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About the slide set The slides are divided into sections (“Concepts”) including: What is engineering/synthetic biology? (Concept 1-1); the “Design, Build, Test, & Learn” cycle (Concept 1-2), Core Tools for engineering biology (Concepts 1-3 and 1-4), and finally exploring Impacts & Applications of engineering biology (Concept 1-5). The slides can be used as a complete lecture, or any concept topic can be used to supplement existing material. For example, Concept 1-1 could be used to introduce synthetic biology to professionals outside the field, or the Concept 1-5 Data Science section could be modified to show the intersections of the field in a computer science course. The slides are available to use under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-SA. The goal of these slides is to provide free, accessible, and modular explanations of key Engineering Biology topics. EBRC provides this curricular module under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 license, which allows free use in noncommercial settings with credit for the material given to EBRC and the content authors. By downloading these resources, you agree to these terms. If you are interested in using EBRC material in a commercial setting or have other usage questions, please contact us at education@ebrc.org. The slides were created by Michael Sheets (Boston University) and Joshua Atkinson (Univ. of Southern California), with support from the EBRC Education Working Group. Audience These lecture slides are designed for educators looking to incorporate current synthetic & engineering biology practices into their teaching material. These slides were designed with a target audience of undergraduate and graduate students, but could be adapted for high school students (and coupled with BioBuilder material, for a great experience). Recommended student knowledge: “biology 101” level, generally how DNA & cells work Learning Objectives You will be able to answer: - What is synthetic/engineering biology? - How can I Design, Build, Test, and Learn from biological systems? - What are the Core Tools of engineering biology? - How and where can engineering biology be applied to positively impact society? You will have: Planned a design cycle to approach a current problem Learned about engineering biology tools that can help you develop your idea Discovered the many sectors that engineering biology can positively impact
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Introduction to Engineering Biology: A Conceptual Framework for Teaching Synthetic Biology
As the impacts of engineering biology grow, it is important to introduce the field early and in an accessible way. However, teaching engineering biology poses challenges, such as limited representation of the field in widely used scientific textbooks or curricula, and the interdisciplinary nature of the subject. We have created an adaptable curriculum module that can be used by anyone to teach the basic principles and applications of engineering biology. The module consists of a versatile, concept-based slide deck designed by experts across engineering biology to cover key topic areas. Starting with the design, build, test, and learn cycle, the slide deck covers the framework, core tools, and applications of the field at an undergraduate level. The module is available for free on a public website and can be used in a stand-alone fashion or incorporated into existing curricular materials. Our aim is that this modular, accessible slide deck will improve the ease of teaching current engineering biology topics and increase public engagement with the field.
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- PAR ID:
- 10475935
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Chemical Society
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- ACS Synthetic Biology
- Volume:
- 12
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 2161-5063
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1574 to 1578
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acssynbio.3c00194
