Some projects are simply exciting to watch unfold. Synthetic Biology and Me is one of them.
This NSF-funded Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) project brings together community engagement, co-design, hands-on learning, and synthetic biology in ways that make science feel accessible, creative, and deeply connected to people’s everyday lives.
Over the past year, youth and families in Baltimore and El Paso explored synthetic biology through hands-on activities ranging from Microbe Art and Fungi Games to Algae Accessories.
But perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of this project is what happens around the activities.
Learning was intergenerational. We saw parents and children working together, youth helping explain and translate ideas, and yes—grandmas in the mix too!
There is something especially powerful about watching multiple generations gather around a table, experiment with unfamiliar materials, ask questions, solve problems, and learn together. These moments are helping the project better understand how intergenerational dialogue shapes engagement with science.
Year 2 reached 56 youth and family participants across two community sites, exceeding the project’s Year 2 participation target.
Like any ambitious project, there have been lessons along the way—particularly around recruitment, scheduling, and implementation. But that is also what makes this work interesting: the team is learning, adapting, and using those experiences to shape what comes next.
As the project moves toward Year 3, we are excited to see how the activities, partnerships, research, and community connections continue to evolve.
Kudos to Justice Walker, Foad Hamidi, and the entire Synthetic Biology and Me team for creating such a thoughtful and innovative project. It has been wonderful to watch the ideas evolve from co-design into hands-on experiences for youth and families.
At MNA, we are simply glad to serve as the external evaluator and have a front-row seat to this creative and genuinely exciting work.
Science is not always just about what happens in a lab. Sometimes, it is about making connections—between ideas, communities, generations, and possibilities.
