Our SHSID iGEM team promoted our project with our peers on the annual club fair. We brought our custom-made products and one of our rolled-up banners to the affair, aiming to let our peers recognize our topic and synthetic biology. Our two mascots - Chromium and Crouton, attracted the most eyes.

A roll-up poster is incorporated in this promotion activity to show our audience more specifics about this project. For more information on the roll-up poster, please check out our "Educational Materials" section.

Figure 2

During the club fair, we informed fellow students about our project and gave custom designed accessories to those who were eager to learn. They showed an immense amount of interest, and several are attracted to joining iGEM next year. One of the individuals chose to contact Amy (one of our team member) to join iGEM the next year. Most of the students are attracted to our upcoming lectures this week.

Figure 3

Teachers also gained their interest in our project and acknowledging more about our goals and iGEM as a project. A few decide to come join our upcoming lectures.

Figure 4

Members of our iGEM team hosted a student-led lecture open to students grades 9-12 in SHSID. The lecture was an introductory course on synthetic biology. Although our school has many biology enthusiasts, most students were not familiar with the field of synthetic biology. The session aimed to bridge this gap by helping more students understand what synthetic biology is, discover its practical functions and real-world applications, and ultimately spark their interest in exploring the field further.

Figure 5

In this lecture, we first gave a simple introduction about synthetic biology. By separating the two words and providing their definitions, we offered a simple and concise explanation of what synthetic biology is. The introduction provided an overview of the definition, as well as the importance of synthetic biology in current science and everyday life.

Figure 6

Then, we talked about technologies currently used in synthetic biology, such as PCR, CRISPR-Cas9, and gel electrophoresis. This offered a more complete view of synthetic biology, as specific methods and technology can inform the viewers more directly what type of technologies and methods synthetic biology involves. We also included a highly debatable topic: ethics. This invokes thinking about synthetic biology in general, but also brings out the potentials and areas to pay attention to. This is important during a time of high-speed developing of technology because by informing participants of the possibilities and potential for destruction and misuse, we are also reminding them about what technology is able to do.

Figure 7

Figure 8

This lecture was also used as an opportunity to promote iGEM, the field of synthetic biology, and also our future team. Most of our audience, which was about 18 people, were freshmen and sophomores who were looking for research topics or competitions, and were being introduced to synthetic biology and iGEM for the first time. By using a clear, concise definition and some knowledge that requires a bit of biology, we are creating an attractive field and activity for many.

Moreover, this lecture served as a bridge between theory and practice. By emphasizing how synthetic biology can be applied to pressing global challenges—such as sustainable agriculture, green energy, and medical innovation—we encouraged students to view biology not just as a school subject, but as a potential pathway to solving real-world problems. This reframing helped the lecture resonate with both aspiring scientists and students who previously felt disconnected from the life sciences.

Mutual Learning

After our lecture, we verbally asked everyone to rate our lecture by a show of hands, on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 for good and 1 for bad). Our audience rated our lecture mostly around 5, reflecting that our lesson's quality has raised a bit from last time.

Figure 9

We also gathered verbal feedback from our audience. This feedback was used to improve our future educational attempts in terms of interactivity, content detail, and length. We also shared the social media accounts for team Crouton to our audience, in hope of gaining more followers and attention on our current project.

1) Be less abstract and more easier to understand

→ This lecture included topics that required certain knowledge of biology to understand, such as the introduction to the concepts and methods used in synthetic biology. We can improve by adding more real-life examples in our future lessons and asking if there are any other questions from our lesson more frequently. We tried both attempts in future lessons.

Our iGEM members of our iGEM team hosted a student-led lecture open to students grade 9-12 in SHSID. The topic of the lecture was about heavy metal pollution, in particular that of hexavalent chromium. Based on feedback from our previous lecture, we enhanced this session by incorporating more real-world case studies and increasing interactive elements to engage the audience more effectively.

Figure 10

In our lecture, we first introduced the concept of heavy metal pollution, including a concise definition, basic information, and other characteristics. This provided a simple and easy introduction for the audience about heavy metal pollution, hexavalent chromium in particular.

Then, we introduced some concepts such as biological magnification and biological accumulation. By listing several examples and a demonstration of biological magnification, the audience gained a more direct idea about heavy metal pollution is closely intertwined with their daily life. It also served as a warning about the adverse effects of heavy metal pollution through biological magnification and other concepts on the ecosystem.

Figure 11

Finally, we informed the audience about the adverse effects of different heavy metals on the environment and human health, especially that of hexavalent chromium, in a manner easy to understand, yet not lacking in depth. We gave specific examples to warn the audience about the pollution, and gave advice on how to avoid pollution, such as avoiding contact with polluted areas, and regularly undertaking body checks.

Figure 12

The lecture was furthermore used as an opportunity to promote iGEM. The audience is mainly composed of students who are interested in the concept of heavy metal pollution, and through this lead we introduced the iGEM competition and our direction and accomplishments.

Mutual Learning

After our lecture, we asked each audience to rate us out of 5 (5 for good and 1 for bad). Our audience rated our lecture mostly around 5, reflecting that our lesson's quality is high. However, we must put a disclaimer that this overly-perfect score may be a product of the intentions to not build conflicts with our team members.

Figure 13

We also gathered verbal feedback from our audience. This feedback was used to improve our future educational attempts in terms of interactivity, content detail, and length. We also shared the social media accounts for team Crouton to our audience, in hopes of gaining more followers and attention on our current project.

1) There was too much information content in the PPT, and it was hard to grasp the main topic.

→ In response, we can decrease the word density and information concentration in the presentation by incorporating more visuals and verbally stating definitions instead of listing them out by words. We can also highlight the main topic of the presentation by making a special slide for the topic of the presentation, which visually shows and reminds the audience about the main theme.

2) Include more interactive elements in the lecture, such as using more pictures in the PPT, hosting small games, and asking the audience questions.

→ In the future, we can include more pictures and videos within the PPT to clarify concepts and inform the audience. We can also make some small games, such as the card game we invented, to introduce the concepts in a more clear and direct way. And by asking the audience more questions, we can ensure they have understood our presentation. We adjusted to that by making the next next lesson a trivia session instead of a normal content based informational lecture.

Figure 14

Our iGEM team hosted a student-led lecture open to grades 9-12 in SHSID. The topic of this lecture was an introducton to iGEM and our topic this year: "What is iGEM? What did the SHSID iGEM team do this year?" The aim of the lecture was to promote our project, raise awareness about hexavalent chromium pollution, and introduce more students to iGEM and the field of synthetic biology. As a school team with a long-standing history of over seven years, we consider it our duty and responsibility to promote iGEM within our school, ensure the continuity of our team, and represent SHSID with excellence in future competitions.

In our lecture, we first introduced the general rules and medal criteria of the iGEM competition. From the global recognition of iGEM to judging information, as well as how iGEM is focused on synthetic biology projects, this introduction was an effective, holistic overview and gave a clear idea to our audience on what the competition is about and which types of interests in scientific research the competition targets.

Figure 15

Afterwards, we talked about our own iGEM school team: team Crouton. We kept the introduction of our specific project short and concise, and incorporated our project as an example to illustrate the many different requirements and criteria required for an iGEM project - as examples can enhance viewers' impressions and understanding of the competition along with our team in a vivid, eye-grasping way. This is crucial for our audience are mostly potential pioneers of biology being introduced to the specifics of iGEM for the first time.

Figure 16

Figure 17

Our presentation was full of images matching our speech: photos of the iGEM jamboree, diagrams illustrating the different medal criterias, as well as images of our own research project.

We also used this lecture as an opportunity to promote iGEM and our future team. The target audience of this lecture - as well as most of the people who attended - is freshmen and sophomores interested in biology and doing research (but introduced to iGEM for the first time), who could potentially join the iGEM team next year. This is why we tried to make our presentation concise with a clear, simple logic flow - through the use of images, a structured speech, and many examples.

Figure 18

Mutual Learning:

After our lecture, we asked about who was interested in doing iGEM next year, and we found 1 potential iGEMer, and he joined our club (Sam Kim, who can be found in the attributions section). A scoring board was passed around, and each audience rated us out of 5 (5 for good and 1 for bad). Our audience rated our lecture mostly around 5, reflecting that our lesson's quality has raised a bit from last time. However, we must put a disclaimer that this overly-perfect score may be a product of the intentions to not build conflicts with our team members.

Figure 19

（Note: The Chinese characters states: Please provide a rating for this lesson!)

We also gathered verbal feedback from our audience. This feedback was used to improve our future educational attempts in terms of interactivity, content detail, and length. Also, we shared the social media accounts for team Crouton to our audience, in hopes of gaining more followers and attention on our current project.

1) The part of the lecture where we introduced our specific project was confusing. There were too many text boxes and the overall flow of the experiment was hard to grasp.

→ In response, we will focus on showing our "experiment overview" photo as the main way for others to understand our project. The slides we chose this time were indeed slides from our Wiki on major experiments we did, but they are wordy and taken out-of-context. The abstract and introduction slides will also be simplified into one paragraph of text on a single slide in future lectures.

2) Be more off-script, refer less to PPT content

→ One way we can achieve this is to remove wordy slides on our PPT which we had many of this time. Also, we will create bullet point speeches prior to giving lectures and follow those, instead of following a full script and PPT words.

Our iGEM team hosted a synthetic biology knowledge trivia activity open to all high schoolers, grades 9-12, in SHSID. This trivia session was organized after the conclusion of our on-campus lecture series, aiming to assess how well the audience had understood the content we shared, help students gauge their own knowledge, and further spark their interest in biology.

Figure 20

In this trivia activity, we interacted with and engaged our audience with intriguing questions spanning multiple areas. Some focused on general science and biology (e.g., Which of these is NOT currently produced via precision fermentation?), while others were tied directly to our research (e.g., A common method to make toxic hexavalent chromium safer in water treatment facilities is to convert it to the less toxic form. What is this reduction process called?). We also included questions about the iGEM competition itself (e.g., What does iGEM stand for?) as well as fun facts about our own team (e.g., What was the name of the iGEM SHSID team two years ago?).

Figure 21

Both participating teachers and students were provided with free lunch and were encouraged to compete to get the correct answers, as the top three winners at the end of the trivia would receive an exclusive set of playing cards (related to our research topic), handmade by our team (for more details, refer to our "education materials",) for their performance. At the end of the activity, everyone received free snacks and other free gifts. We took a group picture together, and the activity ended with joy and success.

Figure 22

Mutual learning

Some of the things we could have done better include improving our pacing and timing, as certain rounds felt slightly rushed while others dragged on longer than expected. Additionally, although our questions were engaging, the difficulty level could have been better balanced to ensure that all participants, regardless of grade, felt equally challenged and included. We also realized that clearer instructions at the start of each round would have made the flow smoother and reduced confusion.

Another area for improvement was audience engagement—adding more interactive elements, such as team-based challenges, live polls, or a buzzer system, could have made the trivia even more exciting. In terms of outreach, we could have advertised the event earlier and more broadly within the school community to attract a larger and more diverse audience.

Nevertheless, the trivia session achieved more than just entertainment. By transforming knowledge checks into a game format, we lowered the barrier for entry into complex concepts of biology and iGEM. Many participants who were initially hesitant about science activities reported afterwards that the trivia gave them confidence and motivation to attend future lectures. In this way, the event played a dual role: reinforcing learning while also expanding our iGEM community base.

Figure 23

Despite these areas for growth, the trivia was a memorable and successful experience that strengthened our connection with the SHSID community, allowing us to share both scientific knowledge and our iGEM journey in a fun and engaging way, while also giving back to our beloved school community.

Members of our iGEM team hosted a student-led lecture to students from grade 10 in SHSID taking a class directed towards biological experiments. The lecture was an introduction to iGEM and what our team project this year. Building on feedback from previous activities, we incorporated concrete examples, streamlined our slides, and enhanced interaction with the audience.

In the first part of the lecture, we focused on introducing iGEM for the audience who were acknowledging about the competition for the first time. We started with the basics that what iGEM is, its global influence, and the core concept of "combining synthetic biology with real-world problems". To make the competition criteria more accessible, we used simple diagrams to explain key medal requirements and shared short cases of outstanding iGEM projects from previous years, which helped students connect abstract rules to concrete applications.

Figure 24

Next, we shifted to introducing our team’s work this year. We first shared our project’s with why we chose our specific topic, then outlined the key steps we took, and finally highlighted our current progress and results. To enhance understanding, we displayed photos of our team’s lab work, project flowcharts, and simple data visualizations such as line graphs showing experiment outcomes on the slides, avoiding overly text-heavy pages that might overwhelm the audience.

Figure 25

Mutual Learning

After our lecture, we asked them to rate our lecture. The majority of students gave a rating of 4 or 5, with common positive feedback including “the iGEM case examples were helpful” and “the team’s project story was easy to follow”.

Key suggestions included:​

1. Adding short video clips

Eg: a 1-minute highlight of the iGEM Jamboree or a time-lapse of our lab work

to make the lecture more dynamic (we decided to incorporate videos in further lessons if we have time. After all attempts, we came to the sad conclusion that all lectures are tightly scheduled, and thus we did not take this suggestion)

1. Providing a one-page handout with key iGEM deadlines and our team’s recruitment timeline for students who want to join later (we will send the deadlines to them privately after official competition deadlines are released)

Figure 26

On Friday, members of our iGEM team hosted a community outreach session in Lane 70, Guilin Road, South Hongcao Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai. The session aimed to introduce our project and raise residents’ awareness of heavy metal pollution. Drawing on our prior outreach experience, we tailored the session to the community audience, especially middle-aged and elderly participants. To enhance engagement, we used interactive activities and introduced real-life cases, including historical pollution incidents in Shanghai, as entry points for discussion.

Figure 27

In this activity, we first started with a brief explanation of heavy metal pollution. Then, we explained the core goals of the project and shared simple technical ideas that are easy for residents to understand. We also presented key facts, including heavy metals' potential impacts on human health and the community environment. To deepen engagement, we also prepared interactive segments such as answered questions about residents’ concerns.

Through the activity, we adjusted our explanation of heavy metal pollution based on the audience’s age, ensuring it was accessible and relatable to every group. We used simple stories for children. We referred to chromium as the "big devil" that hides in polluted water or old toys, and used hand gestures to mimic how the "devil" might harm their bodies such as making them feel sick. This vivid metaphor made abstract concepts easy for kids to grasp.

A roll-up poster is incorporated in this promotion activity to show our audience more specifics about this project. For more information on the roll-up poster, please check out our "Educational Materials" section.

For elderly residents, we tied the introduction to heavy metal pollution incidents that occurred in Shanghai in the past. We explained how these incidents affected nearby communities and connected them to the importance of our project’s Microbial Remediator that guards their daily water and food safety.

Figure 28

For middle-aged adults who often had more questions due to their stronger interest in the topic, we started with a concise overview of heavy metal pollution, then focused on their concerns such as how pollution affects their children’s growth. Throughout this part, we also presented key facts, including heavy metals' potential impacts on human health and the community environment, to reinforce basic awareness across all groups.

Figure 29

This activity not only served as a platform to promote our project but also built a bridge between scientific research and community life. The audience mainly consisted of community residents of different age groups. Most of them had little prior knowledge of heavy metal pollution. Through vivid examples and actionable advice, we successfully helped them recognize the importance of heavy metal pollution prevention and aroused their interest in our project’s practical value.

Mutual Learning

We asked them to rate our activity from 1-5 to collect feedback on our performance. All residents who participated in the rating gave us a score of 5, which reflected their recognition of our efforts in making professional content accessible and our patience in answering questions.

Figure 30

（Note: The Chinese characters states: Please provide a rating for this lesson!)

In addition to the ratings, we also received valuable verbal suggestions from several adults for example working in foreign companies who have experience in corporate branding and public communication. Their key advice focused on optimizing our promotional display board:

1. Reduce the amount of text on the display board

→ Less text especially elderly residents and children and make it easy to capture key information quickly

2. Adjust the text layout

→ Place the main title at the top of the display board, where it is most eye-catching

→ Follow it with visual content of our project outcomes, for example photos of the Microbial Remediator prototype, test result charts simplified into simple graphics

→ Finally briefly introduce the design concept and purpose of the project in a concise paragraph at the bottom

Figure 31

(This is the Chinese Version)

(Here are the verbal translations in English)

Students from the Shanghai High School International Division (SHSID) IGEM team took their research team from the lab to the community, leading an interactive educational workshop for local-school children on getting to know our project. We aimed to teach young students about water pollution caused by chromium VI and how bacterium YieF and ChrR help mitigate the pollution.

The young students worked in groups to arrange cards in the proper sequence that illustrated the process of degradation of Cr(VI) into the less toxic Cr(III). The workshop featured hands-on activities designed to make complex scientific concepts accessible and fun. Children colored (blank) illustrations of the chromium-degrading bacteria, giving them names and designing their own functions. The class ends as the iGEM team distributes small educational gifts to the students, rewarding them for their engagement and creativity throughout the session.

Mutual learning

While the children gained knowledge about environmental science and synthetic biology, the SHSID iGEM team members also learned how to communicate complex ideas effectively to a younger audience. They practiced simplifying concepts without losing accuracy, adapting their teaching methods in real time based on the students’ reactions and questions. This exchange enhanced the iGEM team’s skills in science communication, empathy, and educational design.

The children's feedback is overwhelmingly positive. Many expressed excitement about the superhero-themed bacteria and the hands-on activities, noting that the workshop made science "fun" and "interesting." Several students mentioned that they now view bacteria in a new light—not just as germs, but as helpful organisms that can protect the environment. Teachers and parents also appreciated the innovative approach to science education, highlighting how the workshop sparked curiosity and creativity in the children.

Figure 32

（Note: The Chinese characters states: Please provide a rating for this lesson!)

The students gave us very positive feedback, which was evident not only from their active participation during the class but also from the high ratings they gave us afterward. Throughout the session, they showed great enthusiasm for both our project and biology in general. The event concluded with the iGEM team distributing small educational gifts, such as stickers and certificates, to reward the students for their participation and creativity. This outreach effort not only fulfilled the iGEM requirement for community engagement but also inspired the next generation of potential scientists.

Members of our iGEM Team Crouton collaborated with our school's club STEMDOGE to introduce and explain the topic of synthetic biology and heavy metals in a presentation titled "Knowing the Hazards, Mastering the Prevention: A Comprehensive Guide to Heavy Metals".

（This is the English Version of the ppt we used)

In our presentation, we had to cater to the preferences and experiences of our elderly audience, and thus began our presentation with knowledge that is highly relevant and relatable to an elder's daily life. Hence, we discussed the idea of different containers used to hold and carry various substances, such as metal mugs meant for carrying tea, plastic PVC containers meant for one-time use, and illustrated how some containers may be more ideal or less suitable for certain uses or for carrying certain substances. This initial subtopic was highly effective in its ability to immediately capture the elders' attention and gradually direct their focus towards metal containers, which have the potential of spreading heavy metals and other metallic contaminants to one's food or water. This discussion sufficiently piqued their interest, allowing us to continue talking about metals.

A roll-up poster is incorperated in this promotion activity to show our audience more specifics about this project. For more informaiton on the roll-up poster, please check out our "Educational Materials" section.

Figure 33

（Note: Chinese characters on the background are parts of the Nursing home, not used in our project. That includes everything but the words on the laptop, which is our PPT. The translated PPT is added right above.）

We then bridged the presentation to its second subtopic, discussing more about the prevalence and the possible locations in which heavy metals can be found in our daily lives. Again, we focused on relatability and relevancy, beginning with how past thermometers and bad-quality pots, respectively, have the potential of contaminating our food sources or even ourselves with mercury and iron. We also took the opportunity to introduce chromium as a heavy metal that is often needed in factories for dyeing and creating certain materials, as it is the primary focus of our team's synthetic biology project of detecting and degrading chromium. Once the hazards of released hexavalent chromium and other heavy metals were aptly discussed, including their toxicity to the human body and the ecosystem, we were able to connect the presentation with synthetic biology.

As synthetic biology is often a foreign subject to many people in the public, especially that of the elderly population, we similarly decided to begin that subtopic through a simplistic and relatable manner. We created an interactive activity where elders could guess what specific objects in their daily lives required synthetic biology to function, bridging a highly unfamiliar subject with something that is often seen and used in their daily lives, such as insulin. This greatly generated interest, as a wide variety of pictures and simplistic diagrams were used in our slides to make the information on synthetic biology easier to understand and leave a deeper impression on the elders' minds.

Since our targeted audience here was elderly, we understood that immediately introducing our topic and our project might be considered highly boring and unrelatable to the daily lives of elders, and that they would not be interested in listening to our presentation. Thus, we structured our presentation in the form of a narrative, stating different circumstances in which heavy metals or synthetic biology can be applicable to real-life situations that often appear in the lives of the elderly. Therefore, after understanding the benefits of synthetic biology and its connections to a variety of different issues around the world, we decided to finally introduce our own iGEM project as an innovative solution to the issues of hexavalent chromium contamination. Through easily-understood analogies and an intricate description of our hardware device, we managed to convey that our topic was aimed towards the detection and degradation of hexavalent chromium and heavy metals, and also introducing the members of our iGEM Team.

Mutual Learning

After our lecture, we asked the elders to rate our presentation based on their level of satisfaction and the knowledge they've gained, and received the response that they were relatively satisfied with our presentation. Some elders had questions about specific aspects of the presentation, and we gladly shared information back, while simultaneously learning about how the discussion on crops with traits altered by synthetic biology was highly similar to the hybrid rice devised by the notable Chinese scientist, Yuan Long Ping. This short discussion enhanced our knowledge of notable figures who were important in the elders' earlier lives, bridging the gap in knowledge between students and elders.

We also gathered feedback from the audience, primarily in hopes of improving our future educational attempts, especially when it comes to audiences who may not have the appropriate context for learning about synthetic biology. In this attempt, we tried to add in less words and more pictures for elders to be able to see and visualize our content. We also tried the idea of developing a narrative for audiences like these elders to understand a background before they learn about synthetic biology and our project, which also indicates an improvement that we've learned from previous educational attempts. Overall, our audience members were decently satisfied with our presentation, and only stated one slight flaw.

1) We could try making the project even more relatable.

While we were trying our best to make the project more relevant to the daily lives of elders, the aspect of relatability could always be improved. During the presentation, many elders occasionally felt bored and began playing poker cards. One spoke and told us how perhaps we can make our future presentations related to their daily methods of entertainment, such as poker cards. While this may be more difficult for us to achieve, we understand their predicament and will try to devise even more focused and relatable lesson plans to attract the interest of all our audience members.

Figure 34

Team Crouton met with other iGEM teams to discuss eco-friendly solutions for crops, and the current issues that our environment faces. We presented out findings to serveral students and school faculty (whom hold several Phd's, and Master degrees).

At first, both teams introduced each others respective projects regarding their solutions to pollution in cropland.

Team Crouton introduced the importance of heavy metal pollution to agricultural health across the world, emphasizing the importance of agriculture to a healthy society. Following this, we covered how heavy metals specifically pollute agriculture through heavy metal contamination, bioaccumulation, and other risks to plant life. To respond to these threats, we introduced our proposed solution of Cr(VI) reduction and purification, in order to prevent toxic waste water from travelling into agricultural spaces and hurting the land.

After the lecture, we engaged in conversation and discussions with several teachers who raised questions about feasibility, the methods we employed, and further developments required in order to redress the threat to crops.

As a whole, this lecture aimed to raise awareness of issues that agricultural cropland currently faces in society, and to address potential solutions (from both of our projects) in redressing these threats.

Team Crouton collaborated with another iGEM team to give a lecture to aspiring students interested in synthetic biology. We shared with them our sollutions in preventing pollution in agriculture.

Figure 35

Team Crouton first focused on the background of our project - types of heavy metals and how they can leave a huge impact on farmland. Then we presented our methods of using genetically modified E.Coli to degrade harmful chromium in waters.

After the lecture, both teams answered questions from students about our respective products - specifically the possible negative impacts that may arise as a result of our solutions, our methodology steps, and potential customers our products are targeted to.

In sum, this lecture informed students the increasingly significant problems of pollution in farmland, and shared to them how we were able to use synthetic biology to solve such existing problems.

The students’ enthusiastic questions not only reflected their deep interest in our project but also demonstrated meaningful public engagement with the issues we aim to address. For us, this was both rewarding and a clear reminder of the true value of educational outreach.

We arrived at Shanghui Experimental School to engage the second-grade students with fun, simple experiments related to our iGEM topic. We began with a brief introduction about DNA and its size, followed by an experiment to extract DNA from bananas using salt water, dish soap, and alcohol, carried out under strict safety supervision to avoid any health risks. Afterward, we conducted a short Q&A session to address the students’ curiosities about DNA and cells. Additionally, since our education campaign at the school is an ongoing program with sessions held every Tuesday, we plan to debrief the specific mechanisms of DNA and the experiment in the next session.

Figure 36

These second-grade students showed remarkable enthusiasm and knowledge throughout the experiments, especially during the Q&A session. Their curiosity about DNA and cells exceeded our expectations, with abundant eager questions that we nearly ran out of time for the Q&A session. Also, these students have exceedingly broad knowledge, including concepts such as recombinant DNA and hybridization, which are well beyond the scope of the biology curriculum for primary school. Their participation reflected not only their genuine interest in science but also their ability to connect the hands-on experiment to biological concepts that cannot be seen physically as well as knowledge they obtained out of class, which was a gratifying sight. We believe we have successfully achieved our objective of creating an interactive approach to teaching biology during our education campaign, which encourages us to continue fostering the curiosity of younger generations in future sessions.

Figure 37

Mutual learning

After the class, we gathered feedback from the students, all of whom gave a rating of 5 out of 5: this greatly signified their satisfaction with our performance during the education session. On the aspect of advice, one student suggested providing more “teachers” so that other students do not become bored while we pass out materials and answer questions during the experiments, which aligns with the enthusiasm the children exhibited throughout the session. We are glad to consider having more iGEM team members participate in future educational activities to respond the enthusiasm of these students.

Figure 38

We focused our session on debriefing the experiment about banana DNA extraction which we conducted in the last session. We specifically discussed the reason we added each solution to the banana, explaining that we need to destroy the cell membranes and nucleus to isolate the DNA. We then provided a general session on the mechanisms of DNA, first discussing the double-helix structure, and then moving on to nitrogenous bases, which we referred to as keys, and DNA's applications in real life.

Figure 39

The students showed great excitement and concentration during the session as they eagerly engaged with every part of the discussion. In fact, many of them surprised us with specific questions that went beyond what we expected for their grade level, such as asking about why adenine can only pair with thymine and what mechanisms cause mutations, which would require knowledge about DNA replication and nitrogenous base structures to answer the questions. Their curiosity demonstrated a strong grasp of the concepts we have introduced and their critical thinking abilities, and we believe our sessions deepened their understanding of DNA and sparked new interest about genetics. Also, the satisfying amount of attention and critical thinking abilities we observed led us to consider the potential to prepare more academic scientific knowledge in future sessions since the current level of knowledge seems too simple for them.

Mutual learning

Again, we asked the children to provide feedback for our session, and all of them gave a high rating, demonstrating their full support for our campaigns. However, since we focused on concepts and theories in this class, some students suggested that we could use more vivid and interactive ways to demonstrate these concepts. Therefore, we take these responses into consideration for preparation in our next class that allow us to combine concepts with in-class activities.

Figure 40

Building on the experience from our previous two lectures, we carefully tailored the content of this session. We returned to Shanghui Experimental School, and elaborated on the previous topic. We brought a set of model pieces for our students to better understand of the composition of DNA, planning to teach our student the uses of DNA, DNA replication and DNA’s structure. Because we are in a hurry and we are doing hands on activities, so we didn’t use a PowerPoint.

First, we reviewed the content from the last class by asking them questions andvalidating vague answers. Then, we start the class with the process of DNA transcription. We simplified the concept of “5-carbon sugar base” into “the backbone of DNA” for easier understanding. After that, we engaged them with a story on how DNA replication in cell division.

Figure 41

In the Q&A session after that we found that our students are really interested in DNA and synthetic biology. For example, the children are curious about why humans would exhibit such obvious differences from a puppy, and we elaborated briefly on how evolution works. Based upon their replies, we answered every question with an easy-to-understand content. Because of their enthusiasm and their astonishing knowledge base, some members planned to take long term participation in the teaching program even after our iGEM project finishes. The team members wish to organize theirquestions into further sessions to cover topics such as genetic engineering, evolution, and the human brain and engage the students with biology.For the rest of the class, our students build pieces of DNA model with the puzzle. We helpedthe students to recognize the difference between nitrogenous base and the sugar base. With the puzzle, the student quickly understands that only A pairs with T, C pairs with G. By the end of the class, we pieced their separate DNA segment blocks together to form a long DNA, hence added the information of DNA length is longer than they think and touches on topic DNA supercoiling intochromosomes. We treated all of our students and especially those who are active and helpful during the sessions.

Figure 42

For the rest of the class, our students build pieces of DNA model with the puzzle. We helped the students to recognize the difference between nitrogenous base and the sugar base. With the puzzle, the student quickly understands that only A pairs with T, C pairs with G. By the end of the class, we pieced their separate DNA segment blocks together to form a long DNA, hence added the information of DNA length is longer than they think and touches on topic DNA supercoiling into chromosomes. We treated all of our students and especially those who are active and helpful during the sessions.

The student’s participation reflected their genuine interest in science, which is moving for many of the teaching team members. We successfully achieved our objectives to create an interactive approach toward biology during education. The experience is encouraging for a big portion of the members to continue the teaching project after the competition. Also, the team members gained insight on how to engage with curious students and become educators who actively respond the children’s enthusiasm.

Mutual learning

After the class, we gathered feedback from the students, who all give a rating of 5 out of 5,signifying their satisfaction with our performance during the education. One of them expressed the wish to learn about the human brain in latter sessions, which align with the enthusiasm of these children exhibited during the session.

We held our second session at Hongmei Primary School in collaboration with the Hongmei Education team. In the first half of the session, the Hongmei Education team introduced flower structures and common flower types, while the iGEM team presented a scientific lecture on DNA, its structure, and its function in the latter half. We then linked our material back to the first half of the session, explaining how DNA influences flower traits (e.g. why the anther produces pollen while the stigma does not, why tulips could display so many different colors while most sunflowers are bright yellow). Our goal was to connect abstract biological knowledge with the familiar details of the students’ everyday experience and the education content that the Hongmei Education team would regularly teach them, which help them engage with our lecture in a more relatable way instead of being confounded by seemingly disconnected information.

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In the lecture, we discovered that the students are aware of simple biological information, like the DNA’s location. Also, during the lecture, some students become exceedingly enthusiastic in the information provided. For instance, one asked “how many DNA are in a drop of blood?” Also, one of the student connected the content of this lecture to the previous lecture we had in Hongmei primary school about environmental pollution: he asked DNA can be changed by the environment, which we have discussed in the previous session that environmental pollution may cause growth issues. Although our lecture was focused on DNA structures and their relations to plants, rather than blood or environmental pollution, this question demonstrated surprising associative thinking skills, since the students are capable of extending a concept to daily life and previously learned knowledge.

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Mutual learning

The students all gave a high rating for our session. However, since most of the session was taken up by the coloring activity set up by the Hongmei Education team, we did not include any interactive components in our own scientific lecture. Therefore, some students suggested that we add such activities to make our session more engaging. This feedback made us realize that we may have underestimated the students’ enthusiasm for learning new knowledge. In the future, we believe it is important to emphasize the importance of interactive elements in lectures to maintain the focus of younger students. Overall, the session successfully achieved our objective of helping students connect genetics to organisms and features we find in daily life, and it allowed us to further integrate interactive approaches to maintain the curiosity and interest of the younger generation.

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In our earlier activities, we noticed that most high school students rarely have the opportunity to enter a laboratory, despite their strong interest in hands-on experiments. To address this, we hosted a Lab Visit to introduce others to our project and get an insight into our job in the wet lab. During this visit, we demonstrated the procedures of making an agarose gel, allowing participants to get hands-on experience in a synthetic biology lab. Furthermore, we allowed them to try out making a solution within the fume cabinet, stressing the strict wet-lab procedures required to ensure optimal results. During the demonstration, since most of our participants are lower graders, we answered any questions they had about our project or the process of attending iGEM as a competition.

The most valuable experience our participants gained is how to work collaboratively in a lab, learning the importance of team communication and leadership in the execution of an experiment. This activity is the most direct way of allowing other students to engage with our project, providing the most immersive experience to inspire them to pursue synthetic biology in the future. Most important of all is the opportunity to train the next round of iGEM team members, offering them the perfect opportunity to learn about iGEM before deciding to sign up. However, we could have improved the execution of the activity by detailing the procedures before directly teaching the participants. Overall, participants felt they gained not only a thorough insight into the work of a synthetic biology lab but also a clearer sense of their own suitability for the field.

Through our repeated in-person activities, we observed that even in Shanghai—where educational resources are relatively advanced—students have limited opportunities to engage with and learn about synthetic biology. Yet, interest in the field was high. Motivated by this, we turned our focus to a broader audience by establishing accounts on various online platforms to share valuable information more widely.

Throughout the course of the iGEM project, Team Crouton members recorded and uploaded brief 1-minute video introductions to topics ranging from synthetic biology to common synthetic biology techniques. We published these videos on various platforms, each including TikTok, BiliBili, RedNote, and Instagram, garnering around 600 views per video. Within each video, we also linked our wiki for interested viewers to discover more about synthetic biology and our specific project.

Here, we recorded three videos, including the purpose and achievements of synthetic biology, common methods used in synthetic biology research, and an introduction to E. Coli. This introduction was an effective, concise overview of important topics, serving as the gateway towards deeper exploration of synthetic biology.

In our first, we introduced the concepts of synthetic biology, including what the general purpose is, what current practical applications it has, and what the future holds for research and innovation. We mentioned the use of synthetic biology in insulin production, in eco-friendly plastics, and in various other applications. In particular, we emphasised the power that synthetic biology holds in reshaping human health and safety.

In our second video, we introduced common lab techniques such as CRISPR-Cas9, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and Transformation. Our aim was to provide a brief, introductory explanation of the importance of these methods within research. We introduced an analogized explanation of CRISPR-Cas9 and explored its implications in future research. Another common method, PCR, was highlighted for its common usage and critical importance in amplifying genetic material. Lastly, we introduced the fundamental concept in genome editing of transformation, providing a concise application of transformation in introducing target genes into plasmids.

In our third video, we explored the significance of E. Coli in synthetic biology research. We introduced how E.Coli is cheap, easily replicable, and has a well understood structure, highlighting key qualities for research feasibility.

Podcast

Podcasts have become a popular platform among young people in mainland China, with high engagement and strong user retention. Taking advantage of this, we recorded our own podcast. In collaboration with YK Pao School's iGEM team Niconaut, we recorded a comprehensive 10-minute video and posted it on all our major social media platforms. In this podcast, we talked about different types heavy metals in soil, bioaccumulation, and how they could harm the human body, while Niconaut focused on how minerals as micronutrients can impact the human body.

As a whole, our social media videos aimed to pique and inspire interest in synthetic biology, and to foster curiosity to explore the deep potential synthetic biology research holds. In the future, we can expand our social media outreach through in-depth videos and content that provide an easy platform to understand and appreciate synthetic biology.

To provide the public with more valuable information, in addition to short videos, we also created and produced educational videos for our iGEM team, designed as a resource for students that are interested in lab and lab tools. The video served as a practical lab skills tutorial, focusing on the essential techniques: "How to Use a Pipette" and "How to Use a Centrifuge."

The first video provided a comprehensive guide to the pipette, a fundamental tool in any molecular biology lab. From explaining the different volume ranges of different types of pipettes to demonstrating proper tip attachment, volume setting, and dispensing techniques, the video offered a clear, step-by-step overview. The tutorial emphasized precision and accuracy, giving viewers a solid foundational understanding of one of the most critical instruments in biological research.

Afterwards, the second video transitioned to a tutorial on the centrifuge. We broke down the operating procedure into simple, manageable steps: from balancing tubes correctly, securely fastoning the lid, and setting the time and speed. This practical guide demystified a piece of equipment that can often seem intimidating to beginners, ensuring students can approach it with confidence and safety.

The videos was filled with clear, close-up shots that matched the narration, ensuring each step was easy to follow. It also serves as a valuable resource to promote iGEM and our team's commitment to foundational science. The target audience for this video—primarily people new to wet-lab research—are exactly people we want to target. Each Video recieved over 1000 views on our social media, educating a large amount of people.

We utilized our team’s Instagram and RedNote account to publish our mini pop-sci articles. This project gave us the platform to educate the public through engaging articles.

The first article published is an introduction to synthetic biology. One of the articles gives an overview of the history of synthetic biology and to future applications in technology. To clarify the the purpose of our project, the other article gives an overview of the problem that our project is addressing, as well as introduces our solution. Along with this we gave a more detailed insight into the specific processes and mechanisms of our hardware. Additionally, another article gives a brief description of our sponsor, Botanee Group, which is a functional skincare company that focuses on the “Internet Plus” skin health sector, with integrations of advanced technologies in dermatology, biology, and botany. Together, these three articles introduce the three critical aspects of our team’s projects and exhibit them to the public.

To make the seemingly dull content more attractive, we added bright visuals and playful emojis to lighten the mood of the article and promote higher viewer engagement. This is evident by our abundant views, with around 1000 views per article within one week of publication. Moreover, we combined colorful designs along with the text to promote further reading, achieving maximum mutual learning effect. One aspect that we could have improved on is the timing of the posts; due to the tight schedule, we had to post the articles closely with the other content, slightly reducing the amount of view we gained.

In sum, this is how our team effectively utilized two of the most popular social media platforms among young people to spread solid biology knowledge, raising the public’s scientific awareness of current water contamination issues and the newest rising technology. At the same time, this allowed us to introduce our sponsor, ensuring the recognition of their contribution. Most importantly, this allows the public to get an insight on our team's purpose and goals.

We drew an educational comic to post on social media, teaching the public how our project, as well as other similar microbio-based plans, deals with the harmful substances in wastewater. We designed three cartoon characters: Captain Pop, Biologist Coo, and Engineer Bolt; they are, respectively, a beaver, a little egret, and a hedgehog -- animals found in Chinese wetlands. Together, they solve a crisis of chromium overflow in a wetland in a river wetland in Yunnan. We created both English, Chinese, and even translated to Spanish versions of this comic, to appeal to a greater audience. 

To assist and promote our education, we used roll up posters in several educational attempts. These roll-up posters appear in public areas, where we need a quick grasp of attention and an efficient way of spreading knowledge. The first Roll-up poster is used in the Xuhui community lecture and club fair. The second is used in the South Hongcao Rd. Community.

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As young people ourselves, we understand the strong influence that entertainment media can have on teenagers. To leverage this, we collaborated with a band to create two engaging original songs—one in a rock style and one in R&B—and produced corresponding music videos. We hope that these works will inspire more people to pay attention to synthetic biology and pollution issues. So far, our creations have received considerable attention and positive feedback among youth audiences.

We collaborated with a rock band called the Fish Lips and created an original song centred around the idea of our mascot "Crouton" turning into a hero and saving a stranger from "Chromium Man", the villian. This song was paired with a music video and posted on our social media platforms, displaying the use of music to interest more people in our project.

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Our team made another R&B music that is centered around the E.coli we produce as a team. It describes how Crouton proects the environment by degrading Chromium. This song is also posted on our social media accounts with hopes of driving intrest in our project and providing an incentive for our audience to do more background reaseachr about E.coli used in synthetic biology and the degredation of Hexavalent Chromium.

Our team has designed a wide variety of merchandise, which are used in community teaching sessions to promote our project, synthetic biology, and the iGEM competition. This merchandise, with its adorable designs, can increase the public's interest in our project and enable more of them to learn about water treatment, heavy metal pollution, and synthetic biology.

These headbands are printed with "Crouton" , our mascot, are worn by our members during community education sessions.

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We customized crouton and chromium keychains and gave them to participants during educational sessions to promote knowledge about heavy metal pollution and water treatment in a relaxed and enjoyable way. It is worth noting that during our last science educational session with Hongmei Primary School, one of the students hung one of the dolls on their pencil case. This not only proves the success of the keychains design, but also demonstrates that our activities on synthetic biology are easy to understand and interesting even for primary school students.

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We made bookmarks using the images of the red and blue E. coli, named "Furry Bean" and "Spiky Blueberry", created based on the bacteria we used in the experiment. These bookmarks not only promote the project but also are practical to use, easily raising public awareness of synthetic biology. 

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We have designed a teardrop-shaped badge with a water blue background and printed with the mascot "Crouton", symbolizing utilizing of our team's products to purify water resources.

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To publicize synthetic biology and our project, we drew still and animated stickers to spread on WeChat. Most of the animated stickers depict our team mascots, the Crouton and Cr6+, while the still stickers are red and blue E. coli, which we named "Furry Bean" and "Spiky Blueberry". By designing and spreading cute and easy-to-use emojis, we can easily expand the influence of our project.

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We also ordered stickers to distribute during offline lectures, apart from posting them online as emojis. These stickers were given to the children attending the lectures, as prizes. This encouraged the children to pay more attention to our lessons, and learn about wastewater treatment and synthetic biology. 

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Inspired by popular educational games, we created this set of cards to facilitate the public in understanding the mechanism and impact of our product in wastewater treatment. The cards include characters such as chromium, our antagonist, and water, our neutral card. The goal of the game is to avoid the chromium card, similar to manufacturing industries trying to remove chromium from their wastewater to stay within government regulations. The cards are designed with other characters from our mascot series, alluding to our team logo. The colors are bright with aqua blue and pink, making it more attractive to players of all ages. The most important purpose of the cards is to allow players to learn about our project while engaging in a fun activity, providing a fun way to learn complex content.

The coaster is decorated with the similar characters as the comic along with the words “iGEM” written subtly. The three different designs illustrate adorable mascots that allude to our comic, allowing our education to not only reach the public but also become part of their daily life. Every time they reach out for their coffee, they recall team "Crouton" and raise their awareness of water treatment and synthetic biology.

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We customized a team flag printed with the team logo and the our sponser Botanee's logo, and brought it to every educational session we held ourselves or participated in. This simple and clear flag brings us team and our topic recognition.

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By distributing our merchandise during the event, our products have gained a certain degree of recognition in SHSID, our local community in Xuhui District, and local primary schools. The cute design and diverse forms make our merchandises deeply loved by the public. During the distribution process, we used the patterns and design to explain to the public the concept and significance of our product and its positive impact on the environment. Some residents in the community hung our merchandises on their phone chains and handbags, increasing the exposure and promotion of our products, the product concepts, and the iGEM competition among the public.

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