Reflections - iGEM 2023 - Powering Up Plant Defenses

iGEM 2023 – Powering Up Plant Defenses

Thitilapa (Ivy) Sae-Heng

Vattikorn (Fortune) Kunkongphan

The iGEM CAS project is highly holistic and reflects two out of the three strands of CAS, mainly focusing on creativity and service. Creativity in iGEM comes in different forms. Even though we are trying to tackle the issue of increasing stress response in plants using synthetic biology, creativity was used to design the plasmids, plan the lab procedures, and do the scientific writing that would later go on the iGEM website. Creativity was also used to design human practice projects, such as creating presentations to present to the farmers of Chanthaburi or creating comics that were used to illustrate concepts of synthetic biology to both elementary school and middle school students.

IVY

As team captain, brainstorming the project idea required creativity. To do well in the competition, we needed to find a novel way of solving a pressing world problem using concepts from synthetic biology. I not only got to explore the creative aspects of designing our scientific plan, but I also engaged with the human practices aspect of iGEM, which made me think about the implications of our project in the broader world. For example, on the trip to Chanthaburi, I had to present our project to the Governor of Chanthaburi and the farmers. This made me think of how to use my scientific knowledge to clarify misconceptions and stigmas regarding synthetic biology in society.

FORTUNE

As part of my role, I got to explore the areas where science and art meet, pushing the limits of how scientific ideas are presented. My job was active and involved a lot of hands-on tasks, such as using graphic design tools and working with others on the team to get feedback and add designs to our presentations and reports. It was hard at first, but finally, I learned how to use different design tools and software.

Ensuring that our design features fit the story of our project was another essential part. Making designs, getting comments, and changing them repeatedly was hard work and a vast reward. By creating visually appealing designs and containing helpful information, I helped make the scientific details of our project clearer for the judges, other competitors, and the public.

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