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From 2010.igem.org

Contents 1 Bioethics Overview 2 Part One: Survey 3 Part Two: Public Outreach 3.1 Outreach Events: 3.2 Upcoming Events: 3.3 Events in Planning Stage:

Bioethics Overview

The University of Illinois Champaign Urbana 2010 iGEM team divided the bioethics project into two parts. First, we created and distributed a survey on the public’s knowledge and perception of synthetic biology. We then took the survey results and used them to customize our interactions with the public in order to better inform the community about synthetic biology.

Part One: Survey

We created a survey to provide us with feedback on the general public’s perception of synthetic biology. As of August 11th 2010, we received 73 responses from a population consisting mostly of students. The bulk of our survey distribution was through Facebook, while we also acquired responses from public events such as the Engineering Open House and Biology Open House held on the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana campus. As a result, the majority of our sample population consisted of students and academics.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Survey questions, responses, analysis and conclusions coming soon.

Questions:

1. What is your occupation?
2. Do you have any religious affiliation?
3. What is your commitment to this affiliation?
4. Are you from the United States, and if so what state? If not, what country/region are you from?
5. When was the last time you took a biology/engineering class?
6. What are the first 3 words that come to mind when you hear Synthetic Biology?
7. Are you aware of the human genome project?
8. What are your thoughts on artificial nature/intelligence? If the government asked for your support in this area, would you give it?
9. Can you name any ways synthetic biology or genetic engineering has affected your life?
10. What kind of science and/or synthetic biology do you see in pop culture (music, movies, tv etc.)?
11. What kind of things do you see in the future for science and/or synthetic biology?
12. Any other comments?

1. What is your occupation?

2. Do you have any religious affiliation?

3. What is your commitment to this affiliation?

4. Are you from the United States, and if so what state? If not, what country/region are you from?

Illinois	65
Indiana	1
Missouri	1
Texas	1
Wisconsin	1
India	1
Taiwan	1
Vietnam	1

5.When was the last time you took a biology/engineering class?

6. What are the first 3 words that come to mind when you hear Synthetic Biology?

For full list of survey answers to this question click here

7. Are you aware of the human genome project?

8. What are your thoughts on artificial nature/intelligence? If the government asked for your support in this area, would you give it?

9. Can you name any ways synthetic biology or genetic engineering has affected your life?

10. What kind of science and/or synthetic biology do you see in pop culture (music, movies, tv etc.)?

11. What kind of things do you see in the future for science and/or synthetic biology?

12. Any other comments?

Part Two: Public Outreach

As the second part of our bioethics project, we participated in a number of public events to inform the general public about iGEM and synthetic biology. The results of our survey were useful to help us gauge our audience’s preconceived notions of synthetic biology. Listed below are each of our public outreach events, soon to be updated with descriptions and pictures.

Outreach Events:

Engineering Open House:

The College of Engineering at University of Illinois-Champaign Urbana puts on an annual Open House to allow the public and prospective students to get a glimpse of the college’s diverse programs and clubs. We set up a table with information on iGEM and synthetic biology as well as team project posters from previous years. Our display also included bacteria expressing genes for banana smell in addition to plates of bacteria displaying Cambridge’s E. Chromi biobricks from the 2009 competition. Overall, we had a great time discussing synthetic biology and iGEM with prospective students and members of the community.

Biology Open House:

Science Olympiad National Tournament:

We had the opportunity to set up a display at the Majors Fair during the Science Olympiad National Tournament held on the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana campus May 21^st. This provided us with the perfect opportunity to inform high school and middle school Science Olympiad team members and their families about synthetic biology and iGEM. It was exciting to generate interest amongst these young students and possible future iGEM participants!

G.A.M.E.S. (Girls Adventures in Math Engineering and Science) Camp:

During late July and early August we presented at G.A.M.E.S camp to high school and middle school girls interested in science, math and engineering. We put together a presentation available here with a basic introduction to synthetic biology and its applications as well as some information on iGEM. The presentation concluded with a paper plasmid lab ([http://www.horton.ednet.ns.ca/staff/jfuller/selig/labs/bio12ap_adv/eBioPaperPlasmid.pdf available here]) to reinforce the value of recombinant DNA technology. It was rewarding to see the girls develop an interest in and understanding of synthetic biology.

For more information on G.A.M.E.S. camp, check out their website

iGEM Dots (A.K.A. Dippin'Dots) Sales:

As a fundraiser, we made our own version of Dippin’Dots and sold them on the university quad. This provided an excellent opportunity to inform the campus community about our team and synthetic biology.

Quad Day

The University of Illinois hosts an annual Quad Day which allows many of the University's registered student organizations to set up tables for information distribution and recruitment. We took advantage of this opportunity to put together a booth with background on synthetic biology and iGEM. This allowed us to generate interest in synthetic biology amongst many members of the campus community.

Upcoming Events:

Events in Planning Stage:

Parkland College Seminar:

Orpheum Children's Science Museum: