Team:Lethbridge/Ethics

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Ethics and SynBio

Synthetic biology is a novel area of biology that builds upon the field of biotechnology. However, that does not answer the question what is synthetic biology? A definition upon which everyone can agree has yet to be found but some popular ones include:

  • A new area of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biology biological] research that combines [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science science] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineering engineering] in order to design and build ("synthesize") novel biological functions and systems or;
  • The design and construction of new biological parts, devices, and systems and the re-design of existing, natural biological systems for useful purposes.

Along with the biological and technological problems of synthetic biology, there are also issues of ethics, the environment, legalities, education, and biosafety. The Lethbridge 2009 iGEM team project focuses around microcompartments, nanoparticles and the biobattery and we have though long and hard about the E3LS issues that could arise from a project such as ours. Our long-term goal is to create an efficient and cost effective biological battery. This self-sustaining battery will fix carbon dioxide from the atmosphere when supplied with water and sunlight, thus acting as a carbon negative source to make our biobattery environmentally beneficial. However, first our photosynthetic bacteria must be optimized with microcompartments, which could also be beneficial as a drug delivery system in the future. The third component of our project is the production of nanoparticles of uniform size and shape that can also be used by medical and diagnostic sciences. However, methods to produce such nanoparticles are cost intensive and require extreme conditions to make. However, there is a protein, mms6, from Magnetopirillium magneticum, which is important in controlling the morphology of such particles. Our team will be introducing a novel method for the mass production of uniform nanoparticles that will be environmentally friendly, and much more cost efficient. As you can see the Lethbridge 2009 iGEM team project will be environmentally and economically useful. However, how synthetic biology, and our project, is perceived in our community is extremely important. Will synthetic biology be a profitable, and therefore continuous, field in southern Alberta? This is important for our team to consider.

With the continually advancing field of biotechnology and the emergent industry of synthetic biology there is a growing demand for graduates with a strong science background. However, North America is experiencing a decline in the number of graduates majoring in science. One of the goals of the 2009 Lethbridge iGEM team is to view the trends of science interest and knowledge in Southern Albertan high school students. Although many similar surveys have and are being conducted, ours is geared towards students in our immediate vicinity, Lethbridge and the surrounding area. This is important, as Southern Alberta is a highly conservative area that puts a lot of emphasis on religion and tradition. Thus it should be interesting to see how the up and coming generations of science students feel about synthetic biology. To assess the interest levels and general attitude that high school students have towards science we have conducted a survey of grade 10 classrooms in three separate Lethbridge high schools. The survey and its results are discussed below.


The Survey

Overview

Synthetic biology has been surrounded with ethical concerns from the very beginning. Many issues have been raised, looking at whether a new scientific development may have environmental, social, legal, economic or destructive consequences. Each of these issues must be analyzed to rate the safety of a new project or design entering the commercial world.

However, while all of these concerns must be addressed, the University of Lethbridge iGEM Team has decided to take a simpler look at ethical concerns surrounding synthetic biology. Will the general public be concerned about synthetic biology, if they aren’t even concerned about science in general? U of L iGEM created a survey for high school students (the newest generation of active citizens) to discover their general interest in science, their knowledge of genetic engineering and synthetic biology, predetermined stereotypes and finally a possible need for high school based extra-curricular science activities.

Questions

Information gathered from this survey will be used in a university project (iGEM), and to assess the need for increased funding for science activities. The answers you provide on this survey will remain anonymous; individual identity will remain confidential. Your participation is greatly appreciated.

1.Do you think of science as the learning of past discoveries, or the development of new discoveries?

Learning of Past Discoveries Development of New Discoveries

2.Rate your interest in science:

0 1 2 3 4
None Very Low Low High Very High

3.How interested are you in pursuing a scientific career?

0 1 2 3 4
None Very Low Low High Very High


4.Rate your understanding of the term “genetic engineering.”

0 1 2 3 4
Never Heard Of It Before Don’t Know What It Is Know Somewhat Know Mostly What It Is Know Exactly What It Is

5.Do you think genetic engineering to be good or bad?

0 1 2 3 4
Don't Care Very Bad Bad Good Very Good


6.Rate your understanding of the term “synthetic biology.”

0 1 2 3 4
Never Heard Of It Before Don’t Know What It Is Know Somewhat Know Mostly What It Is Know Exactly What It Is


7.Do you think synthetic biology to be good or bad?


0 1 2 3 4
Don't Care Very Bad Bad Good Very Good


8.Which high school science classes do you plan on taking? Circle all that apply.

Biology Chemistry Physics Science Science
20 20 20 20 24
30 30 30 30


9.In your future career, which factor is the most important to you?

Helping Others Making Discoveries Money Independence Fame


10.The majority of learning done in your science classroom is through:

Problem Based Learning Group Work Lecture Assignments Self Directed Learning

11.How would you like to do the majority of learning in the classroom?

Problem Based Learning Group Work Lecture Assignments Self Directed Learning


12.Rate your interest in participating in paid extra-curricular science activities?

0 1 2 3 4
None Very Low Low High Very High

13.What are the first three words you think of when you hear the word “scientist”?

  1. _____________________
  2. _____________________
  3. _____________________

Results

Analysis

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