Wet Lab: Senior members gave a presentation on general cloning workflow and overview of techniques. They also showed trainees around lab, introduced pipetting, and had all new members design a thermocycle and prepare and run a PCR reaction on either HP1a, HP1b, or LP1b constructs from 2018 project.
Wiki: Wiki subteam learned the importance of typography during a one-hour long Wiki/Design Training class. Worked on the webpage replication project to practice Adobe Illustrator (due 3/18).
P & P: P&P sent out emails to get information on harmful algal blooms and clean-up projects. An interview was conducted with researchers at the Community Science Institute that was helpful in learning about testing for harmful algal blooms and the effects of microcystins. We also reached out to organizations that are related to genetically engineering bacteria or therapeutics. We conducted an interview with Professor John March who is doing research on genetically engineered therapeutics, and he suggested that we should go through the IND application process and look into Synlogics. Emails were also sent to experts in the field of microfluidics, specifically with synthetic biology applications.
Product Development: PD subteam met the new members. We started basic circuit training from learning how to use breadboards to circuit building in Sparkfun. Furthermore, they learned how to use resistors and capacitors in circuit.
Business: Met the new spring members. Introduced logistics for the semester. Began brainstorming fundraising and team apparel ideas. Also began to consider potential project sponsors. Deliverable task where all members needed to have thought through several potential fundraising events by the next week.
Wet Lab: Organized a lab safety tour with Dr. Archer. Showed new members how to prepare a 1% agarose gel. Ran 5 uL of PCR reactions from last week on gel. Imaged gel and showed new members how to read it.
Wiki: Wiki subteam learned the basics of HTML and CSS during a one-hour long Wiki/Design Training class. Worked on the HTML/CSS project (due 3/26).
P & P: P&P continued to read research papers to find the biological significance of microcystins to make sure that it was okay to remove them from the ecosystem. We also emailed some more researchers on their current research on HABs and microcystins roles specifically. P&P interviewed Professor Nelson Hairston, a microbiology professor, on the subject of HABs and how to detect them or predict their patterns of emergence. We also looked into the ecological ramifications of removing cyanobacteria and microcystins from the water and found a lack of conclusive results in general. There were many good takeaways from this interview, and overall, it really helped in the brainstorming and design process. P&P also reached out to organizations that related to microfluidics and healthcare, such as Weill Cornell Medicine and Saint Joseph’s Health Center. We interviewed Professor Jan Lammerding on 3/11 regarding the feasibility of our microfluidics idea and potential applications of our project. We also initiated a collaborative invitation with the BME Society for Dr. Caltagirone, the president and CEO of Aptagen, to give a Synthetic Antibodies Talk at Cornell in April.
Product Development: PD subteam continued circuitry training by covering motors, arduino, and arduino modules.
Business: Went over plan for giving day. Each member sent out 7-10 emails to individuals on our sponsor list asking them to donate for giving day. Continued to brainstorm apparel ideas. Deliverable task where members had to bring in designs or inspiration for team apparel.
Wet Lab: Taught new members how to clean up the remaining volume of their PCR reactions. Discussed theory behind restriction enzymes and digestion. Went into lab in groups of 2 trainees and 1 mentor. Nanodropped PCR cleanups and prepared a digest of PCR products with EcoRI and PstI. Also prepared a digest of pSB1C3 vector with EcoRI and PstI. Used the thermocycler to heat inactivate both.
Wiki: Wiki subteam learned the basics of colors, white space, and composition during a one-hour long Wiki/Design Training class. Worked on webpage creation project to practice building information hierarchy (due 4/8).
P & P: P&P tried to reach out to Professor Mingming Wu and Professor Lee, who have expertise in research regarding microfluidics. We ended up scheduling an interview with a postdoc in Professor Lee’s lab, Taejoon Kwak. P&P interviewed Pat Crowley at the Cornell Sailing Center on 3/21 to learn about the effects of algal blooms on the sailing center’s activities. On 3/23, our members went to the “Nutrients in the Watershed, Unusual Weather, and Harmful Algal Blooms: A Public Conversation” event at the Inns of Aurora in Aurora, NY, where we spoke with various researchers and community leaders about the impacts of HABs on local areas. We also registered our team to present two workshops at the annual Splash! Event on 4/27.
Product Development: New members looked at past modeling to see what could have been done better. Senior member presented the process of last year’s modeling for Oscillate.
Business: Completed the Big Idea Application. Debrief of Giving Day. Note the technical issue where our 2019 page was accidentally deleted instead of the 2018 one. Brainstormed ways to boost turnout at the Cornell iGEM x Cornell Rocketry Team Skate Night. Narrowed down our fundraising idea to a Chick-Fil-A fundraiser on April 20th. Reviewed the apparel designs from last week’s deliverable. Deliverable task where we fleshed out the Chick-Fil-A idea, while continuing to brainstorm other fundraisers.
Wet Lab: Cleaned up digests from the week of 3/18 - 3/22. Discussed theory and protocol for ligation.
Wiki: Wiki subteam learned the basics of JavaScript and jQuery during a one-hour long Wiki/Design Training class. Worked on the JavaScript/jQuery project (due 4/13).
P & P: Emails were sent to various professors to promote the Aptagen Seminar Talk in collaboration with BMES. On 3/25, we spoke briefly with Professor David Erickson on the potential application of microfluidics to combating the issue of HABs. On 3/26, we attended the 4-H/YOURS program where we did a Coke and Mentos demo and made ice cream with the kids. On 3/28, we made a Facebook event for Dr. Caltagirone’s Aptagen Seminar Talk in April and sent emails to professors and organizations to promote the event.
Product Development: New members modeled boid movement as part of code based modeling project: modeling of bird movement involved writing code to imitate convergence, divergence, and alignment of boids.
Business: Sent out thank you notes to Giving Day sponsors. Quick debrief of Skate Night. Planned out the rest of the Chick-Fil-A fundraising idea, including the logistics of the order options, driving to Syracuse, and order pick up. Deliverable task to make logistical details even more specific. Voted on sweatshirt design to send to general channel. Discussed sponsorship packet. Deliverable task to look through the previous year’s sponsorship packet and figure out pricing for team apparel.
Wet Lab: No meeting. Spring break.
Wiki: Wiki subteam evaluated past competition winners’ websites and our past competition websites during a one-hour long Wiki/Design Training class. Worked on designing a webpage for our current project (due 4/23).
P & P: P&P researched more potential contacts to interview for our project. We also wrote an email newsletter draft to send to sponsors and alumni. We co-hosted the Aptagen Seminar Talk on 4/11 where Dr. G. Thomas Caltagirone came in and spoke to us about the emerging field of aptamers in science.
Product Development: PD subteam started research on what to make. Specifically, PD looked into the possibility of cleaning HABs by using a boat that travels across the lake’s surface.
Business: Each team member was given their Sponsorship Pack assignments. General channel voted on sweatshirt colors, so Business began to prepare order forms. Decided on a timeline of events for the Chick-Fil-A fundraiser. Met again to finalize fundraiser details and create order forms, Facebook posts, and other tracking spreadsheets. In this meeting the team also assigned members specific tasks for the fundraiser.
Wet Lab: Assigned deliverable. Asked new members to spend time doing some reading and research on the 4 iGEM teams that did projects on microcystins in the past and on mlr research outside of iGEM.
Wiki: Wiki subteam learned the basics of Bootstrap and Git/GitHub during a one-hour long Wiki/Design Training class. Worked on the Bootstrap/Github project (due 4/30).
P & P: P&P emailed Nate Launer at the Community Science Institute to set up a meeting to get more quantitative information on HABs and HAB testing. We also completed the newsletter and compiled a list of sponsors/alumni to send to. Our team tried reaching out to SBSHS, a past iGEM team that has dealt with a topic related to our project. As the team is a combination of various students across schools, it was difficult to locate their contact information. P&P started putting together the slides for the Splash! event on 4/27. We also started brainstorming for potential collaboration ideas.
Product Development: Wetlab presented a basic biology introduction to PD. PD new members continued to think about what to create for this year’s project. In particular, the bioreactor on top of a boat was deemed infeasible because of time constraints.
Business: Each team member completed their Sponsorship Pack assignments. Held our Chick-Fil-A fundraiser (4/20). Made slightly upwards of $200 in profit. Although profitable, the team agrees that this is not a sustainable fundraising method.
Wet Lab: Discussed ligation and transformation theory. Showed members how to use small autoclave and autoclaved some tips.
Wiki: Wiki subteam met up to discuss iGEM wiki rules and go over the general timeline for the summer and fall.
P & P: P&P sent out the newsletter to Giving Day sponsors and various alumni. We set up a table at RawEXPO on 4/26 with our plasmid kit and a food-dye activity in which we taught people how to use a micropipette to prepare liquid samples. On 4/27, we ran two classes at Splash! to teach kids in grades 7-12 about DNA extraction, gel electrophoresis, and bioethics.
Product Development: PD had a meeting talking about the sampler and bioreactor. We also planned out what our sampler needed and had to do. The bioreactor would be some sort of bead reactor to take advantage of alginate beads.
Business: Debriefed Chick-Fil-A Fundraiser. Reviewed past week’s Sponsorship Packet tasks and sweatshirt orders. Discussed the plan for summer and fall. Deliverable task to find three new potential project sponsors, and for team members to reflect on their involvement with the Chick-Fil-A Fundraiser. Participated in Splash!
Wet Lab: Met to perform ligation and transformation. Also went back and reviewed the entire cloning process from start to finish. Asked new members questions and gave them time to ask us any questions that they had. Colonies visible in about half of the transformation plates.
Wiki:
P & P: No meeting this week.
Product Development: PD started CADing and making the designs for all our components in preparation for the summer.
Business: Began planning for 2019 Sponsorship Packet. Continued to finalize orders and logistics for team sweatshirt orders. Deliverable task for all iGEM members to describe their contributions for the semester.
Wet Lab: Break until summer term.
Wiki:
P & P:P&P had a final meeting to recap the semester.
Product Development: Break
Business: Sweatshirt order form was due and orders were placed. Completed the CEAA Application.
Wet Lab: Break until summer term.
Wiki:
P & P:Break until summer term.
Product Development: Break
Business: Break for final exams.
Wet Lab: Break until summer term.
Wiki:
P & P: Break until summer term. Remotely, we began the initial stages of planning for our potential iGEM collaboration. We also updated the list of contacts for event promo based on the current instructors and course offerings relevant to iGEM.
Product Development: Break
Business: Worked on sponsorship packet and reached out to past project sponsors.
Wet Lab: Break until summer term.
Wiki: Started discussing possible concepts to consider for the 2019 wiki design, such as going with a dark color scheme (not necessarily black, something more along the lines of a dark color like navy blue) and incorporating geometric aspects. Also went over some brainstorming already done in April.
P & P:Break until summer term.
Product Development:Break
Business: Worked on sponsorship packet and reached out to past project sponsors.
Wet Lab: Members arrive back in Ithaca to start work for the summer term.
Wiki:Discussed idea of using templates to make implementation of the wiki easier. Assignment to look up templates that could work for possible wiki designs for 2019 project.
P & P: Members gradually arrived back in Ithaca to begin work for the summer term.
Product Development:We came back and started making our wooden boat. We laser cut out the CAD models and glued them together.
Business: Worked on sponsorship packet and reached out to past project sponsors.
Wet Lab: Wet Lab began amplifying gBlocks chosen using PCR and verifying the amplification using gel electrophoresis.
Wiki: Discussed themes we found that represented elements we would like to see in a potential wiki design. Reached out to team lead for more information and clarification on the project and Product Development’s role.
P & P: P&P made a copy of the newsletter in PDF form for our sponsors to receive. We have been mentoring Kim with her project to isolate AB15 from sorghum and helping Darlsy organize the schedule of her project as part of our outreach initiative with Zimbabwean students interested in synthetic biology. We have been answering any questions she may have about isolating the gene or what resources are good to use. We also made pre- and post-booklet distribution surveys. P&P traveled to the Ithaca Farmers Market to get the contact information of vendors and were able to start some meaningful conversations about HABs. We intend to schedule brief meetings with these community members to get a further understanding of their knowledge of HABs and how HABs may have impacted them. The team conducted Skype meetings with the NYU iGEM (6/19) and Ohio State iGEM (6/21) teams. Both teams are relatively new to iGEM and sought advice on how to organize the team and proceed with their projects. We suggested a potential PD collaboration with NYU to work on the bioreactor since their team intends to create a bioreactor in the context of flavonoids. With the Ohio State iGEM team, we pitched the idea of a potential P&P collaboration once we have finished the materials for our HABs informational booklet. We also began doing research for our HABs informational booklet. We prepared materials for the 4-H Careers Exploration Event by creating a Kahoot! and revising our slides from Splash! P&P also reached out to Toronto iGEM to ask about a potential collaboration. Member Spotlight was planned out as well.
Product Development:
Business: Worked on sponsorship packet and reached out to past project sponsors.
Wet Lab: This week we continued to amplify the gBlocks using PCR. We noticed most of our gBlocks showed multiple bands on the gel. We discussed problems that may have occurred, experimented with various PCR protocols, and began researching gel extraction as an option to overcome this issue.
Wiki:
P & P: P&P worked on finding legislative acts that have to do with clean water and algal blooms. Specifically, we focused on the Clean Water Act and the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Acts and their legislative history. We worked some more on fixing the pre- and post-booklet distribution surveys. We continued to work on material and revisions for the HABs informational booklet. We also looked into past iGEM projects in order to see which parts might be applicable to our current project. P&P sent emails to the community members that we spoke to last week at the Ithaca Farmers Market. We lead 6 sessions of our 4-H Careers Exploration event, where students from various middle schools in the local region visited Cornell to learn about synthetic biology. One chaperone came up to us after one of the Thursday morning sessions and told us that her daughter was in one of the Wednesday sessions and said that our class was the one she enjoyed the most! We revised, formatted, and sent our pre-distribution booklet survey to Ohio State iGEM as part of our collaboration. We continued to do Member Spotlights.
Product Development: We started buying parts for our sampler and bioreactor. The sampler consists of a solenoid valve connected to a vacuum. We are also talking about a GPS component of our project.
Business: Worked on sponsorship packet and reached out to past project sponsors.
Wet Lab: Wetlab focused on diagnosing issues related to the multiple bands spotted during gel electrophoresis for the mlR constructs. We tried different reaction conditions as well as ordered new reagents and new primers.
Wiki: Called together three of our Wiki subteam members to help design the wiki this summer. Went over the project description to catch up other members of the design team. Assigned each design member to make mock-up(s) of a home page (due 7/12).
P & P: P&P summarized the interviews we did with Pat Crowley and Noah Mark. We also looked into legislators that are working on introducing bills about HABs awareness, research, and clean-up. The team also looked into assessing our project based on the Comprehensive Environmental Assessment criteria from the 2012 iGEM project with the help of our Wet Lab members. We also summarized our work at Splash! and YOURS. We got a message back from Six Circles Farm, and we coordinated with them to try and schedule a meeting. Scott VanGaasbeck from the Ithaca Farmers Market also responded to our email, so we sent him the pre-booklet distribution questions electronically and collected his responses. P&P had a Skype call with Korea_HS iGEM on 7/6 to discuss a potential collaboration. Since Korea_HS iGEM is new this year, we provided guidance on specific aspects of the iGEM competition that they were curious about. We also exchanged public engagement surveys. Ohio State iGEM also returned their responses to the pre-booklet distribution survey, so we sent them the booklet and post-booklet distribution survey as soon as they were completed. We summarized our work at 4-H Careers Exploration and Raw Expo. We continued with Member Spotlights. We also wrote up summaries for the Aptagen Seminar Talk and our interview with Shady Amin.
Product Development: We worked on the arduino to bring our GPS, sampler, and motor together into one circuit. We also continued building our boat and making sure it is airtight.
Business: Worked on sponsorship packet and reached out to past project sponsors.
Wet Lab: We discovered the new primers we ordered were accidentally listed as the reverse complement on the iGEM website, which would not allow us to achieve the desired amplification effect. Thus, we reordered the correct primers. Transformations for the miniprep was started in order to eventually extract our desired plasmids. Also, amplification of the RNA aptamer was started.
Wiki: Design team went over each member’s home page design. Discussed what we liked/disliked for each person’s design. Picked best design out of the three. Assigned each design member to edit the chosen home page design (due 7/17).
P & P: P&P looked into more legislative acts, as well as finding specific legislators who have brought forth things pertaining to HABs. We found the Planning, Energy, and Environmental Quality committee meeting scheduled for the following Monday. We went out to Ithaca Commons on the weekend to do a survey on the community’s perception of algal blooms. We also added more content on the effects of HABs on marine life and the environment. P&P contacted the 4-H organizer for the NY State Fair to get admissions tickets, parking passes, etc., for the event in the Fall. We plan to attend on September 2nd. On July 11th, we participated in the first iGEM Aptamers Hub meeting with members from three other iGEM teams. We set up a WhatsApp group for further communication. On July 9th, Charles and I had a brief meeting with Toronto iGEM during which we discussed a potential collaboration with the PD bioreactor component of our two projects as well as the HABs informational booklet and a potential joint environmental assessment. We continued to put out Member Spotlights, and we worked on the economic analysis for the boat and the bioreactor.
Product Development: This week we started working on the sampler. We managed to complete the motor and sampler aspect of the boat. We are also attempting to make the boat waterproof.
Business: Worked on sponsorship packet and reached out to past project sponsors.
Wet Lab: we focused on doing more gel extractions and performed digestions and ligations on all the cassettes. All that was done this week was in preparation for a transformation.
Wiki: Design team went over each team member’s revised home page design and listed out what features/components to include for the final home page design. Reached out to leads and former members who contributed to design for feedback. Assigned each design member to make mock-up(s) of sub-page (due 7/21). Design team went over sub-page designs and listed out what features/components to include for final sub-page design. Designated assignments for making team page design, notebook/attributes page design, and looking into incorporating animation into the wiki (due ).
P & P: P&P worked on writing the content for the Comprehensive Environmental Assessment, Bioethics, and Safety & Risk Assessment. We continued gathering responses to our pre-booklet distribution survey to gauge the public’s knowledge and opinions of HABs. On July 14th, we sent the first version of our HABs informational booklet to Ohio State iGEM along with the post-booklet distribution survey. On July 17th, we sent our HABs informational booklet and post-booklet distribution survey to Korea_HS iGEM. On July 18th, we sent the materials to Toronto iGEM. On July 17th, we participated in the second meeting for the iGEM Aptamers Hub where we discussed assignments for moving forward with the project. Our team plans to contribute by looking into research papers with protocols for working with aptamers and consolidating them into one large overview. P&P also continued to put out Member Spotlights.
Product Development: The sampler now can take in 4 samples. We have decided to remake the boat using plexiglass instead of wood.
Business: Worked on sponsorship packet and reached out to past project sponsors.
Wet Lab: Wet lab continued working on a variety of tasks this week. We worked all across the board from gel extracts, ligations, transformations, and aptamer synthesis + cleanup. Colony PCRs were performed on transformed bacteria and additional plasmids were also cultured via miniprep.
Wiki:
P & P: P&P summarized our interview with Nelson Hairston. We continued writing and revisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Assessment, Bioethics, and Safety & Risk Assessment. We continued putting out Member Spotlights. We also summarized our conversations with Julie Lockhart, Mark Wysocki, and Stephen Penningroth from the CSI event in Aurora, New York.
Product Development: We started buying parts for our sampler and bioreactor. The sampler consists of a solenoid valve connected to a vacuum. We are also talking about a GPS component of our project.
Business: Worked on sponsorship packet and reached out to past project sponsors.
Wet Lab: We continued to gel extract, digest, ligate, and transform for mlr C, mlr D, mlrE, mlr F.
Wiki: Design team discussed and made final decisions for sub-page and team page designs. Went over and made final decisions for animation. Assigned design team members to make these finalized designs.
P & P: P&P continued working on wiki content and Member Spotlights. We had a follow-up meeting with Korea_HS iGEM to get an update on the progress of their team’s project.
Product Development: PD met to discuss Mass Transfer. We looked into different types of mass transfer and how we can apply it to our project. In particular we want to merge mass transfer and fluidics.
Business: Worked on sponsorship packet and reached out to past project sponsors.
Wet Lab: Our transformations from this week did not produce viable colonies. We redid the digestion and ligation steps several times to troubleshoot the transformations.
Wiki: Wiki started setting up the internal structure of the wiki. Wiki set up the wiki repository.
P & P: No meeting this week.
Product Development: We continued looking into Mass Transfer and Fluidics. We looked into Matlab and other software solutions to our model along with solutions by hand.
Business: Worked on sponsorship packet and reached out to past project sponsors.
Wet Lab: Continued making new gel extract samples of mlR for colony pcr and transformation.
Wiki: Wiki started setting up the layout of the home page and considering what kind of framework to use to set up the layout.
P & P:Break until fall semester.
Product Development: Break
Business: Worked on sponsorship packet and reached out to past project sponsors.
Wet Lab: Break before fall semester
Wiki: Wiki decided to use CSS grid to implement the layout of the wiki. Wiki did more setup of the wiki.
P & P:Break until fall semester.
Product Development:Break
Business: Worked on sponsorship packet and reached out to past project sponsors.
Wet Lab:No one was on campus during this time
Wiki: Wiki had its first weekly subteam meeting. Wiki started implementing the nav bar, footer, home page, and standard page template.
P & P: P&P prepared materials for our booth at the NY State Fair.
Product Development: Break
Business: Returned to campus. Finalized sponsorship packet and reached out to past project Sponsors.
Wet Lab: Began to transform mlr C and mlr F. There was no growth so another gel extractions and digest was done.
Wiki: Wiki implemented the home page banner, footer, and description. Wiki implemented the side bar for the standard page template.
P & P: P&P attended the NY State Fair on 9/2 where we did a synthetic biology activity with kids to teach them about how synthetic biology works. We also conversed with adults to share what our team does and the projects we’ve worked on. Our team also met with Deborah Dawson, the Chair of the Planning, Energy, and Environmental Quality Committee, to discuss how our project might fit into the grand scheme of efforts to combat the issue of HABs in our region.
Product Development: PD decided to decouple modeling into a fluidics aspect and mass transfer aspect. Fluidics is to show that our system mixes well. Mass transfer is to calculate the rate at which we transfer. Older members got involved in modeling which sped up the process.
Business: First meeting of the semester. Began planning for fall recruitment. Helped organize and tabled at Project Team Fest (9/7). Distributed sweatshirts that people have not picked up yet.
Wet Lab: This week, wet lab focused on trying to obtain successful transformations for mlr C and F. Unfortunately, we were not able to achieve this and began brainstorming ways to ensure that we complete our project before wiki freeze.
Wiki: Wiki implemented the nav bar, standard page text section, and notebook page. Wiki started implementing the team page and the sub-descriptions area of the home page.
P & P: P&P participated in the HABs committee meeting on 9/10 to gain insight on current initiatives being undertaken to address HABs. We met with many individuals and organizations dedicated to solving the HABs crisis in Upstate NY. P&P had a Skype call with members of SZTA_Szeged_HU iGEM to discuss a potential collaboration.
Product Development: We started building the bioreactor itself. This consisted of a syringe which controls the water flow through a tube that is the bioreactor.
Business: Began advertising for fall recruitment through Facebook and other social media. Helped in the organization of Bio-Fest (9/10). Held the first information session (9/14).
Wet Lab: We attempted another transform, which failed. We changed our focus and began practicing Western blots to test for our proteins, and also prepared for our DNA aptamer testing.
Wiki: Wiki implemented the safety page and the standard page banner. Wiki continued implementing the team page and sub-descriptions area of the home page. Wiki started implementing the sponsors page and the no-picture banner.
P & P:P&P worked on writing wiki content.
Product Development: We started modeling in Ansys. We needed to create the geometry of our structure by CADing the bioreactor and then transferring it to Ansys.
Business: Held the second information session (9/15). Tabled at Club Fest (9/15). Team applications were due 9/20.
Wet Lab: This week we ran several Western blots and worked on microcystin testing.
Wiki: Wiki implemented the Attributions page. Wiki finalized and uploaded the Home, Sponsors, Safety, and Notebook pages.
P & P: P&P held a bioethics discussion with Alliance for Science on 9/26 where we discussed the implications of using synthetic biology to advance society and issues of property rights and moral practices. Our team also held a Skype meeting with William & Mary iGEM to discuss a potential Wet Lab collaboration.
Product Development: Older members worked on Mass Transfer and decided to solve it by hand. We simplified the equation by assuming first order reactions.
Business: Conducted new member interviews (9/28) and deliberated on interview candidates. Deliverable task for current team members to create a business canvas model, market analysis, and discussion of future development for reHAB.
Wet Lab: Wet lab standardized a curve for the Au-Aptamer colorimetric detection system. A roughly linear line was characterized at wavelength 320 nm using log concentration vs. absorbance graph. Welcomed new members.
Wiki: Wiki started implementing the Wet Lab and P&P pages. Wiki started working on creating a plasmid and buttons for the Public Engagement and Practices pages respectively.
P & P: P&P worked on revising and finalizing wiki content.
Product Development: PD members worked on finalizing and writing wiki content. We also continued modeling tasks.
Business: Worked through deliverable tasks from last week. Welcomed new members.
Wet Lab: We confirmed the alginate bead protocol, successfully synthesizing alginate beads. On the testing side, we experimented with differing concentrations of AuNPs, NaCl, and aptamer in order to try and determine what the optimal conditions for detecting MC-LR were. We also generated absorbance data with the Microcystin toxin as well.
Wiki: Wiki uploaded/set up a majority of the pages. Wiki started inserting content into pages and uploading them to the server.
P & P: P&P worked on revising and finalizing wiki content. We also finished the final draft of our HABs informational booklet to include on our wiki and for later distribution.
Product Development: We attempted to test the boat on actual water. However, the sampler and motor did not work as it had over the summer. We decided to collect water samples by hand and continue troubleshooting the issue.
Business:
Wet Lab: We transformed William and Mary’s biobricks and encapsulated the cells in alginate beads.
Wiki: Wiki finished uploading the wiki to the iGEM server. Wiki did final checks to make sure everything was OK.
P & P: P&P worked on revising and finalizing wiki content.
Product Development: PD worked on wiki content and finalizing modeling tasks. We continue troubleshooting our sampler/boat.
Business: