Team:Mingdao/Human Practices
Mingdao
Integrated Human Practices
Introduction
For Mingdao, Integrated Human Practices is a process of constantly improving our work with the feedback we receive. We believe that receiving feedback is the most important part of learning as it enables us to continuously improve and recognize what we did well. Most importantly, we hope to contribute to the society by creating products beneficial to mankind using the feedback we received on our project.
The inspiration for the Cleandy project came from a case study that we conducted on local oral health conditions. According to studies done by the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare, the average 12-year-old Taiwanese child has 2.58 cavities, which is much higher than the world average. By identifying the issue, we became determined to find a possible solution. After weeks of planning and discussion meetings, we came up with the concept of a candy with similar functions of xylitol. Thus, the idea of Cleandy emerged.
We visited Genmont the biotechnology company for the candies' manufacture. Then we collaborated with a dental clinic so that we could have interviews with its patients, and collect advices from the product's target audience. For the results of the interviews, what is worth mentioning is that about 80% of the respondents claimed that they are willing to apply our candies, for they believed it will be a good auxiliary for dental care. These are powerful evidence we got for our project being good for the world.
The inspiration for the Cleandy project came from a case study that we conducted on local oral health conditions. According to studies done by the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare, the average 12-year-old Taiwanese child has 2.58 cavities, which is much higher than the world average. By identifying the issue, we became determined to find a possible solution. After weeks of planning and discussion meetings, we came up with the concept of a candy with similar functions of xylitol. Thus, the idea of Cleandy emerged.
We visited Genmont the biotechnology company for the candies' manufacture. Then we collaborated with a dental clinic so that we could have interviews with its patients, and collect advices from the product's target audience. For the results of the interviews, what is worth mentioning is that about 80% of the respondents claimed that they are willing to apply our candies, for they believed it will be a good auxiliary for dental care. These are powerful evidence we got for our project being good for the world.
Meeting with NCTU_Formosa
In early 2020, we get in touch with team NCTU_Formosa and look forward to discussing the projects and other perspectives regarding the competition. Therefore, we held an online meeting and gathered up to share what we are doing and what challenges we are facing.
In addition to just discussing the projects, a major point in our discussion is about biosafety. Since our project involves genetically modified bacteria, biosafety is therefore one of the most important parts we have to take good care of. In the meeting, we mainly share how we practice biosafety and what detail we could reexamine to improve or to revise in order to strengthen both biosafety and the entire project.
Since NCTU (National Chiao Tung University) is one of the best polytechnic universities in Taiwan, this meeting with them is undoubtedly an important opportunity for us to learn from them.
In addition to just discussing the projects, a major point in our discussion is about biosafety. Since our project involves genetically modified bacteria, biosafety is therefore one of the most important parts we have to take good care of. In the meeting, we mainly share how we practice biosafety and what detail we could reexamine to improve or to revise in order to strengthen both biosafety and the entire project.
Since NCTU (National Chiao Tung University) is one of the best polytechnic universities in Taiwan, this meeting with them is undoubtedly an important opportunity for us to learn from them.
SEPOM Technology Ltd.
On April 30th, 2020, we visited SEPOM Technology Ltd. It’s a company that produced oxygen water, bottled water that includes high concentration of oxygen inside. We wantd to collaborate with them because our genetically modified bacteria- E.Coli Nissle are aerobic, which means that it will be necessary for us to create an environment sufficient in oxygen in our product for them to survive and raise its efficacy. Therefore , after a few negotiations and conferences, we ought to came up with a way of combining their oxygen compressing technique with our project, to make sure we can have enough bacteria functioning during the eating process.
Meeting with NCKU_Tainan
In iGEM 2019, team NCKU_Tainan won the global championship with the topic of chronic kidney disease (CKD). In addition to the championship, they also got nominated for 10 other awards and got 5 of them, including Best Therapeutics Project, Best Presentation, Best Hardware, Best Model, and Best Measurement.
In this visit, we exchange our project with the NCKU team this year, and also visit their molecular biology lab. With this share and exchange, we hope to improve ourself with the opinions from other teams and hoping to stand out in this year’s competition.
In this visit, we exchange our project with the NCKU team this year, and also visit their molecular biology lab. With this share and exchange, we hope to improve ourself with the opinions from other teams and hoping to stand out in this year’s competition.
Genmont Biotechnology Inc.
Genmont is a well-known biotechnology company in Taiwan, some of the famous yogurt drink’s bacteria is provided by them. In the visit, they first introduce how they apply probiotics to their product, and also teach us how to distinguish different types of probiotics.
Our product, originally willing to put the bacteria into the candy in order to achieve the effect of improving oral health. After we share our thoughts, their manager gives us her opinions, and also answer a lot of our questions.
In this visit, we learned that how a company make sure their product is safe and also let us know that how a product goes through the process from developing to the consumers. More importantly, Genmont help us a lot on the product, with their advice and assistance, we definitely will be able to improve our product and overall project.
Our product, originally willing to put the bacteria into the candy in order to achieve the effect of improving oral health. After we share our thoughts, their manager gives us her opinions, and also answer a lot of our questions.
In this visit, we learned that how a company make sure their product is safe and also let us know that how a product goes through the process from developing to the consumers. More importantly, Genmont help us a lot on the product, with their advice and assistance, we definitely will be able to improve our product and overall project.
Dentistry Department of China Medical University
On July 17th, Two of our team members went to the dentistry department of China Medical University to investigate more about the dentistry department and associate with several students and professors there.
We prepared a brief introduction of our project, including our motivation, experiments and statistics we have obtained , activities we have coordinated and put into practice so far , and our project protocol for them. Ｗe end up having deep discussions on changes we should make on our experiments, a plenty of students also suggest us a number of activities to work on, for example, designing our own health education brochures . By the end of the day, the two of us were packed with new knowledges to share and report back to the team. Among all, the most useful are their advices through clinical aspect, a few asked us about how we could make sure the concentration of H2O2 our bacteria released wouldn’t break the balance of the oral microbiome, which lead our measurements group start off a new experiment to ensure we could avoid Dysbiosis . while we aim our main consumer groups on patients suffering with tooth decays, dentists will be the one making clinical use and applying the treatments. Hence , feedbacks from dentists are extremely helpful for us on revising the protocol of our project, making sure it fits all the clinical requirements, and are handy to operators, are the main purpose of this temporary visit.
We prepared a brief introduction of our project, including our motivation, experiments and statistics we have obtained , activities we have coordinated and put into practice so far , and our project protocol for them. Ｗe end up having deep discussions on changes we should make on our experiments, a plenty of students also suggest us a number of activities to work on, for example, designing our own health education brochures . By the end of the day, the two of us were packed with new knowledges to share and report back to the team. Among all, the most useful are their advices through clinical aspect, a few asked us about how we could make sure the concentration of H2O2 our bacteria released wouldn’t break the balance of the oral microbiome, which lead our measurements group start off a new experiment to ensure we could avoid Dysbiosis . while we aim our main consumer groups on patients suffering with tooth decays, dentists will be the one making clinical use and applying the treatments. Hence , feedbacks from dentists are extremely helpful for us on revising the protocol of our project, making sure it fits all the clinical requirements, and are handy to operators, are the main purpose of this temporary visit.
Chung Shan Medical University Oral Medicine Department
We met with Dr. Jyun-Cheng Chen to talk more about the viability of our project. He guided us to think about the future of our product, addressing several weak points we had never thought of. For instance, he suspected hydrogen peroxide our genetic modified bacteria released might lead to destruction of the biological balance. He provided lots of invaluable insight allowed us to refine the project. He also pointed out that the certain part of our presentation should be looked out if audience understood and concentrated on what we said.
Interviews in Dental Clinic
On August 8, we went to a dental clinic which we collaborated with to interview the patients there. First we will give interviewers a piece of leaflet we made by ourselves which includes a brief introduction of our project and some tips about oral hygiene. After some brief greetings, we went on to the main part of the interviews, where we asked the interviewees about their opinions on GM products and CLEANDY. Among their feedback, what is worth mentioning is that almost all of the respondents claimed that they are willing to apply our product, which contains genetically-modified probiotics to prevent cavities, for they believed it will be a good auxiliary for dental care.
These are powerful evidences we got for our project being good for the world, and it is truly an encouraging result to us.
These are powerful evidences we got for our project being good for the world, and it is truly an encouraging result to us.
Taiwan iGEM Conference at NCHU
We went to NCHU on August 17 and 18 to join the Taiwan iGEM Conference, a big meeting in which some of the iGEM groups from around Taiwan exchanged their ideas. We communicated with others, introduced our project to each other, and offered exceptional opinions. During the conference, we got some questions about our idea, which allowed us to enhance our project. In spite of the competitive relationship, we still obtained numerous precious advice. By two-day discussion and excitation, all of us learned a lot from each other and made everyone better.
Education
Introduction
As a team based in Taiwan, Mingdao aims to raise social awareness on oral health issues prominent in the country via promoting the Education and Public Engagement plans we devised. In order to better engage the public, we decided the most effective way of educating them would be to design an oral-health-themed board game.
To test out the effectiveness of our game, we visited a neighboring elementary school and taught young schoolchildren how to play the game. We observed in our time teaching and playing with the children that they expressed great curiosity and enthusiasm, demonstrating the game successfully let them have fun while learning.
Moving onto the next stage of our project, we participating in the school’s STEAM FAIR, an exhibition held annually to provide students with knowledge in various scientific fields. With our main goal to raise social awareness in mind, we presented to an audience the importance of maintaining and spreading awareness of oral health in Taiwan. In addition, crafted an animation and introduced our project to maximize our takeaway from our STEAM FAIR experience.
As a result of STEAM FAIR, we had new, inspired applicants hoping to join the Mingdao iGEM 2021 team. Seeing this, not only were we further inspired to persevere with our project, but also overjoyed to see that our efforts inspired the minds of more next-generation leaders in the ever-expanding world of science.
To test out the effectiveness of our game, we visited a neighboring elementary school and taught young schoolchildren how to play the game. We observed in our time teaching and playing with the children that they expressed great curiosity and enthusiasm, demonstrating the game successfully let them have fun while learning.
Moving onto the next stage of our project, we participating in the school’s STEAM FAIR, an exhibition held annually to provide students with knowledge in various scientific fields. With our main goal to raise social awareness in mind, we presented to an audience the importance of maintaining and spreading awareness of oral health in Taiwan. In addition, crafted an animation and introduced our project to maximize our takeaway from our STEAM FAIR experience.
As a result of STEAM FAIR, we had new, inspired applicants hoping to join the Mingdao iGEM 2021 team. Seeing this, not only were we further inspired to persevere with our project, but also overjoyed to see that our efforts inspired the minds of more next-generation leaders in the ever-expanding world of science.
Board Game - Teeth Battle®
Based on our volunteering experiences in the local elementary school, we observed that awareness of the importance of dental care among the children was low. We realized that this was due to the general low awareness amongst Taiwanese locals, meaning that the children are barely educated about the tenets of maintaining a healthy oral cavity. As a result, Taiwan has a staggeringly high number of children suffering from oral diseases starting at a young age. Therefore, we decided to create an educational board game to help them understand the importance of a healthy oral cavity and have fun along the way.
The main reasons as to why we choose to create a board game one being how board games can take children away from their electronic screens and the other being its ability to connect different generations. Nowadays, with electronic devices occupying a large portion of modern entertainment, many children are seen focused on screens wherever they go. Taiwan is not an exception when it comes to this worldwide phenomenon, but what is especially concerning is that these devices do not contribute to the betterment of oral health. In other words, not only is it unlikely for us to find children conducting individual research on oral health, it also serves as a distraction for children when it comes to maintain oral health. When asking the children for their impressions of brushing and flossing, they expressed that they felt it was a bother, which aligns with studies done by the Taiwan Centers of Disease Control (CDC).
In order to incentivize children to learn more about the importance of oral health, our board game is designed to introduce the ecology of the human oral cavity in an entertaining manner. Although there are unfamiliar concepts, such as scientific terms like Streptococcus Mutans and Streptococcus Sanguinis in our board game, thorough explanations are given along with alternate names to make the game more relatable for younger children. For instance, Streptococcus Mutans and Streptococcus Sanguinis are described to be at war with each other while terms such as biofilm, H2O2, and bacteriocin are substituted by words like “weapons”, “shields”, and “poisons”. With its educational value and interesting concept, we hope to that our game can help connect several generations of Taiwanese families to sit down for a game.
The main reasons as to why we choose to create a board game one being how board games can take children away from their electronic screens and the other being its ability to connect different generations. Nowadays, with electronic devices occupying a large portion of modern entertainment, many children are seen focused on screens wherever they go. Taiwan is not an exception when it comes to this worldwide phenomenon, but what is especially concerning is that these devices do not contribute to the betterment of oral health. In other words, not only is it unlikely for us to find children conducting individual research on oral health, it also serves as a distraction for children when it comes to maintain oral health. When asking the children for their impressions of brushing and flossing, they expressed that they felt it was a bother, which aligns with studies done by the Taiwan Centers of Disease Control (CDC).
In order to incentivize children to learn more about the importance of oral health, our board game is designed to introduce the ecology of the human oral cavity in an entertaining manner. Although there are unfamiliar concepts, such as scientific terms like Streptococcus Mutans and Streptococcus Sanguinis in our board game, thorough explanations are given along with alternate names to make the game more relatable for younger children. For instance, Streptococcus Mutans and Streptococcus Sanguinis are described to be at war with each other while terms such as biofilm, H2O2, and bacteriocin are substituted by words like “weapons”, “shields”, and “poisons”. With its educational value and interesting concept, we hope to that our game can help connect several generations of Taiwanese families to sit down for a game.
Education project in Chiao-Jen Elementary School
We visited Chiao-Jen Elementary School, a local elementary school, in June to raise awareness about oral hygiene amongst young schoolchildren as well to teach them how to play our board game. When teaching the children the importance of oral hygiene, topics such as tooth anatomy, causes and prevention methods for cavities, and the standard procedure of brushing and flossing. Additionally, we also checked for the presence of dental plaque to give feedback on the condition of their oral hygiene.
After our brief lecture, we played the board game with them. Due to their ages, we simplified the game without taking away the essential elements. The feedback we received from the children exceeded what we had originally predicted. Despite expressing confusion from time to time, the children were enthusiastic about learning and proactive when it came to participating.
In short, our first volunteering experience at Chiao-Jen left us excited for more future collaborations with the school. We left feeling accomplished we helped raise local awareness on oral hygiene while creating enjoyable memories with the schoolchildren. In addition, the experience inspired us to plan similar volunteering experiences with other institutions in the future.
After our brief lecture, we played the board game with them. Due to their ages, we simplified the game without taking away the essential elements. The feedback we received from the children exceeded what we had originally predicted. Despite expressing confusion from time to time, the children were enthusiastic about learning and proactive when it came to participating.
In short, our first volunteering experience at Chiao-Jen left us excited for more future collaborations with the school. We left feeling accomplished we helped raise local awareness on oral hygiene while creating enjoyable memories with the schoolchildren. In addition, the experience inspired us to plan similar volunteering experiences with other institutions in the future.
Animation Introducing Synthetic Biology
After our volunteering experience at Chiao-Jen Elementary School, we realized orally introducing the children to the concept of synthetic biology was not enough as most still found the idea vague. By identifying this problem, our education team came up with a solution to help people better understand the nature of synthetic biology- to introduce synthetic biology using an animated film.
When our team members were undergoing the process of crafting an animation, they several hardships such as learning how to utilize animation software, understanding the basics of coding, as well as finding the balance between providing ample information while keeping it simplified and concise. Despite such setbacks, we persevered and never stopped asking questions in order to continue refining the animation video. Eventually, our hard work paid off and we were able to premiere our animation at the Mingdao STEAM FAIR and upload it the Mingdao iGEM 2020 official YouTube channel.
When our team members were undergoing the process of crafting an animation, they several hardships such as learning how to utilize animation software, understanding the basics of coding, as well as finding the balance between providing ample information while keeping it simplified and concise. Despite such setbacks, we persevered and never stopped asking questions in order to continue refining the animation video. Eventually, our hard work paid off and we were able to premiere our animation at the Mingdao STEAM FAIR and upload it the Mingdao iGEM 2020 official YouTube channel.
STEAM FAIR
The Mingdao BioLab, our school’s center of biotechnology, hosts Mingdao’s annual STEAM FAIR, the school’s main event for young and aspiring scientists. The STEAM FAIR is a large interactive exhibition where participants can receive lectures given by domestically renowned scientists, take part in practical biotech workshops and experiments, and share knowledge via conversations with others interested in any field of science.
Last year, our team signed up to be presenters for a three-day STEAM FAIR workshop. On the first day, we demonstrated how to conduct electrophoresis. A thorough, step-by-step demonstration was given to the participants, including how to operate the equipment as well as an introduction of its real-life applications. We also premiered an animation introducing synthetic biology crafted by our team. The following day, we taught them the role of DNA in life utilizing a simple interactive game. Last but not least, we demonstrated the procedures of plasmid DNA extraction on the third and last day of our workshop. The principles of each step were patiently explained by our team members to an attentive audience, who were then given a worksheet to test their basic understanding of the experiment.
To conclude, our experience of hosting a workshop at the STEAM FAIR was extremely fruitful. Not only did we spark numerous meaningful conversations, we also managed to recruit new members for the upcoming Mingdao iGEM 2021 team. In addition, our team was also able to utilize the knowledge we obtained of science during our hours spent at the iGEM lab as well as each member and their role in team.
Last year, our team signed up to be presenters for a three-day STEAM FAIR workshop. On the first day, we demonstrated how to conduct electrophoresis. A thorough, step-by-step demonstration was given to the participants, including how to operate the equipment as well as an introduction of its real-life applications. We also premiered an animation introducing synthetic biology crafted by our team. The following day, we taught them the role of DNA in life utilizing a simple interactive game. Last but not least, we demonstrated the procedures of plasmid DNA extraction on the third and last day of our workshop. The principles of each step were patiently explained by our team members to an attentive audience, who were then given a worksheet to test their basic understanding of the experiment.
To conclude, our experience of hosting a workshop at the STEAM FAIR was extremely fruitful. Not only did we spark numerous meaningful conversations, we also managed to recruit new members for the upcoming Mingdao iGEM 2021 team. In addition, our team was also able to utilize the knowledge we obtained of science during our hours spent at the iGEM lab as well as each member and their role in team.
Mingdao iGEM 2021 Team Recruitment
Aforementioned, our team recruited a batch of potential Mingdao iGEM 2021 members at the STEAM FAIR. When it comes to recruiting new members, Mingdao believes that academic performance or familiarity in biology isn’t the defining factor of a student’s capabilities and eligibility. As young leaders of the 21st century, we value traits such as the ability to communicate effectively, critical thinking, perseverance, and collaborative skills in our iGEM team members above all else.
After many conversations at the STEAM FAIR, the selected students were given introductory lectures by iGEM 2020 members. We briefly went over the nature of iGEM, member roles, expectations, and obligations. Members from each respective iGEM group, such as HP, Experiments, and Education, also shared their personal experiences of working on our project. As a team, we believe that it is crucial that we have such conversations as it creates a sense of unity and continues Mingdao’s scientific legacy built on inspiration, innovation, and collaboration.
After many conversations at the STEAM FAIR, the selected students were given introductory lectures by iGEM 2020 members. We briefly went over the nature of iGEM, member roles, expectations, and obligations. Members from each respective iGEM group, such as HP, Experiments, and Education, also shared their personal experiences of working on our project. As a team, we believe that it is crucial that we have such conversations as it creates a sense of unity and continues Mingdao’s scientific legacy built on inspiration, innovation, and collaboration.
GM Foods Debate
Genetically modified foods (GM foods) have always been in debate on whether the trade of such edibles should be permitted. Despite being constantly mentioned as cause-and-effect, there is no positive correlation between GM foods and health issues. Therefore, we decided to encourage critical thinking among young scientist by conducting a supervised debate evaluating the pros and cons as well as real-world impact of genome editing. During the event, participants debated the official legalization of GM foods based on their impact in environmental, social, and economic aspects of the world.
The debate ended with more people in favor of the legalization of GM foods, aligning with poll results from the National Academies of Sciences. The main arguments made in favor of GM foods were their ability to help solve the current food crisis prevalent in third world countries and their effectiveness in helping to mitigate the carbon emissions excreted by the agricultural industry. In addition, genetic engineering aids farmers in cultivating crops that are better fit for harsher climates. For instance, altering the genetic makeup of rice to make it need less hydration could increase its availability in drought-prone countries.
Reflecting on the experience, the debate allowed us to practice several skills necessary for modern-day youth such as critical thinking, effective communication, and awareness of global issues. The debate was conducted in a civil manner, with participants of opposite blocs politely responding to questions asked and providing logical arguments in support of their stance. In the end, it was a fruitful event for all of us, motivating us to host more similar events in the future.
The debate ended with more people in favor of the legalization of GM foods, aligning with poll results from the National Academies of Sciences. The main arguments made in favor of GM foods were their ability to help solve the current food crisis prevalent in third world countries and their effectiveness in helping to mitigate the carbon emissions excreted by the agricultural industry. In addition, genetic engineering aids farmers in cultivating crops that are better fit for harsher climates. For instance, altering the genetic makeup of rice to make it need less hydration could increase its availability in drought-prone countries.
Reflecting on the experience, the debate allowed us to practice several skills necessary for modern-day youth such as critical thinking, effective communication, and awareness of global issues. The debate was conducted in a civil manner, with participants of opposite blocs politely responding to questions asked and providing logical arguments in support of their stance. In the end, it was a fruitful event for all of us, motivating us to host more similar events in the future.
Mingdao Intramural Presentation
On September 4th, 2019, Mingdao held its annual presentation. As a iGEM team specializing in bioengineering, we presented the results of several case studies we conducted over the school year. Teachers, parents, and students were invited to the intramural presentation to see our learning results. With that in mind, we took the opportunity to ask for first impressions, questions, and feedback from the attendees. Most of the questions that we received was mostly centered on the safety of our product while the feedback provided us with insights on how to polish our project and improve our product.
