Harnessing robotic automation and web-based technologies to modernize scientific outreach

Publishing date: 2019-07-29

Published on: PLOS Biology

summary: Technological breakthroughs in the past two decades have ushered in a new era of biomedical research, turning it into an information-rich and technology-driven science. This scientific revolution, though evident to the research community, remains opaque to nonacademic audiences. Such knowledge gaps are likely to persist without revised strategies for science education and public outreach. To address this challenge, the authors developed a unique outreach program to actively engage over 100 high-school students in the investigation of multidrug-resistant bacteria. The program uses robotic automation and interactive web-based tools to bridge geographical distances, scale up the number of participants, and reduce overall cost.

authors: Orna Dahan, Bat-Shahar Dorfman, Serkan Sayin, Brittany Rosener, Tiffany Hua, Anat Yarden, Amir Mitchell

link to paper: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000348

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