Team:CIDEB-UANL Mexico/HP-Cideb-SyntheticTunnel

Thermonator III: The crop guardian

Description: As a member of the iGem CIDEB team, one can notice that the diffusion of the information about the synthetic biology and about iGem in general is very important for other people to understand the work we do in this contest. Most people don’t know what iGem is about and unknown the activities we do in the lab in order to complete our project. So the team decided to realize different activities to spread the information about our work and about iGem in the high school. But we decided to cross the line and not only leave these activities in the high school but also to carry it further. We had made the activities not only for students but for people in general so the entire society can get more close to the terms we work with.

One of the most interesting activities of human practices is the diffusion of the biotechnology and the iGem contest using the “synthetic biology tunnel” of the biology faculty (borrowed by the iGem-UANL team). We were searching for people to expose to, and we saw in the students of English courses on Saturdays a good chance to start with. We asked for permission to the directors of the course and also asked if the teachers could provide us an hour of their class to take the group into the tunnel and give the exposition. They accepted, and we start to prepare everything of the tunnel, and the speeches we will give.

So the basic idea of this activity was show to the information presented in the synthetic biology tunnel; which consist of 10 modules referent to different areas of the project we are working on, like for example DNA, Biobricks and security in the laboratories. In the Saturday course there were 20 groups with approximately 30 people each, which have students of different ages, from 5 years to 18 years old. The directors organized a schedule in which they put the day and the hour the groups would go and visit the tunnel. The exposition lasted 4 Saturdays, when different groups visited the tunnel. After each day of exposition, the team organized and pick up all the tunnel’s elements to store it until the next Saturday.

After the whole exposition to all the groups, we received positive feedback from the students that visited the tunnel. During the exposition, a big number of students were really paying attention and were really interested in the topics we talked about. They participated asking questions of things they have curiosity and give ideas they create. They also mentioned that the explanations were very simple and easy to understand. Part of this also includes the activity we did after every explanation, which tries to settle the ideas and make them more solid for the students.

At the end, the activity results in a bigger interest of the visitors in the synthetic biology and in the iGem contest. Students show a good treat to the idea of joining to the next-year team. Even the teachers who accompanied the groups were very interested with the information we showed them.

Activity: Each one of modules had an activity which helps the students to settle down the ideas after the explanation we did in each of the modules. They were made to give a more dynamic face to the explanation of each of the modules and avoid turning the tunnel in something boring which lack of something interesting. The activities were related to each of the information of the modules to which they belong. They were game-like activities which challenged the comprehension they got in the explanations.
Objective: To reinforce the learning the students had in the modules with a funny and interactive activity, and made a more dynamic explanation.

Module 1. DNA: In this module, exposition was about the DNA, what it is, how it is formed, and its general characteristics. DNA is the principal part of this whole contest and the synthetic biology also, so it’s important to understand it to get an idea what would be doing. In the first activity, there was a table where it was drawn an incomplete DNA with holes in the parts where there should been the nitrogenous bases. The students had to take these missing parts, and putted them where they should go; based on the things they just learned.

Module 2. Genes: This second module talks about a deeper subject of the DNA, the genes. It explains the function and the 4 characteristics of them. Also tries to explain the function they have on the genetic engineering. This second activity was based on the four parts of the genes, and the activity was a set of blocks attached to a tube in groups of 4. Each block had one of the 4 parts of the genes in one of each faces. The objective was that the students should form a complete gene by arranging the blocks in order.

Module 3. Proteins: Now the students know about the genes, the explanation pass to the proteins, which born from the genes. This section explains the function in has in the body, and how it works in the synthetic biology; and also how they form. This section was based on the codons codes that produce the proteins, so for the activity we putted a table with different codes of codons, and the students had to search for the amino acid that relates to the code, and finally form a protein.

Module 4. Genetic Engineering: In here, it is explained how we can change genes between organism to copy a specific propriety from an organism to another organism that doesn’t have it. The fourth activity was based on the design of different genes as the genetic engineering. We used some pipe cleaners of different colors which serve as genes. The students should had combined and separated them into different categories in a set of time.

Module 5. Synthetic Biology: In the fifth module, we explained the synthetic biology, and how it works. Also the reason for what the synthetic biology is used, and how it works. This activity was to follow the rules of the synthetic biology by copying a gen with a predetermined sketch. The student applies the rules of the synthetic biology by acting their activities.

Module 6. BioBricks: In here, we explained the BioBrick as a tool we use in the synthetic biology. What it is and how it works. Also, the characteristics it must have, and why. By these, we try to give an easy explanation of this tool. After explaining what a BioBrick is and for what it is used for, the students participated in formation of a gen with BioBricks. We used Tetris-like parts to emulate the BioBricks and with them the student had to form a bigger gene.

Module 7. Biological Machine: Here, we explain what a biological machine is. This module is very interesting, because here, all the previous concepts unite to open the possibility of understanding this term. In this activity, after explaining the concept of energy in a biological machine, the students passed to represent a machine that had to make his way through a maze trying to pass over the mayor number of factories, which means a source of energy, to the end.

Module 8. Applications: After understanding the concept of biological machine, know it is explained the applications it may have in the real world, and some examples to make it easier. In this activity, it was presented a case of use of a biological machine, and the students were to classify them in a single category: aliments, industry, medicine or environment.

Module 9. IGem: Know, we explain what the iGem is, and how the work for the contest is. Also, we explained the role of the past team in the past contest, and the specifications of their project. Here, the students have to recreate the last-year iGem project, by hitting with a toy jammer a base, and see how “concentrated” they are, just as the past-year project.

Module 10. Ethic: This is the last module, and here it is explained the importance of the ethic, and how it is regulated by the institutions. Also how it controls the processes in the market, and guarantee the security. In this last module, after learning about the importance of the security equipment in the lab, the students had to dress a friend with all the security equipment in less than 10 seconds, including security glasses, the coat, the gloves, the mask, etc.