The unique challenges of high school iGEM teams
This post is the second of a series focusing on high school teams in iGEM
“There is no other place for innovation like iGEM that is accessible for high school students. As a consequence of going through iGEM, high schoolers are able to learn amazing real life skill sets, as well as soft skills, that will make you career ready for a biotech future.”
– Yoshitaka Goto, Board VP at SoundBio Lab, Washington, USA
Last year was a banner year for high schools in iGEM, with 119 teams participating, each experiencing the joys, frustrations, challenges, and rewards that come from working on an iGEM project. High school teams have been a part of iGEM since 2011, and their numbers have been growing ever since. Yet, because the iGEM Competition was originally designed for collegiate teams, high school teams have been in a perpetual state of experimentation as the elements and format of competition have been adapted to meet the unique challenges of high school teams. This post is the second of a series where we focus on high school teams in iGEM.
The unique challenges of High School teams
Participating in the iGEM Competition poses unique challenges for high schools. For one, there must be a sufficient number of students to form a team. Not all high schools have enough students interested in synthetic biology, especially smaller schools located in rural areas. It may also be difficult to find teachers with the expertise, knowledge, or time to dedicate to supervising an iGEM team.
Another challenge is the lack of lab space. High schools may not have lab space within their facilities, and may have difficulty locating outside lab space. Some high school teams are able to access lab space in nearby universities or companies, but not all teams are able to create those types of arrangements. Some high schools have labs, but lack the lab resources seen in a typical synthetic biology research lab: -80°C Freezers, BSL-2 or PC2 level containment, centrifuges, other costly and specialized equipment. As a result, many high school teams like to develop affordable / accessible lab equipment.
As compared with collegiate teams, high school teams may find it more challenging to obtain institutional support. There are a number of expenses to running an iGEM team – from laboratory expenses and registration fees, to travel expenses for students to attend the Grand Jamboree. Without the grant support that collegiate teams may have access to, high school teams must rely on fundraising or support from family and friends.
Importantly, high schools may find it challenging to carve out enough time, either within or outside of formal classroom instruction, for students to be together to create their iGEM projects – from the earliest stages of deciding what problem they wish to solve and imagining possible biological solutions, to the iterative design/build/test cycles of their project and integrating human practices, to creating their team videos and preparing their presentation for the judges.
Despite these unique challenges, the number of high school teams participating in the iGEM Competition has continued to rise.
Designing a path forward
2024 marks the 10th year that the high school competition has been merged with the collegiate competition. In that time, high school teams have become remarkably diverse. Some teams are organized by the high schools themselves, while other teams are organized by neighboring community labs. More recently, high school iGEM teams have been organized by third-party institutions that are able to build iGEM teams for high schools that do not have access to laboratory facilities or for high school students who do not have an iGEM program at their own school. In 2021, iGEM began to formally recognize high school teams that are organized by these third-party institutions by creating the “Commercial Team” category. Note: iGEM’s work with high schools and third-party institutions will be covered in a future post focusing on high school iGEM teams.
The time has come to reimagine the iGEM experience for high schools. Last year at the 2023 Grand Jamboree, we held discussions around the future of high school teams. Together with a group of experienced individuals, we are aiming to envision and create a format for the iGEM Competition that is specifically designed for high school students. One of the members of this group – Janet Standeven, a former PI of a high school iGEM team for more than 10 years – is leading an initiative to form a high school PI network. Such a network would serve as a valuable platform for fostering communication, collaboration, and resource sharing among PIs of high school iGEM teams.
If you are the PI of a high school iGEM team, or are considering forming a high school iGEM team, please complete the short questionnaire at this link to express your interest. We look forward to hearing your ideas for creating the best iGEM experience for high school students!
