Education

Introduction — Inspiration & Vision

The Belgian school system represents between 12 and 20 years of study for a smooth career path. It plays a major role in the life of every student. However, of the thousands of hours spent in our schools, only a few remain in our memory: a committed and eloquent teacher, an engaging subject — or perhaps an educational activity on synthetic biology!

ICAP Framework

With this in mind, our team has made it a point of honour to put education at the centre of our concerns. But before we can teach, we must learn. Being passionate about teaching, we have undergone training in pedagogy and the keys to learning, exploring in particular the concept of the ICAP framework¹, which has guided us throughout the year. The ICAP framework is a model derived from cognitive science research that classifies learning activities in four categories according to the degree of cognitive engagement of the student.

We have therefore developed a comprehensive programme ranging from listening to teaching, encouraging students to interact with teaching staff and their peers while stimulating their creativity.

ATG Start

To expand our possibilities in education, we contacted ATG Start, a blog handled by Jonathan Ferooz, a biology doctor passionate about teaching and educational content, who has already helped Belgian iGEM teams in the past. We met him and talked about our ideas to spread our project and synthetic biology to high school students, regarding his work in scientific vulgarization. Our initial idea was to create a card game based on synthetic biology that would be accessible but with complex rules. We also had an initial idea of how we wanted to present it in schools.

He advised us to keep our card game simple, with already broadly known rules for 12- to 14-year-old students. We adapted the card game accordingly, adding explanatory text and more visual pictures made by a team member.

He was pleased with our idea to visit schools to present the project but advised us to maintain contact with the students during the presentation and not just deliver a PowerPoint talk. We therefore added interactive activities to make the session more engaging and participatory.

Inform — School Talks

Today's young students are tomorrow's brilliant scientists. It is therefore essential to raise awareness among younger generations about science and the opportunities it offers. That is why our team has proposed a two-hour educational activity in numerous schools in Belgium. This presentation was aimed at students in their final year of secondary school, but also at younger teenagers and those in specialised schools for children with specific needs. Science knows no boundaries and should be shared with everyone!

We tried not to give these students yet another boring presentation, but rather a truly enriching activity that would captivate the youngest ones and stimulate reflection. Judging by the comments we received after our visit, mission accomplished!

We tried to reach as many secondary schools across the country as possible, and here are the schools we were able to reach:

Spark Creativity — Students’ Projects

30 minutes to change the world. During our educational activities in Belgian schools, we asked students to work in groups to carry out a synthetic biology project in order to put our explanations into practice. At the end of this intense half-hour brainstorming session, our budding scientists had the opportunity to defend their projects orally in front of the class.
Not only did they understand our explanations well, but they also came up with innovative and interesting projects. Feel free to check them out below and be inspired by the imagination of our Belgian youth — and why not spark creativity around you with our introductory biology portfolio!

Project 1: Biogenesis Project 2: Accelerated Healing through Tissue Regeneration Project 3: Detecting Alzheimer’s Project 4: Magic beans Project 5: CO2 pollution near factories Project 6: Fighting viruses Project 7: Reduce plastic pollution Project 8: Genetic diseases Project 9: Reducing heavy metal and methane pollution with engineered hedges Project 10: Humans seeing in the dark to save energy Project 11: A pill that degrades alcohol faster Project 12: Enhanced trees for maximum oxygen production Project 13: Plant based solutions for the future of food Project 14: Retain more CO2 in trees

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Feel free to use our synthetic biology portfolio in your school!

Portfolio — English

Portfolio — Français

Activity tailored for 15–16-year-olds

With 15–16-year-old students who had less scientific background, we designed a tailored activity that sparks curiosity and awakens their creativity by linking real-world challenges to synthetic biology. To do this, we presented students with photos illustrating pressing issues in four areas: environmental, medical, food-related, and industrial.

The activity unfolded step by step:

1. Identifying the problem type: Each student received cards representing the four categories. Their first task was to decide which category the problem in the photo belonged to.
2. Specifying the exact problem: After selecting the category, students discussed and defined the precise issue shown in the image.
3. Choosing a biological function: Students were then given “function cards” and had to select one function as the basis of their solution:
   • Producing a compound
   • Degrading something
   • Detecting a signal
   • Enabling communication
4. Designing the solution: Finally, students explained in detail how their chosen biological function could solve the problem.

Example:

• Photo shown: An industrial plant releasing heavy metals
• Category: Industrial
• Specific problem: Air pollution
• Function chosen: Detecting a signal
• Proposed solution: Engineer bacteria that can sense when heavy metals exceed a certain threshold. Once detected, the bacteria would produce a coloured pigment as a warning signal, letting us know when production must be reduced.

Learn by Playing — cocoLAB Board Game

There is no better way to learn than by having fun!

Based on this premise, our team decided to create a cooperative game about synthetic biology that allows both children and parents to learn more about synthetic biology. Through fun challenges, players learn about synthetic biology concepts such as gene editing, current lab issues, and the use of model organisms.

We spent several months conceptualizing the game mode and features, designing the cards and laying them out, talking to professional printers across Europe, and distributing our creation at events and to various secondary schools around the country.

“You are a skilled biologist motivated to fight against the great scourges of this world. To do so, choose your specialization between the plant and bacterial worlds and use genetic engineering tools to improve your organisms and hopefully combat our ‘great misfortunes’. Use CRISPR and other method to edit a bacterial genome or engineer plants! Team up in this evolving card game to defeat the end of the world or the problem of diabetes by calling on the abilities of model organisms.” Will you get there faster than your classmates? Will you manage to avoid the traps and misfortunes that can strike in the laboratory? To find out, get a copy of our game on our Instagram competition, at any of our partner schools, or at the Grand Jamboree! The game is free, so it costs nothing to have fun!

The game consists of 192 cards, divided into three different decks: the Plant Deck, the Bacteria Deck, and the Issues Deck. Each deck contains around fifteen unique card designs, duplicated to reach a total of sixty to seventy cards per deck. At the beginning of the game, each deck is shuffled separately. From the Issues Deck, the Scourge cards, which represent major global problems, are removed. One of these Scourge cards is placed in the center of the table to determine the challenge that players will face, while the other is set aside and not used during the game. The Plant and Bacteria decks represent the playable cards. Each player chooses one of these decks and starts the game by drawing seven cards.

During each round, players take turns performing a series of actions. On their turn, a player may draw one card, place one Field card on the table, and use existing Field cards to summon organisms or modify them through synthetic biology manipulations. The Field cost required to play an organism or a tool is indicated on the card. Once the player’s organisms are active, they can attack the Scourge, dealing damage equal to the combined attack value of their organisms. After attacking, the player’s turn ends.

At the end of the round, once all players (or the single player in solo mode) have finished their turns, the top card of the Issues Deck is revealed, and its effect is applied. A new round then begins. The goal of the game is to defeat the Scourge as quickly as possible, using strategy, cooperation, and the power of synthetic biology.

By designing this game, our iGEM team aims to make synthetic biology accessible and inspire the next generation of scientists. We tested the game in local schools and science fairs, and players loved it!

For All Ages — "The Spring Of Science" event

Children's fascination becomes adults' passion. Reaching out to students allows us to raise awareness among potential future researchers, but the heart of more sustainable education lies in the home.

That is why, in conjunction with the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve, we organised a fun activity during "the Spring of Science", an event that aims to introduce science and technology to the general public and schools in a fun and educational way. Parents and children were able to discover synthetic biology through our game, microscope, poster and other quizzes. We left them with a memorable experience and the conviction that this type of activity is the best way to reach the public in a meaningful way.

Impact at Distance — Social Media

The average screen time per capita continues to grow. So let's move with the times and try to use this time to learn and have fun!

Throughout the year, our Instagram account has brought together hundreds of students around informative posts on synthetic biology, as well as humorous videos depicting the difficulties we encountered during the competition. This has resulted in more than 50,000 views from Belgium and neighbouring countries. All of our educational Instagram posts have also been published on our Facebook page, generating several thousand views and reaching a more mature audience this time.

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Discover our project

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Fun fact 01

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Fun fact 02

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Fun fact 03

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Myth VS scientific fact #1

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Myth VS scientific fact #2

We also created a YouTube channel featuring a series of podcasts on inclusivity in science, as well as two explanatory videos on the basics of synthetic biology, which will remain available after the competition. The aim is to show that science is accessible to everyone and that, regardless of your specific background, it is possible to thrive in the laboratory.

Expanding our Impact — Media Coverage

If we cannot visit every school in our country, then let us try to reach every household. And the best way to do that is through the media. Radio, television, newspapers — any means is good for ensuring that everyone hears about synthetic biology and this small team of students who want to make a difference.

Radio — 16 April 2025

We appeared on a local radio station to explain to the general public what iGEM and synthetic biology are. Through numerous questions from the radio hosts, listeners were able to learn about the role and impact of synthetic biology in our daily lives, based on easy-to-understand examples and amusing anecdotes.

Television — 27 August 2025

We appeared on television to explain our project in more detail and what we had brought to the competition. The general public was able to see part of our workspace and our experiments. We tried to show the Belgian people that a team of students was motivated to represent them internationally, but also that science is accessible to anyone who wants to learn about it.

Newspaper — 10 September 2025

An article about our project was published in Daily Science. In it, we explain our project and our investment, raising awareness about the importance of HMOs and the impact of synthetic biology around the world.