Spreading the Word

As a team we thought it was really imporant to spread the word about iGEM. Synthetic biology is a new and developing field and the world should know about it. We feel it's especially important that synthetic biology is presented in an accessible way to people so that it is embraced by the general public. We also feel it's especially important to promote the open source nature of iGEM in the hope that as the field develops it can adopt these principles. The following are the main ways in which we have been spreading the word about iGEM over the summer.

French Documentary on ARTE

Through Daisy Ginsberg, we were approached by a French TV crew from the channel ARTE filming a documentary on synthetic biology. They visited us for a day of filming where they recorded us in the lab in the morning and then in the afternoon filmed us as we discussed the human practices and ethical side of synthetic biology, facilited by Daisy's interesting presentation.

The film crew will also be filming at the jamboree, so look out for them there!

Telling Companies About iGEM

Through the generous sponsorship of all our partners we have had the opportunity to spread the word about iGEM. We have written an article for Sterilin which will be featured in the next edition of their brochure all about iGEM and the Cambridge team's project this year.

Biolegio's generous contribution and provision of t-shirts also enabled us to take some amusing photographs to raise iGEM's profile.

Gibson Assembly Video

What started out as an idea to make a Cambridge iGEM band, and to promote the Gibson Assembly technique we had been using all summer, materialised into the Gibson Assembly Song, which is publicly available and has been viewed by over 3000 people so far (24/10/10). A great way to promote having fun in the lab over the summer! Our Bacterial Bubble Lamp is also publicly available on youtube.

Artist Interest

We have also been contacted by several artists and designers, including a student from Delft University of Technology, who are interested in the idea of lighting the world with bacterial luminescence. This idea has obviously captured the imagination of many people who are also looking into ways of using this 'living light', as well as the feasiblity and usefulness of using bioluminescence to light our environments.