By incorporating the ideas and thoughts of the public, we were capable of creating a two way conversation and being able to design and develop Mernite. For iGEM RUM-UPRM it is really important to grasp every aspect of our project. We are compromised with involving the community in the development of our proposed solution for Vieques. Hence why we decided to talk to stakeholders from different backgrounds which included professors, government faculty and researchers from the biological, social and engineering aspect. This way they all gave a new perspective and helped us on the creation of Mer-nite to the rescue.
Education
![](https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2020/e/ea/T--RUM-UPRM--Poster_synbio.jpeg)
As part of our mission, iGEM RUM-UPRM wanted to educate and expand the synthetic biology knowledge in Puerto Rico. Due to safety concerns, we moved all of our activities to the Zoom ZOOM. We developed the SYNBIO 101: Summer Camp in which for a week high school students learned and experienced what is synthetic biology. The students created their own prototype, and presented it during the last of the summer camp. In addition, we promoted the Second Edition of the Synthetic Biology Week in which we discussed the diversity and the interdisciplinary aspect of synthetic biology. As a result, we educated over 300 Puerto Ricans and helped build a high school team from Puerto Rico that are preparing for the iGEM Giant Jamboree 2021.