Team:Nantes/Education
Design
At our university
Science Festival
Art Exhibition
Research Passport
Board game
Virtual escape game
What we learned
Overview
Synthetic biology remains an underrated field in France. This is why we wanted, through the organization of events and the creation of educational tools, to enable the public to become familiar with synthetic biology. At the same time, we used social media to promote our project, and we therefore raised awareness of local green tide issues among young and old alike. So that a wider public can understand our project, we had to adapt ourselves to each event and promote meaningful exchanges through different and fun methods of communication.
Our project at the University !
We presented the iGEM competition and the A3 project at the University of Nantes, on the Science campus, during the first few days of the new school year for all the freshmen.
During the first weeks of the new school year, we held a booth at the University of Nantes, which gave us the opportunity to talk to students and explain to them exactly what synthetic biology is. We also went into lecture halls of different levels to promote our project. The objective was to present the iGEM competition and everything that comes with it to students from Nantes, but we also used this opportunity to raise awareness about the impact of green tides and the possible applications and valorization idea. We received a lot of positive feedback from students who were very interested in participating and helping the iGEM Nantes project. The participation of the University of Nantes in the iGEM competition is now anchored in the minds of the students of the campus - all disciplines combined.
During the first weeks of the new school year, we held a booth at the University of Nantes, which gave us the opportunity to talk to students and explain to them exactly what synthetic biology is. We also went into lecture halls of different levels to promote our project. The objective was to present the iGEM competition and everything that comes with it to students from Nantes, but we also used this opportunity to raise awareness about the impact of green tides and the possible applications and valorization idea. We received a lot of positive feedback from students who were very interested in participating and helping the iGEM Nantes project. The participation of the University of Nantes in the iGEM competition is now anchored in the minds of the students of the campus - all disciplines combined.
Participation at the Science festival
We held an iGEM-Nantes booth during the Science Festival, which lasted for 3 days. The Science Festival is a national event which is organized in every French city at the same period. The goal of this event is to interpret science in a way that is accessible to a general audience. In this regard, there are exhibitions, conferences and educational workshops about every scientific discipline, that are available and open to the public.
The first day of the event was dedicated to a few school trips (for elementary, middle and high school students) - small groups of school children, about 10 per group, circulated between each booth and workshop. The day was well organized: 20 to 30 minutes was given to each workshop and we were able to explain our involvement in Science. The teachers counted on us to deliver a clear message, adapted to the students, so that they could work on these issues in class. Managing a group of children or teenagers made us feel like real pros! To arouse interest and avoid boredom, we decided to present the booth in a dynamic way. We first presented what synthetic biology is, we then talked about green tides and their impacts. We used posters, models and microscopic observations. Then, we showed the promotional video summarizing our project. During this presentation, the school students asked us a lot of interesting questions which meant that they actually understood everything we said! It was an enriching exchange, with a lot of interactions. We were surprised that the majority of visitors had a negative view of green algae, but the discussions were therefore even more interesting. The incredible properties of green algae are still unknown to the public : this observation gave us some ideas for a project in 2021!
The other 2 days were open to the public: people of all ages and backgrounds were present, as we continued presenting at the iGEM Nantes booth. This time, it was more like a discussion. We also proposed, to the people who were interested, to participate in a contest organized for our future exhibition which will take place in November: the objective was to propose a title for an Arts and Sciences exhibition with the main topic being green algae. The title we will choose will allow the participant to win a comic book on Green Tides, written by Inès Léraud, a French journalist and documentary filmmaker.
Overall, the children and the public seemed satisfied with the proposed activities. The models we had were particularly liked, but the fact that we were interacting with the people directly and asking them questions about science was also widely appreciated. We were really surprised by the children's curiosity! Many of them proposed ideas and asked relevant questions about synthetic biology. This even convinced some of them to study Science later on. This intervention at the Science Festival was a beneficial training that showed us how we should adapt our presentation based on our public. We had a group of foreign children, who had recently moved to France and were therefore not fluent in French. Our exchanges were therefore mainly based on drawings, and through models and videos. Later, they sent us a picture of them in class, presenting the A3 project during a presentation!
The first day of the event was dedicated to a few school trips (for elementary, middle and high school students) - small groups of school children, about 10 per group, circulated between each booth and workshop. The day was well organized: 20 to 30 minutes was given to each workshop and we were able to explain our involvement in Science. The teachers counted on us to deliver a clear message, adapted to the students, so that they could work on these issues in class. Managing a group of children or teenagers made us feel like real pros! To arouse interest and avoid boredom, we decided to present the booth in a dynamic way. We first presented what synthetic biology is, we then talked about green tides and their impacts. We used posters, models and microscopic observations. Then, we showed the promotional video summarizing our project. During this presentation, the school students asked us a lot of interesting questions which meant that they actually understood everything we said! It was an enriching exchange, with a lot of interactions. We were surprised that the majority of visitors had a negative view of green algae, but the discussions were therefore even more interesting. The incredible properties of green algae are still unknown to the public : this observation gave us some ideas for a project in 2021!
The other 2 days were open to the public: people of all ages and backgrounds were present, as we continued presenting at the iGEM Nantes booth. This time, it was more like a discussion. We also proposed, to the people who were interested, to participate in a contest organized for our future exhibition which will take place in November: the objective was to propose a title for an Arts and Sciences exhibition with the main topic being green algae. The title we will choose will allow the participant to win a comic book on Green Tides, written by Inès Léraud, a French journalist and documentary filmmaker.
Overall, the children and the public seemed satisfied with the proposed activities. The models we had were particularly liked, but the fact that we were interacting with the people directly and asking them questions about science was also widely appreciated. We were really surprised by the children's curiosity! Many of them proposed ideas and asked relevant questions about synthetic biology. This even convinced some of them to study Science later on. This intervention at the Science Festival was a beneficial training that showed us how we should adapt our presentation based on our public. We had a group of foreign children, who had recently moved to France and were therefore not fluent in French. Our exchanges were therefore mainly based on drawings, and through models and videos. Later, they sent us a picture of them in class, presenting the A3 project during a presentation!
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iGEM Nantes at the Village des Sciences
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iGEM Nantes at the Village des Sciences
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iGEM Nantes at the Village des Sciences
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iGEM Nantes at the Village des Sciences
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iGEM Nantes at the Village des Sciences
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iGEM Nantes at the Village des Sciences
Art and Science Exhibitions
Art is a universal language. This is why mixing science and art seemed obvious to us. For this purpose, we already organized and are still organizing several exhibitions in order to provide a completely different approach to science and particularly to algae. It is important for us to raise awareness about science and environmental issues. These themes also need to be approached in different forms, to reach an audience that enjoys any form of art. We are proud to collaborate with artists from different fields and teams from several countries, mixing arts and sciences.
We already did two Art Exhibitions and there is a third one coming. Both are free and open to the public :
It is for the exhibition taking place in November at the “Maison des Hommes et Techniques”, that we created the contest where the public had the opportunity to propose a title for the actual exhibition.
Hover over the image to learn more !
We already did two Art Exhibitions and there is a third one coming. Both are free and open to the public :
- At the University Library of the Faculty of Sciences from October 08 to November
- At the Science village, for 3 days during the Science festival in Nantes, from October 9
- At the “Maison des Hommes et Techniques” in Nantes for 2 whole weeks, in November
It is for the exhibition taking place in November at the “Maison des Hommes et Techniques”, that we created the contest where the public had the opportunity to propose a title for the actual exhibition.
Hover over the image to learn more !
The research passport
The research passport is a project that was designed by our region and supported by the Academy of Nantes. In an approach of investigation and creation around a scientific issue, this project allows high school students to develop new skills. This way, they can discover research activity and awaken their critical spirit on scientific and technical issues.
Our team has been invited this year to participate in this unique collaboration. Throughout the school year 2020-2021, we will carry out activities and create a dialogue with a class of high school students to introduce them to our project, to synthetic biology and to the iGEM competition. Eventually, they will have to make an oral presentation in front of a large audience. This operation will allow our team to make students aware of our research, and this in the long-term. Perhaps will this make the students want to set up their own team?
Our team has been invited this year to participate in this unique collaboration. Throughout the school year 2020-2021, we will carry out activities and create a dialogue with a class of high school students to introduce them to our project, to synthetic biology and to the iGEM competition. Eventually, they will have to make an oral presentation in front of a large audience. This operation will allow our team to make students aware of our research, and this in the long-term. Perhaps will this make the students want to set up their own team?
Board game design
Our team is currently developing a boardgame that aims to promote synthetic biology towards kids, students and the general public. You will be able to play in teams or on your own.
There will be 3 levels of difficulty:
- Level 1: mostly for kids
- Level 2: general public
- Level 3: scientists
The game board is going to have different regions, based on our university’s campus and the different kinds of labs. There will be different scientific questions, based on the different regions of the board, and depending on your answer you and your team will be able to move forward. The aim is to correctly answer as many questions as possible and collect all of the parts to build a… that's right: a plasmid.
When the team has all of the parts necessary to build their plasmid, the players have to go to the synthetic biology lab (in the middle of the board) and actually put it together. Each team has a unique plasmid and a card that players have to randomly pick at the beginning of the game guides them to the synthetic biology lab.
A boardgame is an innovative way to make kids interested in science - we wanted to create something interactive, make kids work together in teams and, of course, have fun while learning (it is a game after all).
When the prototype is done, we plan to go to schools and test the game. In order to do so, we will contact teachers in elementary, middle and high school so we can actually play with the kids and make sure that they enjoy this way of learning!
We couldn’t have managed to develop such an amazing project without the help of Damien Marquis, scientist and game creator at the University of Nantes.
There will be 3 levels of difficulty:
- Level 1: mostly for kids
- Level 2: general public
- Level 3: scientists
The game board is going to have different regions, based on our university’s campus and the different kinds of labs. There will be different scientific questions, based on the different regions of the board, and depending on your answer you and your team will be able to move forward. The aim is to correctly answer as many questions as possible and collect all of the parts to build a… that's right: a plasmid.
When the team has all of the parts necessary to build their plasmid, the players have to go to the synthetic biology lab (in the middle of the board) and actually put it together. Each team has a unique plasmid and a card that players have to randomly pick at the beginning of the game guides them to the synthetic biology lab.
A boardgame is an innovative way to make kids interested in science - we wanted to create something interactive, make kids work together in teams and, of course, have fun while learning (it is a game after all).
When the prototype is done, we plan to go to schools and test the game. In order to do so, we will contact teachers in elementary, middle and high school so we can actually play with the kids and make sure that they enjoy this way of learning!
We couldn’t have managed to develop such an amazing project without the help of Damien Marquis, scientist and game creator at the University of Nantes.
Virtual Escape Game for iGEM teams
Health circumstances led to the creation of this large-scale project. A project that makes us dream and will definitely make your eyes sparkle! This virtual Escape Game is designed for all iGEM teams around the world. Focusing on science and the competition, the game will be played by one iGEM team at a time. The team will only have 10 days to finish and win the game. Enigmas contained in a story will be presented in different forms. They may include a textual game, the use of social networks and various platforms. It's like a virtual puzzle, each piece will have to be put together to win - but you can't win alone! The riddles will require the involvement of many members of the team and will call upon essential knowledge in the fields of biology and chemistry, and even some skills in communication. The team will have to demonstrate its research talents, ingenuity and creativity. Don't panic! The puzzles are accessible, not unnecessarily hard and the fact that you have to solve one at a time makes the team progress gradually so it does not take forever. We take the necessary time to design the game and make sure there are no flaws. The goal of this project is to build team cohesion by having fun and we want to encourage collaborations between iGEM teams while challenging each other!
What we learned
Talking in front of a big audience is not easy, especially when the listeners come from all kinds of backgrounds. Having to adapt our speech according to the age of the public requires clear communication skills, fluency and confidence in the project as well as the knowledge we are trying to pass on. With the experience we acquired thanks to our instructors, we were able to adapt our materials and explanations during events and projects! It was a real satisfaction.
Thanks to the iGEM competition, we succeeded in spreading our knowledge as much as possible within the city of Nantes, in France and even internationally, using social media, fun models and events, so that everyone feels concerned.
Thanks to the iGEM competition, we succeeded in spreading our knowledge as much as possible within the city of Nantes, in France and even internationally, using social media, fun models and events, so that everyone feels concerned.
igemnantes2020@gmail.com