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From 2010.igem.org

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.

Survey questions, responses, analysis and conclusions coming soon.

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 gage 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:

Biology Open House:

Science Olympiad National Tournament:

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

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

Upcoming events:

Quad Day:

Events in Planning Stage:

Parkland College Seminar:

Orpheum Children's Science Museum: