SynBio in 3D: the first synthetic genetic circuit as a 3D-printed STEM educational resource

Abstract

Synthetic biology is a new area of science that operates at the intersection of engineering and biology and aims to design and synthesize living organisms and systems to perform new or improved functions. This novel biological area is considered of extreme relevance for the development of solutions to global problems. However, its teaching is often inaccessible to students, since many educational resources and methodological procedures are not available for understanding of complex molecular processes. On the other hand, digital fabrication tools, which allow the creation of 3D objects, are increasingly used for educational purposes, and several computational structures of molecular components commonly used in synthetic biology processes are deposited in open databases. Therefore, we hypothesize that the creation of biomolecular structures models by handling 3D physical objects using computer-assisted design (CAD) and additive fabrication based on 3D printing could help professors in synthetic biology teaching. In this sense, the present work describes the design and 3D print of the molecular models of the first synthetic genetic circuit, the toggle switch, which can be freely downloaded and used by teachers to facilitate the training of STEM students in synthetic biology.

3D Printing as an element of teaching—perceptions and perspectives of teachers at German schools

“…There is a lack of well-founded data on this, both from a country-specific (e.g., Aslan and Celik, 2020) and an international perspective. In contrast to the continuously growing number of conceptual papers on the integration of 3D printers (e.g., Augusto et al, 2016;Monkovic et al, 2022;Oss Boll et al, 2023), the existing research on the use of 3D Printing technology in formal and informal education (e.g., Ford and Minshall, 2019) and the studies on the learning effectiveness of 3D Printing (e.g., Novak et al, 2021), it is only possible to make very limited statements about the actual use of this technology in the classroom and about teachers' ideas and attitudes toward its use. However, teachers' beliefs about technology have been identified as a key factor in the successful implementation of new or innovative technologies in the classroom (Sugar et al, 2004;Hew and Brush, 2007).…”