Erwinions

Public Engagement

Tec-Chihuahua strongly believes that what´s most important about a project rather than the lab results, it is how transcendent it can be at the local, national and international aspect. None of the work is fully complete until results are shared and explained. Nevertheless, in Mexico, for people to understand the impact and benefit of our project, the society must first be aware of what biotechnology and synthetic biology are. Therefore, our public engagement consists in giving outreach about these subjects at everyone's understanding; looking to boost or initiate discussions within the public in general. To achieve these Tec-Chihuahua worked intensely on two projects.

TecChMUN

TecChMun is a national event organized by a student group of the same name and takes place inside the facilities of the Tecnológico de Monterrey at Chihuahua, Mexico. This edition, the event is celebrating its 20th anniversary and, with the intention to have a more realistic approach, it has combined forces with iGEM´s Tec-Chihuahua to seek realistic, innovative perspectives for problem-solving.

Mission

The student group of TecChMun from Prepatec Campus Chihuahua, together with the support and collaboration of professors, iGEM´s Tec-Chihuahua and executives, focuses on the simulation of a United Nations model for students to roleplay delegates of different countries at UN committees while addressing current problems. The group seeks to promote problems solving techniques among participants through the simulations within the model that subsequently generate sensitivity and empathy for the daily problems they face in their life. At the same time, we intend to create global awareness in them.

Objective

To conclude in a realistic and efficient resolution of one of the presented conflicts in order to create awareness among participants making them agents of change.

Who is it for?

The people we seek to impact are mainly students in the third and fifth semesters of high school. However, as part of the 10th anniversary, we are looking to expand our impact. This year the event will be extended to junior high and professional students.

Estimated Outreach

The estimated outreach, considering that it was a national invitation within all the high school campus of our Institution, is expected to be for 400 students of the Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Why is it important to iGEM?

Tec-Chihuahua strongly believes that TecChMun is a key way to spread knowledge about biotechnology and synthetic biology among young students and professors. Furthermore, we are sure that by discussing as delegates from different countries, students are going to be able to acquire a general and more abroad perspective of the different necessities, demands, and problems that scientific society and the general un public suffer around the world.

How is Tec-Chihuahua influencing the project?

Topic Selection

As we already mention, we intend to create a more realistic approach to today's relevant problematics. Taking this in consideration, the emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, nanotechnology and much more, are part of today's topics within UN committees such as ECOSOC. Therefore, Tec-Chihuahua will support this year by helping before, during and after the event. More specifically, we had helped with the topic selection for some of the committees re-directing them to the biology aspect. Here are some examples that will be held:

“Antibiotic Resistance” as the main topic in General Assembly.
“Erwinion’s biocontrol is out of control” as sudden and hypothetical criss at Security Council Crisis.
“Bioterrorism: Virus synthesis with synthetic biology” at the Security Council.

Also you can display the whole committees and topics that will be addressed during TecChMun 20th anniversary. Most of our topics are displayed as top secret as some committees (Security Council) don't know yet their topic.

Committes and Topics

Advising and Mentoring

We were aware that the majority of High Schoolers might not know the complete political/scientific background from the biological topics. That is why we recommended to the TecChMun organizers that the best way to contextualize this issues was through our project. In this way, we could help the different delegates to achieve a more focus posture according to their country and the problematic.

First, we gather with the representatives from the General Assembly (which were the ones that notice that their delegates were more disperse). In this occasion, we talk about how much did they, as representatives, knew about the topic and answered some of the doubts that they were unable to understand through their personal research. Also, we talked about the more important and general aspects that the delegates were addressed in the first draft of their posture that they handed in for review. We believe that is important to mention that most of the High Schoolers focus or understand the medical part of the antibiotic resistance. In other words, they were only talking about how ingesting the wrong dose for the wrong amount of time of antibiotics could develop antibiotic resistance. Nevertheless, they never discussed antibiotic resistance because of genetic modification or agriculture, for example.

Therefore, our next step was to provide first-hand information about all the different aspects of the problematic to the representatives so they could also have a more abroad perspective. Plus, they asked us if we could talk directly to the delegates. So we prepared a presentation tackling the causes, effects, and possible solutions obviously taking in consideration and as an example our project.

INVITATION

As we already mentioned, the event will take place at the Tecnológico de Monterrey campus Chihuahua (CUU) starting on November 9th till the 11th. Nevertheless, Tec Chihuahua will be mentioning how the event is going and some of the resolutions during our oral presentation!!!

Experiment Handbook

According to UNESCO’s Integrated Science Education report, most educational programs in Latin America include the teaching of the specialized sciences (mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, etc.) in their upper and middle levels. However, most programs are not able to establish relations between these sciences, because each of them is perceived as an independent field isolated from the others. Nevertheless, this perception is wrong, for all sciences are integrated and interrelated. Hence the main observed issue is the educational trend of “packaging" the teaching of sciences.

With the reason to solve this problem from the root; elementary school. The following Experiment Handbook (aimed at students) has been designed. We wish to foster a pleasure for science at the basic levels. The handbook includes 30 experiments divided into three blocks: 6-8 years (easy), 9-11 years (intermediate) and 12-13 years (expert). Each category is slightly more difficult than the previous one. Additionally, each experiment has been designed according to the required knowledge determined by SEP for each year of primary education.

The guide will consist of 30 experiments designed to motivate and involve students in a scientific environment while having fun.

General Objective

Improve the access to science for all kids but especially Mexican children. Having this in mind the app will be introduced to the SEP to be implemented within several schools including the private and public sector.

Specific Objectives

Choose an adequate 30 experiments divided into 3 blocks: 6-8 years (easy), 9-11 years (intermediate) and 12-13 years (expert).
Develop the primary guide with introduction, materials, guidance, video guidance, conclusions, and learnings.
Design and sketch experiments video tutorials for more explanations, guidance, and interactivity.
Put together all the information recollected and generated in an app.

Collaboration/Work Plan

To tackle the national problem correctly, all the MEXICAN teams (Tec-Chihuahua, TecCEM, and TecMonterrey_GDA) worked together in the creation of the Experiment Handbook. A selected group of students from each college was designated to work in the design, validation, and execution of this project.

The work plan was discussed within the first couple of weeks of July. It was established that each experiment includes objective, theoretical background, principles, material needed, steps of the process and some questions to stimulate critical thinking. Every experiment was carefully selected so that the student learns and experiences basic knowledge about chemistry and physics. We aim to contribute to children’s understanding of the world through science.

As we were three teams, it was determined that each will developed a block (10 experiments per block) completely.

First block:TecMonterrey_GDA was in charge of this block. In this part for new elementary schoolers, children will learn about photosynthesis, the light and its colors, material degradation, basic human biology, and microorganisms, as well as the importance of having a good personal hygiene.

Second block: TecCEM developed this one. This block is designed for the children to learn and experiment about the matter, as well as its interactions, some of the topics are: states of matter (and aggregation), the water cycle and energy. The experiments are easy and fun to do.

Third block: Finally Tec-Chihuahua designed this last block. Aimed at children between 12 and 13 years old, for them to understand: electricity as a useful energy (and its risks), colligative properties, reactions and catalysts, crystallization and forces in our daily life.

As this was established, the work plan was divided through the months of August and September in the following way.

Choose an adequate 30 experiments divided into 3 blocks: 6-8 years (easy), 9-11 years (intermediate) and 12-13 years (expert).
Develop the primary guide with introduction, materials, guidance, video guidance, conclusions, and learnings.
Design and sketch experiments video tutorials for more explanations, guidance, and interactivity.
Put together all the information recollected and generated in an app.

After this two month of intense collaboration we finally created the official version of the Handbook, which can be displayed by clicking on the following link:

Handbook

VISITS

Hamilton Institut

TecMonterrey_GDA was in charge of this block. In this part for new elementary schoolers, children will learn about photosynthesis, the light and its colors, material degradation, basic human biology, and microorganisms, as well as the importance of having a good personal hygiene.

We visited the Instituto Hamilton, a private school, with the purpose of carrying out three of the experiments that are included in our Handbook so we could prove with veracity the usefulness and to start gathering opinions from what could be the future users: children and teachers.

Before doing this, we talked directly with the Principal of the school to schedule one hour per group so we could carry out the experiment and the little surveys. We lasted three hours in total to cover six groups of approximately 20 children each. To follow the age range established, we taught two group from each of the following grades: 1ª, 3ª, and 6ª (it's important to consider that in Mexico, elementary school lasts six years). The first graders worked in creating a Water Filter. The third graders learned how impressive could be a Volcano Explosion while the sixth graders loved the creation of crystals to simulate geode`s creation.

We arrived early in the morning to the institution with all the materials prepared since the day before. As soon as the kids saw us, they started jumping and yelling with excitement as they had already been told what they were going to be doing with us. The first hour and a half we worked with one group from third grade and two of sixth. We started by giving a little presentation of the iGEM, little theoric and friendly information about the science behind the experiments.

The visit turned out to be one of the greatest experienced in this whole iGEM edition. It is wonderful to see how the kids were amazed by what you can do with science and motivated to continue looking for more experiments. Actually, the third graders will be organizing their own science fair in their English Class.

But what made us really happy were all the great feedback and comments they gave us through the survey:

“Loved the science class” (Renata, 1st grade)

“Loved the class. You should be professional scientists” (Carmen, 3rd grade)

“The class was really cool. Loved it! I hope you win the competition” (Saide, 6th grade).

Alfonso Hernandez Irigoyen Elementary School

For the same purposes, we visited the Alfonso Hernandez Irigoyen elementary school following the same dynamic that we used in the Hamilton.

The Principal of the elementary school was very kind in giving us an hour to work with the children of three groups: one of 2nd grande, one of 4th and one of 6th. We worked from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. As we mentioned, the dynamic was the same: 2nd graders worked with the sand filter; 4th graders worked with the explosive volcano; and children of 6th grade, with the Formation of Geodes. On the other hand, six of us went to the school dividing into pairs for us to work effectively with each group.

We arrived early in the morning to the institution with all the materials prepared since the day before. As soon as the kids saw us, they started jumping and yelling with excitement as they had already been told what they were going to be doing with us. The first hour and a half we worked with one group from third grade and two of sixth. We started by giving a little presentation of the iGEM, little theoric and friendly information about the science behind the experiments. Then we set to work. All children participated in the development of their experiments. In the end, we applied a satisfaction survey to 6th graders as well as the teachers in each group.

At the end of the day we could conclude that the experiments we prepared did like and motivated the children, as expected. We received excellent grades and positive comments from children and teachers.

Results

Before presenting the final results obtained from the interviews, it is important to highlight that some of the numbers might not add up correctly to a constant total. This because the children that were interviewed might have an age as young as six years old, so maybe they just forgot to answer one or two questions. Nevertheless, the results still show us a very notable tendency.

For the final results, every team sent their data to one member of TecCEM, Valeria Rico. She gathered all the information so that everybody could make their interpretations of the results. As showed on the table below, most of the answers were positive. Children did like the activities from the handbook and could relate them to the topics that they saw in class. Also, it is important to highlight that, according to the data, almost 50% did know from about the main topics of the experiments that were introduced. From this two last statements, we can conclude that children did need practical reinforcement of the theory they are learning in class, and our Experimental Handbook could be the way to accomplish this.

Finally, with the table shown below, you can see that most of the children that were interviewed nationally responded that they wanted to have a science-related profession. We believe that this result might be slanted because children had just done the experiments.

Nevertheless, we can interpret this fact as a good thing and, therefore, think about a strategy. Children, after having a practical and funny science-activity, starts liking and leaning towards science. Therefore, more activities like ours are needed in Mexico and probably the world.

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Team:Tec-Chihuahua/Engagement