From Fiction to Regulation: The Social Construction of Genetic Engineering Through Media

This portfolio brings together two distinct yet interconnected projects: a technical capstone focused on the development of a 3D-printed modular plantarflexion stop for an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO), and an STS research paper analyzing how media narratives shape public perception and regulation of genetic engineering. While they tackle very different subjects, both projects reflect the importance of understanding how science and technology interact with human needs, expectations, and systems. The technical portion of this portfolio centers on addressing a clinical and biomechanical problem known as foot drop. A degenerative neuromuscular disease, this condition impairs a person's ability to dorsiflex (lift) their ankle, leading to an impaired gate and decreased mobility. The current Hermes brace, developed by Icarus Medical Innovations, offers user-adjustable dorsiflexion support but lacks a strict plantarflexion stop to prevent excessive downward movement of the foot. In collaboration with Icarus, my capstone team designed a lightweight, fixed mechanical stop that integrates with the Hermes brace without compromising its low-profile, customizable design. Through iterative prototyping, finite element analysis, and material testing, we demonstrated that a Nylon 6/6 stop could provide sufficient torque resistance while adding only 0.11 oz of weight to the device. The final prototype achieved a safety factor of 2.2, meeting clinical strength requirements while preserving patient comfort and wearability. While the technical project focused on solving a material and mechanical problem, the STS project examined a cultural and political one. My research paper investigated how media representations of genetic engineering influence public perception and ultimately shape policy. Using the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) framework, I argued that genetic engineering technologies do not hold fixed meanings. Instead, they are socially constructed through competing narratives, especially those propagated by the media. Drawing on a meta-review of academic literature, public opinion data, and qualitative analysis of Reddit discussions, I found that media portrayals, particularly dystopian science fiction like Gattaca, play a major role in framing genetic engineering as either promising or dangerous. This makes science communication and media framing critically important to the regulatory landscape of emerging biotechnologies. Both projects highlighted the importance of thinking socially in a scientific field. Prototyping the AFO could not just focus on biomechanic adjustments, but required user perspective to ensure wearability and marketability. That meant thinking about comfort, usability, and even how the brace could be customized for different patients. Similarly, the STS paper focused not just on the current scientific breakthroughs in the genetic engineering community, but also the social and political influences the community faces and implications of public opinion.