Team:Macquarie Australia/Outreach/Powerhouse

Macquarie University iGEM team 2014 have been engaging with Sydney’s largest and most famous science and technology museum “The Sydney Powerhouse Museum” to devote a section of their rotating Science collection to SynBio, iGEM and related materials. The management of the Powerhouse museum firmly believes that our sourced materials would make a valuable addition to the Museum’s already vast science collection. We believe that our contributions to the museum, given the large numbers of people who visit the Museum annually (640,000), will create awareness of Synthetic Biology and the important contribution that iGEM researchers have made to this emerging field. Similarly, this collection will also enhance public awareness of Australia’s participation in the iGEM competition over the past ten years, and hopefully facilitate greater Australian participation both in iGEM and the field of Synthetic Biology in future years to come.

What is the PowerHouse Museum?

The PowerHouse Museum is the biggest branch of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Sydney, Australia. Whilst primarily described as a science museum, the museum collection boasts of a variety of technology ranging from Space Technology to Steam Engines. The Museum is housed within a converted electric tram power station in a inner city suburb of Sydney. The iconic museum houses more than 400, 00 artifacts, and on average welcomes more than 640,000 visitors annually.

Why should iGEM materials be showcased in a museum?

Museums fulfill an extensive social task. In particular, science museums enhance the public perception of science and foster interest in an environment that promotes self-inquiry. Given that the field of Synthetic Biology is relatively new, the majority of people in our community are unlikely to be aware of, or have been exposed to Synthetic Biology. There is the danger that such a lack of awareness or little understanding of the field of Synthetic Biology and what it can do for society leaves ample space for generating fear, sometimes encouraged also by the misrepresentation in the media for what SynBio is and what it can do. As a result, we feel that some of these misconceptions about the nature of Synthetic biology are likely to develop into a public fear of such novel research.

iGEM has a rich tradition of fostering safe and ethical research in the field of Synthetic Biology, and highlighting such rich tradition is very likely to skew public perception in favor of Synthetic Biology. Therefore, we believe that showcasing iGEM materials at the hugely popular Powerhouse museum will have the following benefits:

• Will improve public perception of Synthetic Biology and contribute towards a positive evaluation of the field.
• Will stimulate public education regarding characteristic techniques and abilities of Synthetic Biology.
• Will encourage inquiry into how Synthetic Biology is relevant to the problems of the present day and how the discipline is actively contributing towards meaningful solutions to everyday problems.
• Will represent an important ethic of open sourcing in science.

How is this approach relevant to our team and future iGEM teams?

Our team believes that popularity of Synthetic Biology is key to ensuring sustainability of iGEM participation and enabling greater private and public funding for future iGEM teams. Showcasing iGEM materials in such a high visibility, high profile environment will undoubtedly foster the popularity of iGEM and Synthetic Biology in general, and open doors for future Australian iGEM teams. As for the Macquarie iGEM team, our project focuses on finding a solution to a global problem – energy crisis. We expect that our story being told at such a large platform will garner industry support to implement synthetic biology solutions to alternative energy. Furthermore, the public praise and recognition that comes with having our institution and project showcased at such a prestigious institution will certainly inspire future teams from Macquarie and elsewhere in Australia.