Team:UChicago/Engagement

GeneHackers + WYSE

To increase awareness of synthetic biology within our community, GeneHackers has taught many younger students about genetic engineering and the natural sciences. This March, we collaborated with an on-campus group known as Women and Youth Supporting Each Other (WYSE). The members of WYSE act as mentors to students in a local middle school. GeneHackers accompanied them on a trip to this middle school, where we talked to the kids about studying and working in the sciences. At the end of the program, we taught the students how to extract DNA from strawberries, making sure to fully explain each step of the process. By demonstrating a DNA extraction using only a few household ingredients, we hoped to make DNA science seem more accessible and interesting in the eyes of the kids.

Ethics

GeneHackers also hosted an event with incoming first years at the University. Members of the iGEM team led a conversation surrounding the ethics of genetic engineering. The participants debated the potential advantages and disadvantages of embryonic screening, genetically modified foods, etc. Our discussion encouraged critical thinking and intellectual investment in the world of biotechnology. At the end of the program, we repeated our strawberry DNA extraction activity, which received lots of positive feedback in March. By the end of the night, several of the students expressed interest in joining GeneHackers in the autumn!