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College View
Summary
This year, BioCraft successfully held a summer program in Xuhui Campus of SJTU for high school students in collaboration with the students' union of Zhiyuan College. We name this human practice project “College View”, aiming at giving a preview of the colorful college life and spreading knowledge of Synthetic Biology to the juniors. The students all came from the most excellent high schools in Shanghai, including Shanghai High School, Nan Yang Model High School, Weiyu High School and so on. We also introduced iGEM, the biggest event in the field of Synthetic Biology to them and encouraged the intrigued ones to participate in the next year’s HS division.
Questionnaire Survey
Before the lecture, we conducted a simple survey in the form of questionnaire containing both choice and non-choice questions. From the statistical result, we learnt that although most of the high school students master varying degrees of basic biological knowledge, they knew little about Synthetic Biology, a new branch of modern biology.
Synthetic Biology Lecture
Synthetic Biology was a strange noun to almost every high school student we met. Mostly, they would think it was about synthesizing something by means of biology, but we must try to teach them that it is about synthesizing life and how researchers have managed that.
First, we introduce an example about the triumph over Pseudomonas aeruginosa of the biologist Chueh Loo Poh and the chemist Matthew Wook Chang using methods of synthetic biology. Then we explain the basic principles of synthetic biology in simple terms that could easily accepted and how information theory and computer simulation technology were combined into this discipline.
Introduction to iGEM
Also, we introduced about the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition and the past awarded projects of SJTU-BioX-Shanghai iGEM team. Viewed as the top event in the field of Synthetic Biology, the iGEM competition is a worldwide competition once only aimed at undergraduate university students. But now, iGEM also has a division for high school students to participate in. Therefore, we encouraged the students who aspired to major in biology to take part in the next year’s iGEM HS division.
Laboratory Tour
After the lecture, some groups of the high school students were led to the BioX center in Xuhui Campus to pay a visit and for most of them, this was their first close contact to a world-class sophisticated laboratory. They were really excited.
Research is a Public Good
Summary
The application of Synthetic Biology can be everywhere, such as biofuels, green manufacturing, agriculture and medicine. Hence we think we can alleviate the pain in people’s life and solve their problems by means of synthetic biology, which is one prospect of BioCraft. To achieve this goal, we have built a cooperative relationship with HuaQiao Foundation and hope to do social service work as guidance of our research interests.
Background
About HuaQiao Foundation
HuaQiao is a Hong Kong registered non-profit organization with offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and others parts of world. It is founded by a group of committed, hands-on, and project-oriented professionals, many of whom are Rotarians living in China and the U.S..
The term HuaQiao is the English transliteration of two Chinese words meaning "China Bridge." It is also a homonym for "Overseas Chinese."
HuaQiao believes strongly in the application of good business ethics and full accountability and transparency to charitable projects.
HuaQiao has no paid executives. 100% of the donations will go directly into programs.
：About Mr. Frank Yih
Frank was born in Shanghai and received advanced education in the UK and the USA. He pioneered the semiconductor industry in Southeast Asia after making first integrated circuits in Silicon Valley in 1962. In 1992, he started to build Asionics Hi-Tech Center in Shanghai and founded Rotary Club of Shanghai in 1995. In 2004, he founded HuaQiao Foundation, and devoted himself to charitable work helping the poor. Frank is the winner of Rotary International “Service Above Self” Award in China.
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