Overview
Our team developed a biosensor that would be able to screen for arsenic and heavy metals in rice, something that is particularly relevant in Taiwan, where rice is a staple food. We ensured that our project was responsible and good for the world by consulting directly with local communities, farmers, and educators. We considered not just the scientific feasibility of our project but also its ethical, social, and environmental consequences.
Public engagement
The purpose of designing this bilingual survey is to collect the public’s opinion about arsenic contamination and whether they are willing to use a simple and low-cost detector to detect arsenic design of the survey result.
Expert Engagement
Field visit to (Wuri Farmers' Association)
We visited the Wuri Farmers' Association, Taiwan's top rice cooperative, on our expert engagement to witness traditional and modern rice growing practices. In talks with rice specialists, we learned a lot about the issues confronting farmers, particularly the issue of arsenic contamination, which threatens crop quality and consumer confidence. The experts pointed out that we also need to educate the public on how to wash rice correctly, and also on the necessity of creating low-cost, high-sensitivity detection devices that are within the capability of farmers to adopt. The experts also pointed out that whatever biosensor we develop should be integrated into existing agricultural practices without placing undue burdens. This criticism directly affected our design process in that it challenged us to further develop our biosensor in terms of functionality, cost, and user-friendliness.
Outreach
As part of our Human Practices outreach in Paris, we reached out to the Education Division of the Taipei Representative Office in France to introduce our project and discuss opportunities for collaboration. The correspondence focused on science diplomacy and Taiwan’s role in promoting sustainability education. The Education Division expressed interest in our initiative and welcomed further exchange during our planned visit on October 27. This upcoming dialogue aims to strengthen our bilingual educational outreach materials and build long-term connections with European educators to promote youth innovation and global engagement.
Defining the Project
Our project's objective since inception has been clear: providing farmers and households with an affordable and straightforward arsenic detection mechanism in rice. Our design process sought to develop a transportable biosensor that would easily be distributed and implemented at scale. In the laboratory, safety and accuracy were both important to us, ensuring that any device we created would yield consistent results before its actual use in real communities. Above all, our human practices were not isolated activities but closely intertwined with our scientific decisions; farmers' and experts' perspectives guided us at every turn, ensuring that our innovations were responsive to actual needs rather than ideal goals.
Social Impact
Our project addresses the global health concern of arsenic contamination in rice, especially dangerous for infants, by creating a simple, low-cost biosensor kit paired with a user-friendly mobile app for household use. This tool improves food safety by empowering farmers and consumers to test their rice directly, preventing the consumption of contaminated crops while raising awareness of the hidden risks of arsenic. By offering an affordable alternative to expensive laboratory testing, our biosensor promotes equity and ensures that communities with fewer resources can still access reliable detection. At the same time, early identification of contaminated rice supports sustainability, as it prevents the consumption of unsafe food and reduces long-term harm to human health.
Conclusion
Through active interaction with rice farmers and students, through ethical reflection, and through social awareness, our project is more than a technical success—it is a community-based, ethical effort to improve the safety of food in Taiwan. We believe this intersection of science, society, and ethics to be what it means to be an iGEM project that is responsible and good for the world.
