Florida State University's International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) student team brought hands-on science to life for hundreds of local families at the third annual Tallahassee Biotechnology Expo last week, turning the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee into a showcase of biotech experiments, live demos and student-led research.
The expo, which was held July 19, featured the iGEM team and other university presenters, who shared their work with children from kindergarten through eighth grade with hands-on activities related to biotechnology.
Nearly 500 visitors attended the event, the largest turnout in the expo's three years, with 14 exhibitors present from FSU and the greater Tallahassee area.
"We're proud to partner with FSU iGEM on an event that brings science to life for young students and families," said Alan Hanstein, executive director of the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee. "The growth of the Biotechnology Expo shows what's possible when passionate students lead the way in inspiring future innovators."
FSU's iGEM team organized the event as part of its responsibilities for the upcoming International Genetically Engineered Machine Grand Jamboree, which will take place Oct. 28-31 in Paris. The iGEM competition has been running annually since 2004 and is the premier student synthetic biology research competition.
Teams must complete various tasks as part of the competition. The biotechnology expo helps the FSU team fulfill the "education" requirement for their work to educate the public about synthetic biology.
Along with organizing the expo, FSU iGEM shared the group's work in the Challenger Center's IMAX Theater, where team members took visitors through their work to design and build innovative biological systems.
The team earned a gold medal at the 2024 iGEM competition for their project to address a rare metabolic disorder called trimethylaminuria, which causes a strong body odor released through sweat, breath and urine. FSU iGEM created a monitoring device that could guide a patient's treatment by monitoring the level of trimethylamine, the molecule that causes the odor, in the breath.
That work was the continuation of a previous year's project that earned a silver medal and continued within what is now the Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases, a program within the FSU Health initiative designed to bridge critical gaps in pediatric rare disease care through research and clinical work.
"It's so rewarding to connect with our community while sharing the significance of our research," said Vicky Montalvo, associate team lead for the 2025 FSU iGEM Team. "It is not only an opportunity to foster connection between the public and academia, but it is especially rewarding because the research done in iGEM is inspired by present problems we see in our community."
"When teaching K-8 students about biotechnology at the expo, we all were pleasantly surprised at how many kids are already passionate about this field, and how bright and inspired the next generation of scientists is," she said. "With this event, it really felt like we were paying it forward, seeing as many of the current members on 2025 FSU iGEM team were inspired by their predecessors to partake in the world of biotechnology."
In addition to the iGEM presentation, attendees had a variety of exhibits to choose from. They could explore strawberry DNA extraction, learn how cell-to-cell communication works or build simple prosthetic hands using everyday materials. Other exhibits showed off shark jaws, shark tracking devices, deep sea coral and oyster shells or shared the basic principles behind fundamental fluid mechanics in a kid-friendly way.
FSU's Neuroscience Graduate Student Association (NGSA) brought devices that use electrodes to show nerves in action or to involuntarily move a participant's muscles.
"The association presented at the bioengineering expo since it began a few years ago, and it's the perfect opportunity to connect with the Tallahassee community," said NGSA President Ryan Ochoa. "We love the excitement and energy of children and parents. The best parts are getting to see everyone exposed to something new for the first time in their lives and the questions filled with curiosity that immediately follow. This year we met a family that traveled nine hours just to attend the event. That really puts into perspective just how meaningful our contributions are."
Organizers have plans to continue growing the expo in future years to inspire the next generation of STEM researchers and leaders.
Visit the FSU iGEM website to learn more about this student group and their work.
Visit the website for the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee, the K-12 outreach facility for the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, to learn more about upcoming educational programs.
