"Biotechnology in our Life" is a project aiming for a combination of schools in Europe and science, companies and politics. In this compound, an exchange of professional contents in the science area of biotechnology and economical, political an ethical aspects. For many years living systems have been used for technical practice (e.g. brewing, microbiological waste water purification). Only for a few decades the enormous potential of biotechnology has been recognized. On a regular basis new applications and products are brought to the market. The awareness that, by transferring genetic material, interesting products can be "manufactured" in qualified production cells (e.g. human insulin, produced inside of bacteria), offers further possibilities. These genetic methods are equally admired as disregarded by the German society. Measured by the actuality and daily-life relevance of biotechnology the demand of explanation about backgrounds, methods, chances and risks of biotechnology is not sufficient.. We, the student's lab "teutolab-biotechnology" plus six more international schools wish to change that, as students have to position themselves concerning this subject. For one academic year, participating students work independently in national and international groups ( group puzzle) on interesting subjects on the area of white (industrial biotechnology ), red (medical biotechnology) green ( plant biotechnology) and grey (environmental biotechnology) biotechnolgy. The student groups are connected via eTwinning and network their tasks. Transnational cooperation and exchange of experiences take place at three conventions per academic year. The conventions are hosted by different countries in turns. Visiting biotechnological companies as well as the implementation of biotechnological experiments (e.g. in the student's lab teutolab-biotechnology or in the cooperating universities of foreign schools) are subject of the conventions just as reflection of bioethical questions. So it is not only the theoretical learning of a subject, but also critical analysis occurs. " Education does not only mean knowledge and qualification, but also orientation and power of judgment." (former Federal President of Germany Horst Köhler, September 2006). During the third convention an exhibition will take place, where the linked students' findings will be presented to the general public. This exhibitions will also offer a platform for discussion with experts from science, economy and politics. The project clarifies and sensitizes and creates a regional conscience in biotechnology and its main topic. Through points of contact, this raises students' and visitors' awareness for biotechnology in their region and generates interest for biotechnology as a whole. This interest will expand students' interest not only on a national level but also, through the exchange, internationally. Knowledge acquired in this context will be expanded from local and regional over to the national and international level. Through the acquisition of knowledge, the regional and cross-border network as well as the exchange imparts values which, due to contestation, triggers the acceptance of cultural way of thinking and statutory regulations. This leads to downsizing of fears and doubts and will be supported in discussions with the society ( from economy, science and politics). We believe that many aspects of biotechnology will be carried forward into the future, preparing our students for a rapidly changing world and workplace, alerting them to the fact that their local actions are important, and the fact that they too have a voice, and to the fact that many voices create a resounding echo.
"Biotechnology in our life" is a project that enables pupils and teachers to develop and qualify on a personal, scientific and pedagogical level. Biotechnology is the use of organisms for technical applications. These applications have a long tradition (producing beer, wine, cheese ...), a high everyday relevance (wastewater treatment, medicines, plant breeding, detergents, medical diagnostics ...) as well as a high potential for future challenges for our society (bioplastics, biofuels, biomedicine ...). Some of the biotechnological applications are made using organisms whose genetic information has changed. The students` laboratory teutolab-biotechnology, which is affiliated to the University of Bielefeld, has found that the knowledge of the importance of biotechnology is low (compared to the relevance of biotechnology) both among high school students and in society. The topic gains international relevance because international cooperation is essential in research and development as well as in production. At the same time, various laws, e.g. the handling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), are decided at EU level. Representatives of the following project partners have joined forces in the three project years to learn and conduct research on biotechnology: Koidula High School (Pärnu, Estonia), Coornhert Lyceum (Haarlem, the Netherlands), IES JOSE DE RIBERA (Xativa, Spain), Liceo Scientifico Statale Galilei (Verona, Italy), St. Neots Learning Partnership (St. Neots, England), Öffentlich-stiftisches Gymnasium Bethel (Bielefeld, Germany). Joint learning and research activities during the “learning teaching and training activities” included a large proportion of international team work on biotechnology research topics, but also visits to expert lectures, visits to biotechnology companies, experimentation in the laboratory or discussions on bioethical topics (in an international team or with representatives from politics and science). To guarantee that not only the project participants benefit from the project, pupils and teachers organized a public exhibition, which concluded each school year (= project year). At this exhibition, the students presented to the interested public the results of their work in the form of exhibition materials, posters and PowerPoint presentations. In total there were two meetings without students (one before the project for planning purposes, one during the project for organisational and evaluation purposes). In addition, meetings were held with teachers and students (three times in Germany: with parallel teacher training, twice in the Netherlands, one each in the other partner countries). The didactic method was developed by the project team itself. It is an international group puzzle (jigsaw) with national core groups and international expert groups. This method, in which individual and cooperative learning are closely interlinked, is particularly well suited for heterogeneous groups and is characterized by a tremendous development of not only professional but in particular social competences by the learners. The chosen project form (internationality, cooperative forms of learning, stimulating critical thinking...) made an important contribution to the students' personal development. Ultimately, the aim of education is not only the accumulation of knowledge, but also the development of young people into mature personalities who are able to position themselves in society. The project experiences a long-term benefit from the cooperations established in the project (school-university, school-school, school-company, university-company, university-university), which will also be maintained and expanded over the duration of the project. Furthermore, the newly developed didactic method of the “international group puzzle” represents a model for imitators. Last but not least, the qualification of the participating teachers (personal, didactic, scientific) will also benefit subsequent years at the partner schools. The project and its results were/will be disseminated on various channels (homepages, regional press, YouTube videos, conferences) and were rated positively by both observers (press articles) and project participants (evaluation). Last but not least, the three public exhibitions offered interested parties the opportunity to gain an insight into the project results. These exhibitions were visited by a total of several hundred guests.