1. Overview

Our education initiative aims to bridge the gap between complex synthetic biology concepts and public understanding, with a particular focus on addressing the global health issue of "hidden hunger" and the application of our project, NutriBoost. Faced with the harsh reality that hidden hunger affects nearly two billion people worldwide, we recognize that science popularization is as crucial as technological innovation. Therefore, through a synergistic combination of digital outreach and offline community engagement, we have meticulously designed a series of comprehensive educational activities tailored for audiences of different ages and knowledge backgrounds.

Our educational strategy is built upon three core pillars: Engaging Offline Workshops, Strategic Digital Outreach, and Creative Educational Materials. We are committed to making abstract biotechnology concepts, such as genetic engineering and biofortification, accessible and tangible through vivid storytelling, interactive games, and age-appropriate analogies. Our primary goal is to demystify synthetic biology, specifically demonstrating how our project empowers crops to efficiently synthesize nicotianamine, thereby increasing their iron and zinc content and offering a sustainable solution to improve global nutrition. Ultimately, we hope to foster a profound public understanding of and steadfast confidence in the potential of biotechnology to enhance human health and well-being.

The overall logical framework of our education section is illustrated in the figure below:

Figure 1 Education logical framework

2. Online Science Communication

Our digital outreach strategy is designed to leverage multiple mainstream social media platforms to maximize our influence and public engagement. We recognize that each platform has its own unique audience and content ecosystem, for which we have tailored our communication content accordingly.

2.1 Redbook Campaign

• Main Content: Our official account, "NICONAUT OFFICIAL", primarily targets young adults and families. We focus on integrating science with lifestyle, sharing highlights from our offline workshops, glimpses of our lab work, and educational facts about "hidden hunger" through visually appealing notes and short videos. For example, we provide tips on how to better supplement iron and zinc in daily diets.

• Interaction & Takeaways: Through this platform, we successfully integrated scientific topics into everyday life scenarios and received private messages from parents asking about nutritional supplements for their children. This taught us that closely linking scientific knowledge with the daily lives of our target audience is a highly effective way to increase public acceptance.

Figure 2 Screenshot of Redbook's social media account

2.2 Douyin (TikTok) Educational Series

• Main Content: Our Douyin account, "NICONAUT-OFFICIAL", focuses on publishing short-form videos for a younger audience. The content includes highlight reels from our workshops and fun, animated science videos. We created a "60-Second Science" series that uses lively animations and simple language to explain topics like "What is DNA?" and "How can synthetic biology change our food?"

• Interaction & Takeaways: The fast-paced, entertainment-driven nature of Douyin requires our content to be extremely concise and engaging. This endeavor taught us how to capture the audience's attention in the shortest amount of time while delivering key scientific messages. Although the interaction data is modest, it provided us with invaluable experience in exploring viral science communication.

Figure 3 Screenshot of Douyin's social media account

2.3 WeChat Channel

• Main Content: Our WeChat account, "NICONAUT," serves as the team's official information hub for in-depth communication with our immediate community, such as school faculty, students, and parents. Here, we publish detailed articles on project progress, event announcements, and in-depth explorations of the global impact of "hidden hunger," the scientific principles of our project, and the future of synthetic biology in agriculture.

• Interaction & Takeaways: WeChat strength lies in building strong connections with core supporters. We use WeChat groups to communicate directly with students and parents interested in our project, answering their questions and fostering a community of trust and valuable feedback.

Figure 4 Screenshot of Wechat Channel's social media account

3. Offline Science Education

Elementary School Workshop: "Defeat the Hidden Hunger Monster"

Content: We held a meticulously designed 60-minute interactive workshop for 28 children aged 7-10. The event followed our structured lesson plan, divided into several phases:

1. Icebreaker & Introduction (10 mins): We quickly built rapport with the children through team introductions and a picture guessing game about staple foods, which led into the theme of "hidden hunger."

Figure 5 Team member introduction

2. Core Knowledge (20 mins): Using analogies like a "factory" and an "instruction manual," we vividly explained the concepts of DNA and chromosomes, supported by physical models to make abstract biology tangible. We then introduced synthetic biology as "life's LEGOs," explaining how scientists can use the AtNAS1 gene to add more nutrients to crops.

Figure 6 Team members are teaching knowledge

3. Hands-on Creation (20 mins): This was the highlight of the workshop. Children got to build their own chromosome models using colorful pipe cleaners. Afterwards, they became "little scientists," drawing and presenting their own inventive "super crops."

Figure 7 Team members are demonstrating how to make chromosome models

Figure 8 Team members are demonstrating how to make chromosome models

4. Consolidation & Conclusion (10 mins): We reinforced vocabulary with a game of Pictionary and concluded the event by encouraging the children to adopt healthy eating habits.

A bilingual (English and Chinese) version of the presentation slides was created for this event to accommodate future use in international schools or more diverse settings.

On-site Feedback: The workshop atmosphere was electric. The children were incredibly enthusiastic about the hands-on activities, especially building the chromosome models, with nearly everyone remaining highly engaged throughout. During the "design a super crop" segment, their creativity was astounding, with ideas ranging from "underwater potatoes" to "corn with built-in ketchup." A teacher who attended remarked, "This method of learning through play is perfect for this age group. Complex concepts were explained so clearly, and the children had a wonderful time learning."

Figure 9 Group photo of the offline science popularization activity team

Our Reflection: This successful event validated our "interactive and experiential" approach to science education. We learned that for young children, tangible metaphors and hands-on experiences (like model-building) are far more effective at sparking interest and deepening understanding than traditional lecturing. We also realized that 60 minutes was a bit tight for full interaction and Q&A. In the future, we will consider extending the workshop duration or breaking the content into modules, as well as providing pre-activity materials for teachers to extend the learning into the classroom.

Figure 10 Team members with children

4. Merchandise, Materials & Interactive Tools

4.1 Physical Materials

• Roll-Up Banner:

  • Audience/Use: Deployed at all offline events, such as workshops and science fairs, to serve as informative backdrops and core message displays.

  • Purpose & Significance: We designed three bilingual banners themed "The Hidden Hunger Crisis," "Synthetic Biology Solutions," and "From Lab to Field." They serve as visual focal points that attract audiences and initiate conversations, systematically presenting our project's background, scientific principles, and vision with high educational and promotional value.

Figure 11 Promotional Roll-Up Banner

• Educational Stickers:

  • Audience/Use: Primarily distributed to children participating in our workshops as a reward for active engagement.

  • Purpose & Significance: The stickers feature our custom-designed cartoon characters, "Iron Hero" and "Zinc Guardian." They are not only cherished souvenirs for the children but also fun tools for reinforcing scientific concepts. Through these endearing characters, children can better remember the importance of micronutrients, taking the joy of learning home with them.

Figure 12 Themed stickers

• 3D Chromosome Models:

  • Audience/Use: A core educational tool used in our workshops, which the children build themselves and can take home.

  • Purpose & Significance: This is a key tool for making abstract concepts concrete. By physically twisting pipe cleaners representing DNA into the shape of a chromosome, children gain an intuitive and profound understanding of how genetic material is organized. The process itself is an unforgettable scientific exploration.

Figure 13 chromosome model

Figure 14 DNA model

5. Future Initiatives

To further expand the impact of our educational program and engage with a broader public, we have planned several innovative future activities designed to disseminate scientific knowledge in more diverse and in-depth ways.

5.1 Illustrated Storybook: A Little Seed's Journey: The Magic of Microbes

• Theme & Format: We plan to create a beautifully illustrated children's book. Through anthropomorphic characters—"Mickey the Microbe" (a probiotic), "Corny the Corn," and "Paddy the Rice"—the book will use child-friendly language and warm, colorful illustrations to tell the story of how beneficial microbes help plants absorb nutrients and increase the iron and zinc content in grains.

• Purpose & Significance: A storybook is an excellent medium for introducing science to young children. Through an engaging narrative, we hope to plant a seed of scientific curiosity in their hearts and, via parent-child reading, convey concepts of healthy eating and cutting-edge science to more families.

5.2 Online Series: Invisible Hunger, Visible Hope

• Theme & Format: We will launch a series of online courses or a podcast titled "Invisible Hunger, Visible Hope," to be released on platforms like Bilibili, Spotify, and Douyin's educational channels. The content will be presented by our team members, offering a deep dive into our iGEM project, the causes and effects of "hidden hunger," and how our microbial fertilizers work through synthetic biology.

• Purpose & Significance: This series aims to provide more in-depth content than our short social media videos, primarily targeting middle and high school students, teachers, and parents interested in biology. We hope to transcend geographical boundaries, allowing more young people to access the forefront of synthetic biology and igniting their passion for scientific research.

5.3 "Vox Pop" Street Interviews

• Theme & Format: We plan to conduct "man-on-the-street" style interviews in a busy public square on a weekend. We will prepare small gifts, such as stickers with nutritional facts and small potted plants, to encourage random passersby to participate in brief interviews. Questions will revolve around public awareness of "hidden hunger," acceptance of biofortified foods, price expectations, and other related topics.

• Purpose & Significance: The core purpose of this activity is "to listen." It is not just a one-way promotional campaign but a valuable two-way communication opportunity. By directly understanding public perspectives and concerns, we can gather firsthand societal feedback, which will provide crucial data for the Human Practices component of our project and help align our research direction more closely with real-world societal needs.

6. Conclusion & Reflections

Overall Summary

Our Education and Public Engagement activities successfully achieved their core objectives: we not only raised public awareness of "hidden hunger" but also effectively communicated the science of synthetic biology as a viable solution. By integrating the broad reach of online social media with the deep engagement of offline workshops, we reached a diverse audience spanning from children to adults. We proved that even complex scientific concepts can be understood and appreciated by the general public when presented in a well-designed, relatable manner.

Contribution to Project Implementation

Our EDU activities were more than just one-way knowledge dissemination; they also provided a critical sociological foundation and feedback loop for the Implementation of our core project.

1. Building Social License: Through direct communication with the public, especially by addressing their concerns about genetic modification technologies and biosafety, we began to build the preliminary social trust and acceptance necessary for the future rollout of biofortified crops.

2. Gathering Stakeholder Feedback: Planned activities like the street interviews will provide us with invaluable feedback from end-users (the general public), such as their price expectations and preferences for biofortified foods. This information will directly inform our future product's market positioning and promotion strategy.

3. Nurturing Future Talent: By sparking an interest in synthetic biology among young people, we are cultivating a potential talent pool for the future of the field, which is crucial for the long-term sustainable implementation of the technology.

Our Reflections

Throughout this EDU journey, our team gained invaluable experience and profound insights.

• The Importance of Two-Way Communication: The most significant lesson we learned is that effective science communication must be a dialogue, not a monologue. Respecting the public's existing knowledge, listening to their concerns, and answering with sincerity are the only ways to build trust.

• The Art of Simplification: Translating complex scientific principles into language and formats that are understandable to different age groups is an extremely challenging yet vital task. From "life's LEGOs" to "Iron Hero," every successful analogy and design deepened our understanding of the essence of science communication.

• Education as an Extension of Research: We came to a profound realization that education and public engagement are not add-ons to a research project but are an indispensable and organic part of it. The ultimate success of a scientific project lies not only in its technical breakthroughs but also in its ability to be understood, accepted, and ultimately used to benefit humanity.

In conclusion, our educational journey not only shared knowledge about the NutriBoost project but also taught us how to be better science communicators. The enthusiasm and engagement we encountered have strengthened our conviction: science communication is not just a responsibility but a precious opportunity to inspire the next generation of scientists and informed citizens.