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Team:Waterloo/Human Practices
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ESQ (Engineering Science Quest) is a day camp hosted at the University of Waterloo which brings hundreds of curious young minds to Waterloo each year to learn more about science and engineering. We held a weekly activity for the campers that introduced concepts like DNA and synthetic biology. After learning about the basis of synthetic biology and some of the exciting potential applications the campers extracted their DNA from their own cheek cells. The activity allowed us to share our excitement and passion for science with young budding scientists. This program is something we plan to develop and continue in the future. | ESQ (Engineering Science Quest) is a day camp hosted at the University of Waterloo which brings hundreds of curious young minds to Waterloo each year to learn more about science and engineering. We held a weekly activity for the campers that introduced concepts like DNA and synthetic biology. After learning about the basis of synthetic biology and some of the exciting potential applications the campers extracted their DNA from their own cheek cells. The activity allowed us to share our excitement and passion for science with young budding scientists. This program is something we plan to develop and continue in the future. | ||
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Revision as of 01:13, 19 October 2009
Contents |
Human Practices: UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Science stands now in an exciting position; in labs all over the world scientists work tirelessly to master the precise workings of cellular machinery, the genetic code, and intricate protein structures. Applications for products facilitated by the development of new technologies become more obvious and more essential each day. Many of the problems we face in the world- hunger, pollution, and disease, all necessitate the development of these groundbreaking technologies. Science, and in particular biology, has advanced to a key, critical stage, which promises to deliver exciting, life changing, and even paradigm shifting advances.
Well… at least that’s what we think.
As budding synthetic biologists and students of science, the development of a new, game changing technology is something that excites and intrigues us. However, not everyone feels the same way. Much of the world young or old, educated or uneducated, simply don’t get the same thrill from science.
Our goal is to educate and excite people about synthetic biology such that our contributions will encourage the development of a society that is scientifically well informed.
Outreach
Outreach & Synthetic Biology
The newness of synthetic biology means that much of the population is not even aware that it exists (see Awareness & Attitudes Study). Therefore, an important aspect of our outreach efforts is to introduce the topic of synthetic biology and present its current position and the promise that it holds. We also hope to give people the foundational information that they need in order to understand future scientific developments. This form of outreach will help to improve the scientific literacy of the general population.
Another emerging issue is that of misconceptions and fallacies. In the development of synthetic biology, as with many new technologies, there is still much to learn and discover. As a result, the information made available to the public is often not a comprehensive, accurate picture of synthetic biology. This means that the information disseminated to stakeholders is not always enough to prevent them from forming misinformed opinions and thus cedes misconceptions and fallacies.
For more information about the need for outreach check out:
- Awareness & Attitudes Study
The Events
ESQ Partnership
ESQ (Engineering Science Quest) is a day camp hosted at the University of Waterloo which brings hundreds of curious young minds to Waterloo each year to learn more about science and engineering. We held a weekly activity for the campers that introduced concepts like DNA and synthetic biology. After learning about the basis of synthetic biology and some of the exciting potential applications the campers extracted their DNA from their own cheek cells. The activity allowed us to share our excitement and passion for science with young budding scientists. This program is something we plan to develop and continue in the future.
ESQ Photos
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Campus Day
On Wednesday, March 17th potential Waterloo students were able to take part in a lab tour where they were able to take participate in hands on activitie. The high school students learned more about iGEM, synthetic biology, and opportunities in science. Students were able to view GFP in Arabidopsis thaliana under a fluorescent microscope, learned about our past projects, practiced pippetting and learned about gel electrophoresis, viewed results for gel electrophoresis, learned about the importance of model organisms, examined RFP plates, and were introduced to synthetic biology. This event allowed us to illustrate the exciting opportunities in science and engineering to students beginning post-secondary education.
CACUSS
This conference was for individuals who work in the student services area at universities from all across Canada. We featured our work alongside other student projects. The goal was to educate individuals who who do not work directly with synthetic biology but are important to fostering a healthy scientific community. We featured our iGEM work and information about the future of synthetic biology. Visitors to our display had the opportunity to check out demos featuring gel electrophoresis, DNA, and RFP. We hoped to educate the group about what synthetic biology is and teach them some basics techniques.
Biology Reunion
At this event our iGEM team had the opportunity to speak with former Waterloo biology students. We enjoyed being able to show alumni the work that was going on in the biology department. Individuals were very interested to learn more about what is new in the world of science. The group had the chance to check out hands on displays about DNA and RFP.
Student Life 101
