An integral part of our project, Cas-T Away, was to listen, educate, and build lasting relationships with our community, both within and beyond Stony Brook.
Throughout our iGEM journey, we prioritized a two-way engagement. Not only did we present our work, but we listened to our audience and adapted based on their feedback. Whether it was speaking to students, professionals, or the general public, we aimed to make synthetic biology and our project both accessible and informative.
Total people reached: 5800+ in person, 135,000+ digital impressions
Demographic population breakdown:
Our outreach events spanned from classroom workshops to university fairs and community exhibitions. This allowed us to share our research while learning from diverse perspectives.
A recurring misconception about our therapeutic initiative was that the CRISPR-based fusion protein would permanently alter the human genome, similar to DNA-targeting systems like Cas9. We addressed this by emphasizing that our project uses Cas13a, an RNA-targeting enzyme that does not modify human DNA. It instead recognizes and degrades viral single-stranded RNA, making it a more viable and safer approach.
In later events we held, we included simple analogies, such as describing Cas13a as a “pair of scissors” that cuts the virus’ message and integrated this clarification into our social media content and educational activities.
Audience feedback helped us rethink the presentation of our project. Questions from high school students and the general public encouraged us to communicate more clearly about RNA vs. DNA targeting. Professionals and college students raised questions about delivery and accessibility, prompting us to explore delivery systems like solid lipid nanoparticles. Discussions about affordability and patient access with clinical physicians led us to reframe our narrative from a potential “treatment” to a proof-of-concept therapeutic.
Because of the feedback we received from our diverse audience, our project became both scientifically stronger and more socially responsible and transparent.
Student Attendance: 100+
Our team has tabled and presented at the high school research symposium with a presentation on our HIV therapeutic to faculty and students, presented DNA cracker code activity, and distributed Cas-T away brochures while engaging with the student community.
We learned about Bethpage Highschool research projects and discussed the students' future scientific aspirations. Our team was able to impact high school students in continuing their research in pursuing advanced research opportunities such as iGEM and learned the importance of team collaboration.
Student Attendance: 20+
Students from Brentwood high school had limited opportunities to research, so we held an event to expose the wider community of synthetic biology. We led the students through three interactive activities including strawberry DNA extraction, pipetting, and streaking on jello plates alongside our project overview to high school students in a classroom setting.
High schoolers' concern about safety made us emphasize that our project was completed in a safe environment using non infectious HIV fragments and CRISPR Cas targets RNA without modifying the human genome. This transparent explanation provided a platform for deeper understanding of synthetic biology and cleared any misconceptions the students initially had. We planted the seed for future scientists and expanded to our community by spreading influence for the impact that science can have.
Student Attendance: 20+
Our iGEM team partnered with Women in Science and Engineering Honors Program to introduce participants to introductory laboratory skills. Our target audience was towards women in STEM and supporting their confidence and pushing them to achieve excellence in academia. During the workshop, students were able to perform pipetting and centrifugation which ties hand in hand with techniques required for our team's project.
The event was able to address clear barriers between students and research opportunities. The event sparked conversations about overcoming imposter syndrome and influenced the women in the STEM community to continue to strive for excellence and beyond.
Student Attendance: 30+
Focus on spreading research opportunities to economically disadvantaged students, underrepresented minority populations, first generation students. Our team was able to impact CSTEP students to reflect on how they can contribute to the research field by showing them where they can start. IGEM members shared our experiences about getting onto the team, showing how undergraduate students can take part in contributing to the community through synthetic biology. We showcased research needs diverse perspectives and influenced them by helping them improve their growth mindset.
Student Attendance: 200+
During the week of welcome orientation, we reached out to incoming Stony Brook University students by showcasing our team’s accessible and welcoming community. Our team emphasized the fact that no prior research experience is needed to encourage more members to apply and gain a unique experience to build on in their undergraduate research career. These events resulted in a higher rate of interest among applicants who attended more outreach events, all possible by promoting an inclusive and welcoming environment.
Sharing our iGEM journey with past iGEM members helped bring what we learned about synthetic biology to life. By discussing the challenges and blocks we faced along the way, we showed how we were able to build lasting skills to carry forward. The questions from the Q&A were addressed with transparency, demonstrating that research challenges are normal, skills are learnable, and undergraduate research is accessible to all.
We were able to spread the influence of our illustrated child book, which explained DNA in age appropriate language, through events such as reading for the Stony Brook Child Care Center. This book demonstrated our dedication to spreading information to people of all age groups in a reusable educational tool that would inspire the younger generation of potential future scientists.
A creative twist between interactive games and biology, we were able to make a fun game into a teaching moment by incorporating roles of HIV, Cas13, gRNA. The gamified approach was able to include students who would not traditionally attend science talks and engaged in community building.
Attendance: 2,000+
At the Makers Faire Long Island, we engaged with the general public from all backgrounds, the audience taught us the importance of public perception of CRISPR and the need for effective science communication. We were able to impact people's understanding of CRISPR with gene editing to a clearer definition that our application does not modify the human genome. Visitors' questions taught us to lead with health impact rather than technical mechanisms in public communication.
Attendance: 100+
iGEM attended an event with 2.5 million people in attendance and reached over 100 people through informational materials. Our participation showed that LGBTQ+ individuals are oftentimes underrepresented. We distributed information about iGEM, synthetic biology and pathways to research. This event contributed to our commitment to diversity and inclusion in our project.
Attendance: 3,300+
We emphasized on bridging the gap between university and local community to make synthetic biology accessible to people of all backgrounds. We engaged with more than 100 people about how CRISPR can improve healthcare outcomes through innovative approaches. Reading the children's book to a younger audience maintained our mission to educate and showcase that universities are conducting research that are relevant to people's lives and how impactful science goes beyond the academic setting.
The museum setting allows for a more receptive audience and our team was able to promote iGEM and research at Stony Brook through an unique environment. We emphasized that today's impossible biotechnology can be tomorrow's standard tool and how the limitations of science and technology are constantly being challenged. The museum setting offered the chance for us to interact with people interested in STEM and explain how our project comes into play in the bigger picture.
Attendance: 20+
The interactive virtual meetings with teams from around the globe, expanded our perspective of the scope and impact of iGEM teams. In the sessions our team attended, we exchanged knowledge across diverse cultural, academic, and technical backgrounds. We were able to reinforce the importance of interdisciplinary problems solving in biotechnology and expanded the scope of vision for our project by seeing it in a broader context of global health equity.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Total Views: 135k+
Total New Followers: 250+
Our social media maintained an active presence on Instagram by sharing project overviews, lab highlights, popular trends, interacting with other iGEM teams, and educating while promoting Stony Brook iGEM. This digital engagement helped democratize synthetic biology beyond physical events and inspired prospective members to join.