Life Science and Technology News
BioCon, Bio-Creative Design Contest 2020 jointly held
Tokyo Tech's School of Life Science and Technology hosted both the 12th BioCon, or bio-creativity contest for high school students, and the 13th Bio-Creativity Design Contest 2020 on Suzukakedai Campus on January 15.
Traditionally, the BioCon, a competition where high schoolers develop learning materials regarding life and the natural world for elementary and middle school students, is held in the fall. The four best teams then progress to the Bio-Creativity Design Contest, which is the culmination of the Advanced Bio-Creative Design
course for 2nd- and 3rd-year Tokyo Tech students. Heavily focused on group work, this course encourages students to develop and design a bio-related creation that addresses some current societal issue, which is then evaluated by academic and non-academic judges at the contest.
In October 2019, however, the 12th BioCon was cancelled due to a severe typhoon, so organizers decided to hold the competitions together this year. Eleven teams from seven high schools and seven teams from Tokyo Tech participated, each getting 11 minutes to present their creations.
Presentations
| Team/school name | Presentation title |
|---|---|
| iGEMers | Development of dehydration detection technology: Using E. coli to measure osmotic pressure and blood glucose |
| Bio-emon — Kanagawa Prefectural Sagamihara Secondary School |
Forever-revolving ecosystem |
| Oga-fure — Sapporo Nihon University Senior High School |
DIY nature therapy |
| Ryugutaro | Parasite card game |
| Decomposers — Azabu University High School |
Decomposition rate of earthworms |
| Nadeshiko Channel — Tochigi Prefectural Otawara High School for Girls |
Working nerves |
| Ultra Violet — Atsugi High School |
Reducing UV rays with plants! |
| Stanley-stanley — Seishin Gakuen High School |
Dr. Stanley and his pleasant friends |
| Luminescent | Luminescence? Fluorescence? Glowing creatures |
| Team Kaki Peas — Kanagawa Prefectural Sagamihara Secondary School |
Mendelian inheritance: Learning from pea plants! |
| Orange Squadron Limonene-gers — Tokyo Metropolitan Shinjuku High School |
The wonders of limonene |
| Alumar | Alumar Island water survey |
| Creature | Nentaro and his exciting life with slime molds |
| EYE Love You! — Seishin Gakuen High School |
Animal eye mechanisms |
| Committee to protect the people from the Sea Shepherd | Did you know that whale poo is orange? |
| pond skater — Azabu University High School |
The ecology of water striders |
| Vang Vieng | Towards a refreshing spring |
| Bacteria busters Tokyo Metropolitan Shinjuku High School |
Reforming how antibiotics work |
Evaluation and results
Judges and members of the public evaluated the BioCon teams based on four criteria — educational value, originality, feasibility, and presentation. Bio-Creativity Design Contest participants were judged based on five benchmarks — scientific nature, originality, societal impact, expressiveness, and completeness.
Team Kaki Peas from Kanagawa Prefectural Sagamihara Secondary School won the BioCon with their presentation on Gregor Mendel and his work on inheritance.
Team Vang Vieng emerged victorious in the Bio-Creativity Design Contest with their proposal to address the issue of hay fever. Based on personal experiences, they utilized new ideas to develop measurement techniques and convinced the judges of the future applicability of their creation.
High school BioCon winners
| Team/school name | Presentation title | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Team Kaki Peas Kanagawa Prefectural Sagamihara Secondary School |
Mendelian inheritance: Learning from pea plants! |
| 2nd place | EYE Love You! Seishin Gakuen High School |
Animal eye mechanisms |
| 3rd place | pond skater — Azabu University High School |
The ecology of water striders |
| Yokohama City Board of Education Award | Orange Squadron Limonene-gers — Tokyo Metropolitan Shinjuku High School |
The wonders of limonene |
Bio-Creative Design Contest winners
| Overall winner | Presentation title | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall winner | Vang Vieng | Towards a refreshing spring |
| Judges' Award | Oga-fure — Sapporo Nihon University Senior High School |
DIY nature therapy |
| Ryugutaro | Parasite card game | |
| Nadeshiko Channel — Tochigi Prefectural Otawara High School for Girls |
Working nerves | |
| Audience Choice Award | Vang Vieng | Towards a refreshing spring |
| Experiment Award | Creature | Nentaro and his exciting life with slime molds |
| pond skater — Azabu University High School |
The ecology of water striders | |
| Impact Award | iGEMers | Development of dehydration detection technology: Using E. coli to measure osmotic pressure and blood glucose |
Showing and explaining slime molds to booth visitors
After the contest, participants gathered for a reception where judges continued to share advice, and students tested out each other's creations while sharing ideas for further improvement.
Congratulations to the winners and all participating teams for their innovative creations!
- Dengue vaccine card game wins 2019 Bio-Creative Design Contest | Life Science and Technology News
- Latest bio-creations presented at 14th Tokyo Tech BioCon | Life Science and Technology News
- 11th high school BioCon brings joy of learning to youngsters | Life Science and Technology News
- BioCon 2016 for high school students brings all ages together | Tokyo Tech News
- Office of Bio-Creative Design (Japanese)
School of Life Science and Technology
—Unravel the Complex and Diverse Phenomena of Life—
Information on School of Life Science and Technology inaugurated in April 2016
This event is supported by Tokyo Tech Fund
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