Team:Lund/HP/Silver

Practices

As science and technology keep evolving through tireless probing of the world around us by experimentalists and theoreticians alike, presented analysis of the state and underpinnings of the universe and our place in it is gradually becoming more complex and, consequently, less accessible to the general public. However, a considerable amount of contemporary research has been focused on the environmental and social impact of the post-industrialized society. These findings detail a worrisome outlook with cause for major concern, mapping severe detrimental effects due to hyperactive depletion of our natural resources and mindless overconsumption [1] [2] [3]. It is therefore imperative that good communication strategies are developed, and implemented by scientists to convey their conclusions to the general public in a comprehensible manner. Halting the current unsustainable attitude toward consumption can only be achieved through world-wide cooperative engagement of people and businesses at every level of society. For this reason, we chose to focus on initiating dialogues with the general public as well as private and public actors to discuss how best to combat the issue of microplastics and what role synthetic biology might come to have in society.

Connecting with stakeholders

We reached out to experts and stakeholders to evaluate the best approach in utilizing synthetic biology to aid in the engagement against microplastics. In particular, we exchanged dialogues with water resource management professionals to get a clearer view of current strategies in water purification with regards to microplastic contamination. What we found was that only limited resources are spent on targeting microplastics directly and that there still prevails some skepticism as to their ubiquity and impact. See integrated practices.

Schools, public lectures and media

To ensure an environmentally sustainable future, every member of society needs to be inspired to take on an ecoconscious mindset as societal change only occurs as a function of shared conviction and passion. As we wanted to reach the widest audience possible to share our message about the importance of maintaining an eco-friendly lifestyle, in particular to discuss the consequences of careless consumption of plastics, we contacted multiple schools hosting pupils at different educational stages, set out to construct a series of public lectures and contacted media organizations to aid in our outreach. See engagement and media.

Project for IKEA

We approached the home furniture company IKEA to learn more about their strategies on working with plastic materials and preventing plastic pollution. Many of their products are manufactured using synthetic textiles that have shown to shed plastic particles. IKEA was keenly aware of this issue and have begun evaluating different prevention methods. To aid them in their efforts, we were given the opportunity to conduct a market analysis on existing technologies that IKEA could implement. In addition, we established a channel of communication between IKEA and multiple businesses working with developing strategies for microplastic prevention. See project for IKEA.

Analysis of good language in synthetic biology

Proper use of language is the essence of successful communication. It is of little matter how profoundly a topic is understood if it cannot be conveyed in a comprehensible manner. To tackle this, scientists in synthetic biology camouflages the intrinsic complexity of biological systems through the use of mechanistic metaphors and adaptation of terminology utilized in classic engineering disciplines. While this is perhaps successful in providing the intended or wanted system characteristics, it does not necessarily reflect the intrinsic stochasticity. We explored the topic of good language in synthetic biology in a short essay. See communication.

References

  1. [1] Laura Paddison (2016, September 27). “Single clothes wash may release 700,000 microplastic fibres, study finds”. The Guardian. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
  2. [2] KIMO (2017, February 27). “Microplastic Pollution from Artificial Grass – A Field Guide”. KIMO (Kommunenes Internasjonale Miljøorganisasjon). Retrieved 2017-09-01.
  3. [3] GESAMP (2016). “Sources, fate and effects of microplastics in the marine environment: part two of a global assessment” (Kershaw, P.J., and Rochman, C.M., eds). (IMO/FAO/UNESCO-IOC/UNIDO/WMO/IAEA/UN/UNEP/UNDP Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection). Rep. Stud. GESAMP No. 93, 220 p