Attempt at Public Relations from Resource Projects

The Experimental Plant Division, RIKEN BioResource Center (RIKEN BRC), has been pursuing resource projects centered on Arabidopsis thaliana, which is a typical experimental plant. Presently, A. thaliana is introduced in senior high school textbooks and through mass media. However, the majority of people in Japan were unaware of this plant in 2001, when RIKEN BRC was established. To establish awareness regarding the significance of model organisms and resource projects, effective public relations are required.

Public relations involve the promotion of informational activities and excellent relationships between organizations and the general public. This article introduces public relations activities and examines their effects and problems.

In Tsukuba City, where RIKEN BRC is located, an event called "Tsukuba PhD Kids" is held each summer. During this event, elementary and junior high school students visit research institutions in the city, participate in experiments, and interact with researchers. Through these activities, these children develop their interest in science. RIKEN BRC participates in this event every year, and the Experimental Plant Division directed the event in the 2014 fiscal year.
Elementary school children are accompanied by their guardians during this event. Therefore, this is an opportunity for both children and their guardians to participate in research observation, which is the important feature of this event.

In the program, 10−20 children were asked to observe normal A. thaliana with trichomes (projections that look like small spines on the surface of a leaf) and the gl1 mutant without trichomes (Fig. 1), using a magnifying glass. Subsequently, the children were asked to observe the surfaces of leaves of familiar vegetables such as tomato and eggplant, under a stereoscopic microscope. Both children and their guardians eagerly observed these plant species.

This was actually the first time that all our staff observed the magnified surface of an eggplant leaf. Even we were surprised to see dark purple projections that look like sea urchin spines (Fig. 2) and again realized the importance of novel discovery in research. In addition, an observational workshop that commemorated the Fascination of Plants Day was organized during the event at Nagoya City Science Museum in May 2015, which was well-received by all participants.

The best way to understand bioresources is by directly observing the objects. When this is not possible, the bioresource must be verbally explained using Microsoft PowerPoint. However, even at an academic conference for experts, attracting the attention of all participants is extremely difficult. Therefore, when the number of participants is small, interactive quiz programs are organized.

I would like to introduce a successful example of a quiz program, in which the participants were asked to provide an English word that could be obtained when a base sequence was expressed in single-letter amino acid codes (Fig. 3). Through this exercise, the participants might realize that when a single base is changed (the mutation of a gene), the meaning of the word (the function of the gene) also changes. Subsequently, mutants of A. thaliana were introduced. The quiz program was well-received, with active participation from the audience, many of whom correctly answered the questions.

Considering factors such as observing actual objects and listening to lectures, we think that people who have little knowledge of biology will be considerably impressed by bioresources. However, a single event can only reach a maximum of 100∼200 people, so the range of bioresources is limited. Presently, we have been working to develop an observation kit used for school education, where our division exhibits mutant strains of A. thaliana. This has made these tools accessible to junior and senior high schools. In addition, we will develop cultivation protocols that can be used by teachers who have no experience in growing experimental plants. To this end, we have been developing video protocols since the 2014 fiscal year. In the 2015 fiscal year, we have prepared cultivation data and will continue our activities so that a large number of people can support our resource projects. We appreciate your cooperation.