Education

Every year, the University of Padua inaugurates the new academic year with a large Science Festival, an event open to the entire community and held in early September. The initiative aims to engage people of all ages with scientific research through interactive activities and games that encourage curiosity and creativity.

We had the opportunity to participate in this year’s edition with a stand hosted in the beautiful Botanical Garden of Padua, a unique and inspiring setting that made the experience even more engaging.

Our stand was designed to be accessible and enjoyable, offering a wide range of scientific games, small experiments, crafts, and interactive activities that allowed children to explore key concepts of biology in a hands-on and playful way. We developed tailored activities to promote learning through play, based on the idea that science should not be perceived as distant or overly complex, but rather as something close, tangible, and fascinating. At the same time, we also engaged with adult visitors as parents, teachers, and science enthusiasts, by providing deeper scientific explanations and creating space for dialogue that broadened the impact of our activities to a wider and more diverse audience.

The feedback was extremely positive: hundreds of visitors, including families, students, and curious passersby, actively participated in our activities, demonstrating great interest and enthusiasm. This experience was a concrete opportunity to fulfill the educational mission of our team, in line with iGEM values, by fostering the social impact of scientific research and promoting active dialogue between the university and the local community. Through our stand, we aimed not only to share scientific knowledge, but also to inspire a critical and creative attitude towards science, showing how it can be a powerful tool for understanding the world and shaping future innovation.

Progetto Lauree Scientifiche (PLS) - Scientific Degree Program - of the University of Padua is a national initiative aimed at promoting scientific disciplines among high school students through the creation of laboratories, experimental activities, and orientation programs. With the support of Professor Paolo Laveder, supervisor of the project, we were able to get in touch with several local schools, where we had the opportunity to share knowledge about synthetic biology, and the themes of our project with young students.

Our team visited multiple high schools in the area, such as Conegliano and Leonardo Da Vinci high school. We held lessons about synthetic biology and iGEM, our previous projects, and the current one. Visiting high schools is always an interesting experience since we usually talk to students without a strong background in biology, especially if they came from a classical rather than a scientific high school. Therefore, we almost always had to adapt and simplify much of the content. Nevertheless, we still managed to receive many questions and explain basic concepts such as the central dogma, macromolecules, and basic biology.

At Leonardo Da Vinci High School, we organized a three-day activity. The first day was dedicated to an introduction to synthetic biology and the iGEM competition, where we discussed aspects like sponsorships, human practices, and project development. On the second day, the students participated in wet lab activities, performing tasks such as DNA extraction, purification, quantification, and plant species barcoding. On the third day, we focused on dry lab analysis, where the students analyzed the results from the previous day's experiments. This structure provided a well-rounded learning experience that covered both experimental techniques and data analysis.

To engage the students further, we proposed the creation of a mini-Jamboree inspired by the iGEM competition. After a brief introduction on how iGEM works, we gave them time to design their own project. The participants organized themselves into teams, assigning specific roles and electing a team leader. They then developed an idea in synthetic biology, carrying out preliminary research to assess its scientific and technical feasibility. Finally, the groups shared their ideas and discussed their projects together, enriching one another’s perspectives. The students showed great enthusiasm and curiosity throughout the activity.

Our team took part in the event organized by the association “I Giovani di Lonigo” at the Barns of Villa Mugna on March 4, 2025. During the evening, the team guided the audience through a journey to discover innovative solutions for the sustainable degradation of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), while also encouraging reflection on highly relevant topics such as GMOs, bioethics, and scientific communication. The initiative engaged people of all ages, from the youngest to the oldest, all deeply interested in the PFAS issue, as they were residents of one of the areas most affected by this environmental problem.

We had an incredible opportunity to engage with fellow students in a discussion about the importance of synthetic biology, the iGEM competition, SurPFAS project, presented at last year’s competition by our seniors, and our ongoing project for the iGEM 2025. This opportunity was brought to us by the LATASTE group - a group of students studying natural sciences who organize various events related to science.

We were invited by Bilkent University in Ankara to participate in their seminar on synthetic biology, where we presented iGEM and our project. We highlighted the key goals of the iGEM initiative, introduced the concept of iGEM Villages (localized hubs for collaboration and support), and discussed the various prizes. Our Principal Investigator (PI) also joined us to share his experience as an iGEM Judge, giving us the opportunity to showcase iGEM from both student and judge perspectives. It was a wonderful experience to connect with fellow students abroad who share our passion for synthetic biology.

Throughout the year, we took part in a meeting organized by the Università Popolare di Mestre, where we had the chance to engage with an audience eager to learn about synthetic biology. The initiative provided an important educational opportunity, further enhanced by the publication of an article on our project in the institution’s journal. Learn more on the Inclusivity page.

We took part in the NEXT and the UDU Festival, organized by the Università di Padova and UDU Padova, respectively. At both festivals, we set up our own stand, where we presented our iGEM project through an interactive stand, engaging with students, faculty, and the wider community of the city. Through interactive demonstrations, discussions, and hands-on activities, we introduced visitors to the concepts of synthetic biology, fostering curiosity and sparking conversations about science and innovation. These experiences allowed us to take research beyond the lab, making science both accessible and exciting to a diverse audience.

Our activities in the Palestro neighborhood also turned into a powerful educational initiative. We organized two days of hands-on experiments for children aged 6 to 12, many of whom had never encountered scientific learning opportunities. We demonstrated that science can be fun, engaging, and accessible to everyone. Through a playful approach and active participation, the children explored biology, chemistry, and physics, discovering the excitement of experimentation and the joy of asking questions. These workshops not only provided knowledge but also nurtured curiosity, critical thinking, and confidence, skills that will support their growth well beyond the classroom. In this way, our project turned a moment of outreach into a genuine opportunity for education, showing that science has the power to inspire and empower future generations.
Learn more on the Inclusivity page