Team:Washington/Engagement

Washington iGEM

Engagement


In order to expand the field of synthetic biology, education is essential. Our team is passionate about fostering a love for science and engineering in younger members of our community and engaging with parents about how iGEM research can produce cutting-edge solutions to real-world problems. Every year, we volunteer at local science fairs and STEM events, sharing our work and promoting interest in the biological sciences. This year, we participated in a record number of events for our team and developed a versatile set of activities that are easily tailored to different formats and age groups, related to DNA, synthetic biology, and genetic engineering. We are making basic protocols for these activities available for other teams to use below.

Science Fair Exhibits

Hover or tap each circle to learn more!


Classroom Visits and Presentations


UW Community Events



Outreach Activities

We’ve developed multiple activities related to DNA and synthetic biology that you can implement in your community!


Supplies:
  • Various fruits (strawberries, kiwis, bananas, mangos, berries, etc.)
  • Ziploc bags (sandwich size)
  • Test tubes (plastic)
  • Dishwashing detergent
  • Salt
  • Paper cups
  • Funnel
  • Disposable chopsticks
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Weigh boats and Scale, or Ruler
Protocol:
  1. Smash the fruit up in a ziploc bag, or blend it in a blender.
  2. Pour the mashed fruit into a paper cup.
  3. Put 1 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent and pinch of salt into the cup and mix it up well with a chopstick.
  4. Using a funnel, pour a little bit of your mixture into a test tube.
  5. Also using a funnel, pour a little bit of rubbing alcohol into the test tube.
  6. Wait until a white clump (the DNA) separates from the rest of the mixture.
  7. Measure the amount of DNA in your tube by:
    1. Using a chopstick to remove the clump of DNA from the test tube and placing the clump in a weigh boat. Write down the weight read by the scale. OR
    2. Using the ruler to measure the height of the DNA clump in the tube.
Discussion Questions:
  1. What fruits did you choose to extract DNA from?
  2. What were the weights of DNA that you measured for each fruit?
  3. What fruit(s) had the most DNA? What fruit(s) had the least?
  4. Why do you think some fruits had more or less DNA?
  5. Why do you think your results were different from other groups’ results? What “error” could have occurred in the process?
  6. Can you think of some traits that each fruit’s DNA may code for?

Background:

Enzymes are large molecules (proteins) that are found in living cells. Different kinds of enzymes can perform all kinds of tasks in your body. Some enzymes (like catalase) can break bonds, like those in hydrogen peroxide, that would be hard to break with other methods.

2H₂O₂ → 2H₂O + O₂(gas)

Hydrogen peroxide is harmful to cells, so cells use catalase to break it down into harmless byproducts (oxygen and water). Enzymes can work only under certain conditions (namely, a specific range of temperature and pH). This experiment is meant to explore how enzymes work and the effects on pH and temperature on their activity.

Supplies:
  • Fresh, uncooked cubed potatoes
  • Apple slices
  • Spinach leaves
  • Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Large graduated cylinders (50mL-100mL)
  • Vinegar
  • Baking soda
  • A microwave (optional)
  • A freezer (optional)
Protocol:
  1. Explain how enzymes work and the purpose of catalase specifically. Introduce students to your ingredients (especially hydrogen peroxide), and have them predict what will happen when you pour it over your apples and potatoes.
  2. Place apple slices into one graduated cylinder and potato cubes into another.
  3. Pour hydrogen peroxide over the apples and observe the results. Then pour hydrogen peroxide over the apple slices.
    • No reaction should be visible.
  4. Pour hydrogen peroxide over the potatoes and observe the results.
    • The reaction should be bubbly due to the oxygen released, and should last 30-90 seconds.
  5. Repeat the experiment, this time placing potato cubes into both cylinders and adding vinegar to one and baking soda to the other. Pour in hydrogen peroxide and observe.
  6. If you have the resources, repeat the experiment a third time, this time adding frozen potato cubes to one cylinder and microwaved potato cubes to the other. Pour in hydrogen peroxide and observe.
  7. Wrap up the experiment by discussing how each condition performed, highlighting under what conditions the enzyme worked and under which conditions it was deactivated.

The Central Dogma of biology describes how DNA is transcribed into RNA and translated into proteins. This process is the most important aspect of synthetic biology, as our manipulation of DNA results in protein expression that allows for useful “hacking” of bacteria and other organisms. This puzzle allows students to interactively explore these concepts.

Supplies:
  • Lego bricks in at least 5 different colors
  • A list of codons and their corresponding amino acids
  • Starbursts, Jolly Ranchers, or other candy
Protocol:
  1. Label different colors of lego blocks as DNA bases (Example: red=A, blue=T, C=green, G=yellow). Use another color (like brown or gray) as the backbone color.
  2. Give the student a list of codons (3-base sequences) corresponding to amino acids.
  3. Ask participants to build a 3-base sequence out of Legos.
  4. Referencing a list of amino acids, ask the student to determine which amino acid they’ve “synthesized.”
  5. Representing amino acids with a piece of candy, show how amino acids can combine to form peptides. Depending on the student’s level, explain how proteins play an important role in human physiology and/or synthetic biology.
  6. If allowed, give the student their “amino acid.”

The engineering design process is an important aspect of any synthetic biology project. First, a scientist must identify a problem in need of solving, explore the issue in depth, and then design a solution that meets predetermined constraints and criteria. This activity utilizes this process, as well as builds teamwork and critical thinking skills.

Supplies:
  • Post-It Easel Pads
  • Markers/pens/pencils
  • Imagination
Protocol:
  1. Explain the activity to the students, encouraging them to “think like an engineer” by identifying a problem to solve and figuring out how to use a genetically engineered organism to solve it.
    • Examples: water purification, breaking down harmful waste, eradicating zika virus, adding nutrition to yogurt…
  2. Break the class into groups of 2-4 students. Give each group a post-it sheet and some markers.
  3. Allot 20-30 minutes for them to discuss with each other what problem they want to tackle and how they can do it. Have each group make a poster about their idea. Check in with groups periodically to make sure they are staying focused and discuss their ideas with them.
  4. Give each group 1 minute to pitch their idea to a class. They should explain what problem they are trying to solve, how their design works, and why it is useful. As the instructor, be encouraging and ask questions.