are, wherever you are, you only need to know one thing. You can learn anything.” — Sal Khan
A video in English with English subtitles.
Describer: Sal Khan sits in front of a gray wall.
Sal Khan: Hey everyone, super excited about the iGEM entry from Khan Lab School, just to answer your questions.
The importance of education in science, well science is all about understanding the universe and pushing the frontiers of our understanding of the universe.
And you can't get to the frontiers unless you learn everything that has come before you and that is fundamentally going to happen with some form of education.
Now there's a lot of different ways to learn it, but I personally think that most of us learn best from other people, learn it potentially even from our peers.
And when you do peer-to-peer learning, it's not just a very scalable way of getting very personalized attention.
When you explain the concepts, you tend to understand it deeper.
Someone who can't explain a concept in very simple terms, I believe, fundamentally doesn't really understand that concept.
Now if I were to give advice, people sometimes ask me advice for whatever it's worth on education and learning and peer-to-peer learning, I would say a few things.
I would say, before you explain something to someone else, make sure you understand it very deeply yourself. Make sure you're excited about it.
If you're not excited about it, if you don't find it interesting, then it's going to be very hard for you to convey that.
Human beings are very sensitive to tone and to what the other person is feeling. But if you're excited, it's going to be infectious.
The other thing I'll say is, is be yourself.
So many times I see people trying to make education content or any type of thing and they try to make it formal and overly produced and professional.
And that has some benefits to it.
But if you do that and you take out the personality, you take out the emotion, you take out what you really feel,
if it feels too scripted, then the person who's listening to whether the video or the lecture or the explanation isn't going to feel it.
So it's okay to be a little bit rough. As long as you really understand what you're talking about, as long as you're passionate about it,
speak from the heart and it doesn't have to be all perfect, that is going to connect with people much, much more.
And also try to connect the dots. Make it intuitive. Don't just say memorize this formula. Just take my word for it.
Connect the dots where they are. And if we don't know why the dots are connected, say that as well.
Because if someone's going to forward the frontiers of science, they need to know what science understands or thinks it understands and also what science does not understand.
Overview
Inspired by Sal Khan's contributions to the educational world, we wanted to make synthetic biology accessible to our local community through peer-to-peer learning. We found that many, especially younger students, were intimidated by synthetic biology as it seems inaccessible. Therefore, our efforts focused on bringing synthetic biology to various students through classes and teaching students that biology and synthetic biology are everywhere. We believe that once students understand the fundamentals of biology, they are better equipped to learn the role of synthetic biology in the world. Additionally, we made a point to make students always form groups or pairs to practice mutual learning and collaboration.
Synthetic Biology Course
Date: April - June 2025
To familiarize the team with the molecular biology techniques used within synthetic biology, a 10-week long course with lectures and labs was developed and run by our team captain, Ansh. The course assumed knowledge of basic biochemistry concepts taught by our team in a similar course last year. Both iGEM members and non-members were encouraged to join. The new techniques taught this year allowed students to run labs such as transforming plasmids from the iGEM distribution kit into E.coli. At the end of the course, students worked together to design, execute, and document an experiment to assay the efficiency of a custom made centrifuge and thermal cycler.
See the syllabus for the course.
Curriculum overview:
- Week 1: Transcription, Translation, and the Central Dogma
- Week 2: Genetic editing - Historical and Modern approaches
- Week 3: Lab techniques - Aseptic technique and DNA replication
- Week 4: Plasmid Techniques Overview
- Week 5: Experiment Design and Inducible Promoters See the protocol PDF used in week 5 of the course.
- Week 6: Sequencing and Optogenetics
- Weeks 7-10: Characterizing Experimental Equipment
Material produced by students:
Helios School
Date: June 2, 2025
Attendees: Avery, Anandita, Khushi, Ansh, Zoya, Nikhil, Rohan
Our team visited Helios school, a K-8 independent school in Sunnyvale. We ran a class introducing synthetic biology and conducted a hands-on activity to a group of thirty 8th-grade students.
We started the day by introducing our team, what iGEM is, and what we do. We then gave a short presentation on our 2024 iGEM project, Eat Methane! We then asked students what they knew about synthetic biology and DNA. Throughout our presentation, we asked questions and had the students answer to ensure they understood the concepts and stayed engaged.
We gave an introduction to the Central Dogma, DNA, protein production, and gene expression. After explaining some background information, students then participated in our “strawberry DNA” activity. Students formed groups extracted DNA from strawberries, showing them that science was not exclusively found in labs, but could be accessed anywhere. Students also learned that genomics surrounds us. Everyone and every living thing, including their strawberries, are a part of biology and genetic science. The hands-on strawberry DNA activity assisted students in visualizing the structures that we described in our presentation, and was a great way for them to get exposure to synthetic biology as a whole.
We then ended the day with cleanup, followed by a discussion and presentation about the activity. We explained how the different components added to the strawberries, dish soap, salt, and alcohol, all help extract the DNA from cells. Lastly, we asked the students to fill out a small survey describing their experience during the education visit.
Feedback
After analyzing our survey, we found that most students enjoyed the activity and found it interesting, although not exceptionally so. It also seemed as if we did not tailor our presentation well enough to our audience as many students reported that the activity felt easy. As for their interest in synthetic biology after the presentation, most students reported a 3, a moderate level of interest. We incorporated this feedback into our later education sessions.
Laurel Elementary
Date: June 11, 2025
Attendees: Rohan, Zoya, Khushi, Rohit, Kruti, Baxter
Members from our team visited Laurel Elementary School, a public school in Menlo Park with Spanish immersion education. We ran a class to two groups of around twenty 5th graders, in Spanish and in English, to explain DNA base pairs with a hands-on activity.
Prior to our efforts, Laurel elementary had no biology curriculum, meaning our class was the students' first exposure to biology.
We began the day by introducing iGEM and how DNA works by explaining what animals and cells have in common as well as the shape of DNA. Students were engaged, and asked questions such as “How does DNA make people?”
We then gave a short presentation on our 2024 project, Eat Methane! During our presentation, we continued our practice of asking questions and having students answer.
We did a quick survey to see what the kids knew about biology/genetics and as we would expect, the knowledge was minimal. We then gave some information on DNA base pairs and the sugar-phosphate backbone and how it makes the iconic double-helix shape. Then, we explained the activity and students proceeded to engage in the “Froot Loops DNA Base Pairs” activity.
Read the Froot Loops DNA Base Pairs in English.
Read the Froot Loops DNA Base Pairs in English and Spanish.
Students used different colors of Froot Loops to then represent DNA base pairs. Red representing A, orange representing T, purple representing C, and green representing G. This activity provided a similar hands on synthetic biology experience to the strawberry DNA activity from Helios, but on a lower level to match the age range of the younger students.
The students synthesized imaginary creatures by assigning specific attributes, represented by base pairs, to construct a unique organism.
We ended the activity with a reflection and asked students what they learned, and if they’d do the activity again. We got mixed results, giving us insights into what the students enjoyed and didn’t enjoy about the activity. We then repeated this for the second group of children.
Mandir Shreemaya Krishnadham Temple
June 19, 2025
Attendees: Anandita, Khushi, Ansh, Zoya, Nikhil, Rohan
Our team visited the Shreemaya Krishnadham Mandir, a Hindu temple in San Jose, California. The purpose of the visit was to introduce and discuss synthetic biology concepts to the students visiting the temple. This visit was split into two parts. The morning from 9-12 was with three students ages 9-12, while in the evening, the three students were joined by five other students, ages between 6-18. Both sessions were run in a mix of Hindi, Gujarati, and English.
We started the day by introducing biology and what iGEM is. We then moved on to a presentation about macromolecules and taught the students our 2025 iGEM project. To compliment the macromolecules presentation, we ran a cheese-making lab while explaining the background biology that made the processes work.
Chinese Student Visit
July 23, 2025
Attendees: Avery, Alyssa, Zoya, Meilin, Baxter
Twenty-two students from China, 8 to 14 years old, visited Khan Lab School as part of a summer camp. The students came from various parts of China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and more. Two members of our team, Avery and Alyssa, ran a class on DNA and DNA extraction entirely in Mandarin, including extensive Q&A.
We started by first introducing our team and our members, then asking each student to introduce themselves. The team explained what iGEM is and introduced the concept of synthetic biology. We then talked about DNA and its place in biology. Throughout the presentation, we asked the students questions to keep them engaged and see how much they already knew.
Please turn on captions.
A video in Chinese (Mandarin) with English and Chinese subtitles.
Describer: Alyssa stands next to Avery while standing in front of a TV with a slideshow.
Alyssa: Our current iGEM project uses E. Coli to prevent plastic from entering the environment.
Avery: Who knows what synthetic biology is?
Describer: No response from anyone.
Avery: Does anyone know what biology is?
Describer: A child stands up from his seat to speak.
Child: Biology includes both microorganisms and living organisms, and there are significant projects involved.
We then had students form pairs and ran the strawberry DNA activity, using the protocol one of our members translated, showing them DNA is very common in the world and giving them hands-on experience. The visit concluded with a Q&A about science, Khan Lab School, and student life in the United States. Students were free to ask any questions they had about the differences between life in the U.S. and China, how much homework we received, how school schedules worked, how we engage with science, etc.
See the DNA extraction protocol In Chinese, English, and Pinyin PDF
Stanford CRISPR Kit
Date: July - September 2025
Attendees: Alisha, Anandita, Ansh, Avery, Khushi, Paul, Uday, Zoya, Baxter
CRISPR Kit is an initiative by Stanford University’s Stanley Qi Lab working to make biotechnology more accessible to high school students. Prior to the beginning of the school year, our team began working with the Stanley Qi Lab to adapt CRISPR Kit for Khan Lab School. In Khan Lab School, 10th and 11th grade students are encouraged to pursue a Cornerstone project. Cornerstone projects are year-long projects where students explore any topic they’re interested in, with the goal of improving their community. With this in mind, we began integrating CRISPR Kit with Cornerstone.
See the CRISPR Kit Cornerstone Project Proposal PDF
Over the summer, iGEM students participated in lab sessions to run the CRISPR Kit experiments themselves, gaining hands-on experience and a clear understanding of the protocol. Through joint planning meetings and feedback sessions, students also developed their ability to support and mentor peers, preparing to serve as TAs during the fall workshop. This collaboration helped bridge science education and peer-to-peer teaching, reinforcing both technical and communication skills.
Cornerstone was adapted to have, over the course of three weeks in September, three sessions exploring the biodesign process, CRISPR, and experiment design. Sessions were led by members of the Qi Lab including Abigail Alemayeho, a Stanford student pursuing her bachelors degree in bioengineering and data science, Andre Gu, a bioengineering PhD student, and Dr. Alex Choi, a postdoctoral scholar studying microscopy and CRISPR. Members of our team assisted the Qi lab members throughout the process and worked as teacher assistants during sessions.
We love iGEM.—Andre Gu, Stanford Stanley Qi Lab
Week 1
The first session was a general introduction to the Stanford biodesign process, beginning with the Identify phase. Students learned how to find unmet needs, conduct research and interviews to gain expertise, and formulate a clear "Needs" Statement. The presentation emphasized that solving a problem required understanding the problem thoroughly before jumping to solutions.
Students were then sorted into groups of two and given a handout with a cookie-making analogy to practice their problem solving skills. Once finished, several students presented their solutions to receive constructive feedback. The day introduced the importance of teamwork, decision-making, accessibility, and set the foundation for the Invent phase in the next sessions.
Week 2
Prior to the beginning of session two, members of our team helped Qi Lab members prepare the wetlab material for the session. Many of these members had previously been unable to participate in wetlab activities for iGEM, so this gave them the opportunity to learn wetlab preparation skills.
The second session began by reviewing themes of bioengineering and the Biodesign problem-solving framework. Students reviewed fundamental biology concepts such as the central dogma and were introduced to the problem of genetic diseases. Once the students were prepared, Dr. Alex Choi began to explain what CRISPR is and how it works.
A video in English with English subtitles.
Describer: Dr. Alex Choi, in front of a class of kids, stands in front of a TV with a slideshow presentation. The current slide is titled, “CRISPR requires only 3 components.” Below the title lists the 3 components as target DNA, guide RNA, and CAS9. Left of the list is a diagram of CAS9 on top of DNA.
Dr. Alex Choi: And, as we spoke about earlier, we have a genetic sequence that might be sort of mutated or be disease-prone, such as the sequence over here, and this is what we call the target DNA, and this is the DNA or the gene that we want to specifically edit in this situation. So CRISPR comprises of two components. The first component is what's called a guide RNA, and a guide RNA is a 20-letter sequence that is what's called those complementary to DNA sequence. So it's a way for us to sort of pick out different genes in our DNA through this sort of like complementary sequence, okay? We then combine it with the second component of CRISPR, which is called Cas9, and what Cas9 does is that Cas9 breaks DNA, so what the guide RNA does is it shows the where in your DNA you want to bring the Cas9 to, and then it will cut the DNA, and then hopefully repair the DNA, okay? Does anyone have any questions about the two-component system, or if I need to clarify anything?
Students then discussed the inaccessibility surrounding CRISPR, mostly due to high costs. With this, Dr. Choi introduced CRISPR Kit, which aims to make biotechnology accessible to high school students. CRISPR Kit utilizes dCas9 (developed by Dr. Stanley Qi) for safer, reversible gene editing.
A video in English with English subtitles.
Describer: Dr. Alex Choi, in front of a class of kids, stands in front of a TV with a slideshow presentation. The slideshow shows a diagram of expensive products on top and cheaper alternatives below.
Dr. Alex Choi: How we went about actually approaching making the technology more accessible is we took it from the lens of actually giving cost to the project. Where we sort of identified that there are various lab equipment that's super expensive, okay. For example, pipettes, which allows you to pull up liquids that cost you about $1,000. Incubators that basically set temperatures, like a refrigerator, can cost about $10,000. Softwares and technologies that actually breathe out, sort of like whether a gene is mutated or not, can cost like $70,000. And even basic softwares can cost $5,000. So our solution to sort of bridging this gap was actually developing alternatives that are essentially free. And this allows us to sort of bring down the cost barrier in CRISPR, where instead of using a $1,000 pipette, we can use what is called an inoculation loop, which is about $1. We can make sure that our reactions work at room temperature. And we can sort of bypass a lot of this fancy lab equipment using smart phone technology.
With this, students formed groups and began the melanin production pathway experiment, allowing students to see a practical, visual application of CRISPR via a color change reaction. This helped them understand exactly what CRISPR Kit had developed and learn of its applications.
Week 3
Session three finished covering the biodesign process by focusing on the Implementation phase, covering strategy development and business planning for bringing a product like CRISPRkit to market. Students learned how CRISPR Kit itself was developed through the full biodesign cycle, from identifying the need for accessible, affordable synthetic biology education to concept generation, screening, and implementation. The session emphasized the importance of a strong Need Statement and delved into the challenges of scalability, sustainability, and maintaining quality. Students were shown the results of their experiments and discussed what could be improved with CRISPR Kit’s current accessibility and how it could be used into diverse fields such as agriculture, marine biology, plastic waste, and medicine.
Summary
Our team taught synthetic biology concepts to around 150 students with a variety of backgrounds. We reached Chinese, Spanish, Gujarati, Hindi, and English speakers. We also reached our local Hindu population. We also developed synthetic biology curriculum for high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools. We ensured students gained hands-on experience to relieve the disconnect between abstract science and the world. As we continued, our feedback from the events grew increasingly positive, with each subsequent student group feeling more confident and satisfied. Through our targeted initiatives and collaborations, we believe our team successfully introduced synthetic biology to a large, diverse group of students, inspiring them to pursue science and synthetic biology further.