Team:Pretoria UP/Attributions
Attributions The Pretoria_UP team would like to extend special thanks to the numerous people and organizations that supported us throughout this project. We could not have done this without you.
Brad: Lab: Extraction and isolation of thylakoids, visualisation of thylakoid binding. Helped with work on laccases. Human Practices: Interview with Dr. Karen Surridge-Talbot, presented at the synthetic biology symposium. Dr. Steven Hussey: Team instructor. Project guidance. Technical assistance. Dr Michal Gwizdala and Dr Tjaart Kruger for advice given on choosing the appropriate protein in the thylakoid membrane to target for our aptamer design.
Mr. Jonathan Botha: valuable input and advice on experiments and which protocols to use for transformation. General help on lab safety and good lab practice. Dr Tjaart Krüger for advice given with modelling.
Dr Karen Surridge-Talbot, Centre Manager: Renewable Energy Centre of Research & Development Clean Energy at the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI). Team William & Mary 2015 - CSS and inspiration from their beautiful wiki. Sappi Mr Plastic Group Bedfordview: Clifford Van Niekerk, for donating perspex for the construction of our PBEC.
Team members
Simon: Designed and assembled graphene electrodes and measuring PBEC cell performance in terms of current per surface area.
Thabang: Human practices: Arranged interview with Dr Karen Surridge-Talbot, attended synthetic biology workshop, presented at synthetic biology symposium, women in energy business summit, UP with science, presented at SANEDI. Lab work: worked on laccases, SP6 and T7. Collaborations: helped with documentary for iGEM Aix Marseille University. Contributed to wiki content.
Ricu: Performed preliminary graphene wash and elution experiments. Involved in creating and cloning several biobricks. Helped activate the PEM. Entered parts into the registry and involved with characterizing the biobricks. Helped in demonstrating that a prototype of our project works. Presented at the UP with science presentation. Helped with Wiki content.
Vaughn: Came up with the PBEC project idea. Performed SELEX experiments for graphene including asymmetric PCR optimization, graphene wash and elution optimization, as well as running the actual experiment to identify graphene specific aptamers. Identified appropriate target site in photosystem II for aptamer binding, and worked with team Heidelberg 2015 to design the aptamer for this target site using MAWS. Helped in creating the laccase BioBricks. Helped activate the PEM. Helped make and characterize the laccase biobricks and improving the characterisation of a previous device. Helped in demonstrating that a prototype of our project works. Organised the UP with science presentation for our team. Presented at the synthetic biology symposium. Helped with Wiki content.
Maryn: Created the simulation model of the PBEC using AnyLogic software. Made a GoPro video of our project using Adobe Premiere Elements. Human Practices: UP with science presentation. Presented at the synthetic biology symposium.
Stephan: Human Practices: Tuks FM interview, SANEDI interview, Interview with Dr Karen, SANEDI Presentation and UP with science presentation. Designed, manufactured and assembled PBEC containment unit. Help with collaboration with Macquarie. Helped activate PEM.
Nomakula: Human practices: TuksFM interview, SANEDI presentation, Women in Energy Summit Interview with Dr. Karen Surridge-Talbot, organised synthetic biology symposium presented at the synthetic biology symposium and #FeesMustFall article. Collaboration: All survey collaborations and Aix Marseille University documentary. Lab: worked on laccases, T7 and SP6. Helped on Wiki content
Modjadji: Human practices: TuksFM interview, SANEDI presentation, Women in Energy Summit, Interview with Dr. Karen Surridge-Talbot, presented at the synthetic biology symposium. Collaboration: Helped with the Aix Marseille University documentary. Lab: worked on laccases and SP6. Helped on Wiki content
Bernard: Worked on the collaboration with the Macquarie team and helped with the UP with Science presentation. Helped in the lab with plasmid extractions and other protocols involved with the laccases. I also helped with the initial graphene washings and microcopy of thylakoid binding. Helped with the Wiki.
Pieter: Wiki design, development, and coordination. Presentation design. Logo design. Branding representative. Project description video director and editor. Aix Marseille University documentary videography.
Project and advice
Prof Zander Myburg, Dr Eshchar Mizrachi, Dr Tjaart Krüger, Dr Michal Gwizdala, and Prof Ncholu Manyala for their support and advice on various topics throughout the project.
Thylakoid protein selection
Lab support
Mr. Donovin Coles: Advice on restriction enzyme digest procedures.
Mr. Lazarus Takawira: General advice on lab procedures.
Ms. Elodie Ekoka: Valuable input and advice on thylakoid extraction procedures.
Ms. Katrien Brown: General advice on lab procedures.
Mr. Alan Hall and Dr. Eudri Venter: Technical expertise with confocal microscopy experiments for visualising thylakoid binding to the aptamers.
Prof. N. Manyala, Dr. J. Dangbegnon, Dr. A Bello, Mr J. Madito and Mr A.A Khaleed from the Carbon Based Nano Material Research Group for their advice and help with regards to graphene.
Dr. T. Stander from the Carl and Emily Fuchs Institute for Microelectronics (CEFIM) for allowing us to use their current measuring equipment to test our cells’ functioning.
Ms. Elna Cowley, Lab Manager: Helped with Lab safety training.
Modelling
Human Practices support
Mrs Marie Venter, Natural and Agricultural Sciences Marketing and Communication, University of Pretoria.
Mrs Ntsatsi Mantsho, Department of Research and Innovation Support, University of Pretoria.
Mrs Dikeledi, Lesedi Power Project
Tuks FM
UP with Science, University of Pretoria
Mr Johann Louw, Kumba Virtual Reality Centre, Department of Mining Engineering, University of Pretoria
Dr Bertie Meyer, Aix Marseille documentary
Mr Roland Henwood, Aix Marseille documentary
Wiki support
Eric Herot - "Okra Seedling Time Lapse" Video. Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed).
Wikimedia Commons - MacQuarie University, Aix-Marseille University, Heidelberg University images on collaborations page. FeesMustFall image on Human Practices Silver page. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license.
Team BostonU 2014 - Medal images and inspiration.
Funding Support
The University of Pretoria
The Department of Science & Technology
Inqaba Biotec
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Whitehead Scientific
Integrated DNA Technologies
The Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute
The Forest Molecular Genetics Programme
The African Centre for Gene Technologies
The South African National Energy Development Institute
Donations
Dr SG Radhakrishnan, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural sciences for kindly donating the proton exchange membrane (Nafion 117) we needed to test our cell.
Dr Karen Surridge-Talbot and SANEDI for the generous donation of a stall at the Women in Energy Business Summit.
Prof. N. Manyala, Dr. J. Dangbegnon, Dr. A Bello, Mr J. Madito and Mr A.A Khaleed from the Carbon Based Nano Material Research Group for assisting the team by growing graphene foam on request at no expense to the team.
