Human practices

Overview

The Human Practices part is extremely important for our team this year. Our Goal is to make a massive outreach and spread the iGEM word at the University among the students as well as throughout the non-specialists.

This year we participate in the “start of the academic year” fair. This is a huge fair at the University which attract many people every year. We expect a number of visitors about 3000 people over two days. For this we have made some pens as a promotional gift. Furthermore we have been so lucky to receive a package of different merchandise from the iGEM Foundation. From our point of view it is very important that the visitors have something to remember us by when they go home. It is also a great opportunity to make people stop and talk to them about iGEM and how it is to do scientific research.

As a part of the Human Practices plan, we will be noticeable in the everyday life at the University in several ways - Indirect and outspoken.

During september we will launch a campaign so that we are certain that the students and professors have seen and recognize the iGEM logo. This is the base for the recruitment campaign. This year we didn't have many volunteers, and is what we want to remedy. Just like at the “start of the academic year” fair we will reach out to people at the University on several occasions and talk to them, telling how great an experience participating in iGEM has been. As a matter of facts we have at the first “outreaching day” already gotten emails from people who wants to participate next year.

The press is also a big part of our Human Practices. You can read all about it under “Press” in the menu at the left.

Additionally to the campaigns we have had close contact with our opponent group from Bielefeld. Together we participated at the “Street science” in front of the town hall in Bielefeld. The idea was to talk to the laypeople in a fun way showing them how to use a pipette and so forth. Taking them closer to the laboratory.

It is not just Bielefeld we have contact with. In the beginning of September we went to a great Scandinavian iGEM convention in Uppsala. We met the other teams from Scandinavia to present our projects for each other and talk about different aspects of iGEM. Here we also took part in workshops about human practices, funding, “working as a team” and laboratory experiences.

Last but not least, we have been talking to companies about the iGEM project. They give us a hunch if our project have a future in the real world or only on the drawing board. This takes us a little closer to the feeling that iGEM is not only fun but a taste of what a real scientist's life is about.