iGEM as a competition is not just about doing science, but rather doing OPEN science. Being part of the iGEM community means being actively involved in the proliferation of societal integration within synthetic biology and science, in general. There are many things that you, as part of an iGEM team, can do in order to help society, whether it be as a direct application of your scientific project, or as an additional study or planned activity.

A great example comes from the 2013 Paris Bettencourt iGEM team who conducted a great study on gender imbalance in science, synthetic biology, and iGEM. This was part of their human practices project, and in this study, they found that there is a significant gender bias in science and this bias is present in more contemporary sciences, such as synthetic biology. Not only did they collect this data (which is available for anyone to see and make their own conclusions of on their website), but they also made recommendations, specifically for iGEM, to implement an active gender policy on teams. In this way, the 2013 Paris Bettencourt iGEM team was able to provide some foundational steps to increase gender balance and allow there to be equality between men and women in science.

This, of course, just serves as an example of a study or activity that can be done to help society. Many other projects also try to involve citizens as a part of their scientific study, as a way to collect data on a pre-existing problem, or help develop interest in science in the general public. Not only can you do a separate study or try to involve citizens to collect data for your project in a creative way, but you can also try to spread science in an educational and interactive manner. You can do this by going to various community centers, elementary schools, or in your own school’s classes by involving students in different interactive activities that help teach informative scientific principles or involve them in fun games that make them curious about science. The point of all of these activities is to raise awareness about science and synthetic biology in society and engage non-scientists in a field that could have large impacts in their day-to-day lives.