Introduction
Synthetic biology should be accessible regardless of language, geography, age, or prior experience to science. The Thailand-RIS team believes inclusivity is not just about introducing people to synthetic biology, but about opening up the possibility of pursuing and participating in the field. We aim to give younger generations a chance to imagine themselves as innovators, researchers, and policy-makers of tomorrow in STEM.
We began by speaking to students, educators, and other iGEM teams to understand the barriers that keep many from engaging in synthetic biology: lack of resources in local languages, intimidation around complex science, limited legal clarity for using biotechnology, and unequal access to funding. These insights shaped the design of every outreach and community activity carried out by our team.
Removing Language Barriers
Chonburi Trip (บ่อทองวงษ์จันทร์วิทยา)
Most advanced biology resources are English-centric, gatekeeping information from Thai students and perpetuating stereotypes of who works in and can access science. To address this, we translated our entire “Synbio Zoo” workshop into Thai, including slides, handouts, and instructions. When students learn science in their native language, they are more confident asking questions, imagining careers, and participating meaningfully.
During the workshop, students used a Kahoot quiz and hands-on “Synbio Zoo” activity to explore genetic engineering in a playful, non-intimidating way.
Differentiation Across Age Groups
Throughout the iGEM 2025 season, rather than limiting our efforts to a single age group, our team focused on expanding our outreach efforts across all the sections of the Ruamrudee International School community.
Elementary Workshop
We continued our collaboration with Ms. Mina Park, ES Science Head of Department to host a synthetic biology workshop for Grade 3 students. Based on feedback from last year, we adapted the storyline and difficulty level to better match student curiosity while still being accessible to learners varying English proficiency. We aim to increase the inclusivity of different age groups in synthetic biology, especially in the younger generation who may not yet have had the chance to encounter it in their lives. We refined the foundation of the ES activity by introducing more relevant storylines that built on the students’ prior knowledge of global issues such as climate change. This approach allowed us to create a balance between familiar and new concepts to ensure that every student could participate confidently and build connections between their curricular content and synthetic biology concepts. In doing so, our goal was not just to introduce synthetic biology, but to normalize it as something that even young learners can understand and enjoy. Through the guidance of the members, the team is able to create a supportive environment for students, including those who might have found a new passion or are curious about synthetic biology.
MS Science Fair
As much as our participation in the science fair was geared towards education, we wanted to support an opportunity for students to explore science outside of the classroom and include the younger generation in scientific communication. This experience gave us important insights that will shape our future middle school science workshops. Through direct engagement - whether it was listening to students describe their investigations or asking them how they approached challenges - we observed that many projects demonstrated impressive creativity and originality. By speaking directly with students about their projects, asking how they approached challenges, we gained valuable insights for our upcoming Middle School workshops. Many students showed strong creativity but lacked guidance in experimental design or confidence in presenting.
These observations guided how we structured subsequent workshops, ensuring that they addressed real needs while remaining accessible and inspiring to all students. Having the opportunity to be a part of the judges in the fair reminded us how eager and capable young aspiring middle schoolers are when given the chance to explore scientific ideas. Through an expanded program including the elementary and middle school students of our school, our team was able to lay the groundwork for participation in synthetic biology by our younger generations and strengthened the overall science culture at our school.
Economic Challenges and Legal Barriers
Exhibition
Our outreach and exhibition efforts in the Fun Fair Event at our school, as well as the external Bangkok International School Education Fair and K-Village (Kid-D Project) Fair allowed more students across a wide range of age groups, parents, teachers, and more, learn about synthetic biology in a fun and engaging way. Through hands-on activities, we encouraged curiosity and interest in a field of science that might otherwise seem unfamiliar and intimidating. By presenting synthetic biology in a simple and interactive way, our team was able to foster a more open and welcoming environment for people to participate in. We also helped clear up misunderstandings about genetic engineering and its implications in the modern world, with the inclusion of brochures in English and Thai that provided background information of iGEM, synthetic biology, and our team. In fact, many of our visitors told us they “didn’t know science could be like this,” and several parents expressed newfound positive sentiments toward biotechnology. In the process of reaching a wider audience and acquainting them with synthetic biology, our team took a step towards reducing the stigma around genetic engineering to remove emotional, perceptual and cultural barriers to participation in this field. Moreover, through our initiatives, we inspired people to see themselves as not just spectators, but potential contributors to the field of synthetic biology.
Interschool Collaboration (T-RIS X ISBICSKIS-BKK)
Especially with a new high school iGEM team in Thailand this year, our team wanted to expand on our last year’s interschool collaboration efforts and work with the ISBICSKIS-BKK team to potentially reach a wider audience and have a greater impact in raising awareness of synthetic biology and science in general, in addition to further promoting iGEM. It is also our hope to be able to offer advice from our past experiences to support a fellow school team in our region.
To launch this collaboration, we reached out to the team and scheduled a Zoom meeting to exchange introductions, what we plan to do for our projects, and, on our part, answer any questions the other team had regarding human practices, what we need to prepare for the Grand Jamboree, and iGEM in general, based on what we have learnt from the past years. We were also able to gain insight into how the other team was structured, how they have been working together as a multi-school team, and how they were able to find funding. By fostering this collaboration, we aim to not only encourage other high school students to partake in scientific endeavors–whether that be iGEM or something else–but create a lasting connection between our teams in the future.
Funding
Funding has been one of the trickiest parts of our inclusivity journey. This year we were proud to have built a relationship with the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), which helped more people recognize our work and showed that synthetic biology education is worth investing in. But even with that support, we quickly learned that recognition doesn’t always translate into financial backing. Because we are an international school team, government regulations prevent us from receiving funding through official channels—even when agencies want to help. At the same time, people often assume that our school background means we have unlimited resources, when in reality most of our project is self-funded and carefully budgeted. As a result, we have learned to be more transparent about our situation and more deliberate in how we use any support we receive, making sure that our funding benefits not only our team but also the wider community we aim to include.
Legal, Economic, Political & Ethical Analysis
Proof of concept vs. final product - Our initial laboratory work focused on the expression of the PETase Nicotiana benthamiana to show that plants can be modified to help degrade microplastics. For real-world applications, we envision the use of Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth), a locally abundant aquatic plant that already traps microplastics in its roots; genetic modification would help it break down these particles rather than only collect them.
Regulatory context – Thailand currently prohibits open-field trails of genetically modified plants under a 2003 Cabinet resolution reinforced by public preposition in 2004. Any deployment would require government approval and biosafety review, including:
- Controlled test environments (i.e. enclosed ponds or pens).
- Risk assessments ensure no uncontrolled spread of genetically modified traits.
- Safe disposal and monitoring plans for modified biomass.
Invasive species management – Water hyacinth is classified as one of the world’s most invasive aquatic weeds. Thai authorities regulate its cultivation and transport to prevent uncontrolled spread. Any application would need containment protocols, permits, and strict monitoring to show that the plants will not invade natural waterways.
Policy and economic opportunities – Microplastic contamination threatens water utilities, aquamarine farms, vertical farms, beverage producers, and tourism operators. Thai agencies have already explored using water-hyacinth fiber for eco-friendly packaging, suggesting a government interest in repurposing this weed responsibly. A contained, biodegradable solution could support green jobs and local enterprise while addressing pollution.
Conclusion
This year, our work has shown that inclusivity in synthetic biology requires more than outreach; it demands listening, adapting, and creating meaningful opportunities for engagement. From Thai schools and elementary workshops to public fairs and interschool collaborations, we observed that curiosity and potential exist in every community, even when access and guidance are limited. Partnerships with NSTDA and other schools highlighted the importance of transparency, collaboration, and the deliberate use of resources, in addition to ethical responsibility as an integral part of inclusive scientific practices. Collectively, these efforts aim to ensure that more individuals can participate in, contribute to, and shape the future of science.
References:
- Microbial Cell Factories (2020) – describes successful expression of PETase in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii; cell lysates degraded PET, demonstrating the feasibility of plant-based PETase expression; https://microbialcellfactories.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12934-020-01355-8
- Phytoremediation study (2025) – shows that water hyacinth removed 55.3–69.1 % of microplastic particles within 48 hours through root adsorption and prevented plastics moving into aerial tissues; https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11872506/
- Nation Thailand/Natural Resources Ministry (2021) – reports that the Thai government promotes converting water hyacinth into eco-friendly packaging to reduce waste and create jobs
- USDA Agricultural Biotechnology Annual (2024) – notes that Thailand has a de facto ban on genetically engineered crop cultivation and field trials
- Plant Physiology (2008) – recounts that public protests led to a nationwide moratorium on transgenic field testing in Thailand
- Global microplastic contamination reports – 83 % of tap water samples worldwide contained microplastic fibres; 93 % of bottled-water samples contained microplastics