Online self-learning resources for students and synthetic biology enthusiasts

We are experiencing a period in which education is undergoing a radical transformation. Universities have already shifted to online mode and distance, self-directed learning is becoming an essential way to acquire knowledge and new skills. As for many other scientific disciplines, there are numerous synthetic biology resources available online. One can quickly explore the basic principles of the discipline and soon delve into more advanced concepts, all from the comfort of his/her own home. The modern, online education landscape does not only include online classes but is also expanding to alternative ways of learning through videos, webinars, podcasts or blog posts.  

In the following paragraphs, we tried to summarize some of the free, online synthetic biology education tools, with a plethora of others just one click away from you. Moreover, we have also added them to our website under the updated ‘Resources’ page.

Online classes 

Oftentimes, well-known universities offer synthetic biology courses from their curriculum online, usually through education platforms like Courcera or edX. There is a possibility to enroll in scheduled courses and become part of an online classroom, interact with peers and receive feedback on assignments. Alternatively, archived courses can be accessed at any point and followed at the learner’s pace. These classes provide video transcripts, reading material and assignments and, while it is possible to only audit the course, one can also receive an electronic certificate at a cost, once the syllabus is completed.  

At the moment of writing, two Synthetic Biology courses are offered online: 

Principles of Synthetic Biology. This is currently an archived course, run by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and hosted by EdX platform. It is an introductory class teaching modern DNA assembly techniques, design, implementation and simulation of biological circuits. 

Engineering Life: Synbio, Bioethics & Public Policy. This is a course developed by the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and is hosted by Coursera. According to the course description, its objective is to “increase learners’ awareness and understanding of ethical and policy/governance issues that arise in the design, conduct and application of synthetic biology”. This is aimed to be achieved through lectures, readings and discussions with experts of the field. 

VIDEO MATERIAL

Education through visual means is considered one of the most effective training resources. Video content that covers a wide variety of synthetic biology topics is easily accessible, highly engaging and can be tailored to different audiences. Dy et. al. compiled an excellent list of YouTube resources for synthetic biology education, summarized in the table below ¹. Other interviews, ted talks, animations and experimental protocols are readily accessible on the platform.

iBiology is another free and open online repository that holds a growing collection of educational videos about various scientific areas. More than 120 videos feature experts that explain different concepts and applications of synthetic biology.

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Playlist name	Description
Synthetic biology overview	Short videos (3–5 min) giving general overviews of the field of synthetic biology.
Synthetic biology concepts	Short videos (5–15 min) that each focus on a particular concept, technique, or application within synthetic biology.
Synthetic biology teaching or public lectures	Longer videos (30–60 min) with academic professors and synthetic biology leaders giving lectures on topics.
Synthetic biology research lectures	Longer videos (30–60 min) with academic professors and synthetic biology leaders giving seminar style lectures on their research findings.
Synthetic biology in the lab	Videos focused on basic lab protocols common to synthetic biology. Videos typically show a researcher demonstrating protocols in a lab setting while some use animations.
iGEM	Videos about the iGEM competition and videos by iGEM teams that are meant to explain their projects or engage people with synthetic biology generally.
EMBO/iBiology Synthetic Biology Course	The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)/iBiology synthetic biology course is a series of talks about synthetic biology, covering general principles, technical challenges, current research, and ethical issues in synthetic biology research.
Origins Of Life	A playlist on the origins of life covering many (bottom-up) synthetic biology topics on a basic level. The videos are provided over the “Complexity Explorer” of the Santa Fe Institute.

¹ The table has been adapted and expanded from the paper YouTube resources for synthetic biology education by Aaron J Dy, Emily R Aurand, Douglas C Friedman, published in Synthetic Biology, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2019, ysz022, https://doi.org/10.1093/synbio/ysz022.

Podcasts  

Podcasts are growing in popularity both for entertainment but also as educational tools. Audio content is usually preferred over other means because it allows the learner to engage in an educational experience while completing other tasks, during commutes or while practicing other hobbies. A simple search on the google podcast page gives many results for episodes or series that deal with synthetic biology. These include a series, hosted by John Cumbers, founder and CEO of SynBioBeta, who interviews synthetic biology experts on their journeys in the field and their perspectives on the discipline. 

Webinars 

Webinars are virtual seminars or workshops about specific topics, where participants can interact with speakers and ask questions exactly like it would happen in in-person meetings. Different companies organize such webinars regularly, covering various topics under the umbrella of synthetic biology and teaching researchers to use specific tools or products. While one has to keep an eye for these events to participate in real time, old webinars are usually available to watch online.

Blog Posts 

Last but not least, there are many blogs that regularly cover new achievements and the progress of synthetic biology. Apart from scientific content, in such blogs you can often find posts related to science communication, as well as interviews with synthetic biologists discussing their personal paths and sharing useful career advice. We consider our website and blog one such platform, while many of our partners and fellow synthetic biology associations such as SynBioBeta, Synbio Canada and GASB also have dedicated news pages and blogs.

This is by no means an exhaustive list and we will try to update it regularly with new material. If you know of other resources, have questions or would like to contribute otherwise, leave us a comment or write us on Twitter.