The 2014 UCL iGEM team feel strongly that public engagement is a key aspect to human practice – ensuring that the field is inclusive of views of non-scientific members of the public, in order that the results of the project are in the best interest of society. We aim to develop our public engagement program through diverse activities, including: viral videos, science busking, and a public oversight committee. The toxicity of the breakdown products of azo-dyes is currently an unknown issue in the United Kingdom, thus we plan to bring a spotlight to this issue through activities on both a local and a national/global level.
'Science busking' is a cheap and effective way of bringing science to an audience who would not normally encounter it. Using ropes, playing cards, and any other portable props we can entertain as well as educate families and groups of friends in an informal setting.
In order to reach a broader more global audience, we will develop a range of online materials and videos (including our twitter stream: @UCLiGEM). [Georgia: can you maybe add more here?]
On the other hand, we fully intend for our public engagement to be a conversation, instead of a one-direction talk. To this end, we intend to pilot a novel activity for iGEM teams: a public oversight committee, comprised of a diverse range of individuals of the local community. UCL benefits from being right at the heart of Bloomsbury in London, with many residential neighbours in Sommers Town and the Kings Cross area. We will identify a group of local residents to discuss our rationale, methodology, and ethics. Essential to this exercise will be a reflection of the iGEM team about the risks and benefits of the realization of this project, determining whether the benefits outweigh the risks. In addition, the team will elaborate a framework to include the opinion and concern of the public into the development of the project, which will resemble the “stage gate” process so widely used in project management. It is expected that this dialogue with the public contribute to steering the project in the best of many directions possible.
Throughout each of these activities we intend to raise the issue of azo-dyes and subsequently discuss our proposed solution – we do not expect that the public will understand the concept of 'synthetic biology', nor necessarily agree with it. Only by explaining the problem can we put our solution into perspective.
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