Team:HKU-Hong Kong/humanpractice

Objectives

Hong Kong is deemed to be lagging behind in the scientific research field and few teenagers would aim at becoming researchers when they graduate. Therefore, our team has launched a series of human practice activities with the objective to introduce to the public what synthetic biology is, and its unlimited potential to improve our living standard. We also aim to show local high school students the appealing side of biotechnology, in the hope that they will be inspired to pursue a career in related fields. Besides, through our promotional campaigns, we address the public’s concern towards safety and ethical issues of genetic engineering.

Our Human Practice Initiatives

School Visits

School visits are conducted in Valtorta College, Maryknoll Convent School and St. Paul’s Secondary School to introduce synthetic biology to high school students. The explanation of synthetic biology is brief to accommodate their lack of knowledge in this area, and the focus is put on the entailing safety and ethical issues instead. They are encouraged to think critically of the pros and cons of biotechnology.

Students are very attentive during the session, and from their feedbacks, we can conclude that there is generally an interest towards our project and synthetic biology, but due to the perceived uncertainty of being a scientist in Hong Kong, they are deterred from choosing this career path. Having known more about our exciting iGEM project, the students are inspired to explore more in the genetic engineering field.

The University of Hong Kong Information Day

Targeting at prospective HKU undergraduates, we will set up a booth in the campus for our university’s information day. There will be an exhibition of iGEM’s history and HKU team’s contribution towards the competition. Groups of high school students will visit the booth and it is a chance to attract passionate students to pass on the iGEM torch.

Promotional Video

Adopting the filming style of a recent blockbuster, Inception, we have shot a promotional video to let everyone have a glimpse of our lab work. This has been shared with our friends via Facebook and Youtube. The video will also be broadcast in campus on our campus TV to draw our peers’ attention on what we are working on. Our video has received quite a few compliments so far, which means we have successfully made iGEM an excitement in our community!

[http://www.youtube.com/user/hkuigem2010 Our official youtube channel]