Difference between revisions of "Team:Pittsburgh/Human Practices"

 
(7 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 3: Line 3:
 
  <div style="max-width:1000px; margin:0 auto; padding:0px 10px 10px 10px;">   
 
  <div style="max-width:1000px; margin:0 auto; padding:0px 10px 10px 10px;">   
 
     <div class="column full_size">
 
     <div class="column full_size">
−
    <p>How our project serves the public</p></div>
+
        <p>A summary of how our project serves the public. For more details about our activities, visit the <a href="https://2016.igem.org/Team:Pittsburgh/HP/Silver" target="_blank">silver medal criterion</a> page. For more details about how we integrated human practices considerations into our project, visit the <a href="https://2016.igem.org/Team:Pittsburgh/HP/Gold" target="_blank">gold medal criterion</a> page.</p></div>
−
   
+
   
−
   
+
 
<div class="table column full_size" style="padding-top:0;">
 
<div class="table column full_size" style="padding-top:0;">
 
<h2 style="color=rgb(0,0,128); padding-top:0;">Contents</h2>
 
<h2 style="color=rgb(0,0,128); padding-top:0;">Contents</h2>
Line 15: Line 14:
 
</div>
 
</div>
 
      
 
      
 +
<div class="notebook column full_size">
 
      
 
      
−
<div class="notebook column full_size">
 
 
     <span class="anchor" id="engagement"></span>
 
     <span class="anchor" id="engagement"></span>
−
<h1>Public Engagement</h1>
+
<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/d/d2/T--Pittsburgh--HP_CampBioE.jpg" style="float:right;width:22%;padding-left:5px;">
−
     <p>Over the course of the summer, our team visited camps and museums to teach students about synthetic biology, iGEM, and our project.</p>
+
    <h1>Public Engagement</h1>
 +
     <p>Our team talked to a range of audiences, from preschoolers to parents, about synthetic biology and our project. From summer camps to the Carnegie Science Center, we spread the word about synthetic biology's potential to solve current issues including water pollution. Since the city of Pittsburgh has recently become more proactive about testing water for lead, we also talked about the dangers and possible causes of lead poisoning. Our goal was to provide the audience with a fuller understanding of synthetic biology and an appreciation for water testing for heavy metals, especially lead. Read more about our activities <a href="https://2016.igem.org/Team:Pittsburgh/HP/Silver#engagement" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>  
 
      
 
      
−
     <h2>Camp BioE</h2>
+
     <a href="Top">Back to Top</a>
−
    <p>We visited each of the four cohorts of middle- and high-school campers at <a href="http://www.engineering.pitt.edu/CampBioE/" target="_blank">Camp BioE</a> on DNA Day. After our presentation, we sang <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5yPkxCLads" target="_blank">"The PCR Song"</a> and danced to the Bio-Rad <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID6KY1QBR5s" target="_blank">"GTCA Song."</a> Then, we helped the campers amplify DNA made of beads using the PCR process to see which table had the fastest enzymes! Take a look at our presentation slides <a href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/2/21/T--Pittsburgh--HPBioE.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
+
−
   
+
−
    <h2>TECBio and DiSCoBio</h2>
+
−
    <p>Claire, Maya, and Aife met with the students of <a href="http://www.tecbioreu.pitt.edu/" target="_blank">TECBio</a> and <a href="http://www.discobio.pitt.edu/" target="_blank">DiSCoBio</a>. Take a look at our presentation <a href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/1/12/T--Pittsburgh--HPTECBIo.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. Following the presentation, they had a great discussion with the students about what comes after research--papers, patents, and more.</p>
+
−
   
+
−
    <h2>Carnegie Science Center</h2>
+
−
    <p>Maya and Aife visited the Carnegie Science Center's <a href="http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/exhibits/h2oh/" target="_blank"> H<sub>2</sub>Oh!</a> exhibit to teach guests about lead and thallium contamination of water. They also covered synthetic biology and its application to environmental problems. The kids were able to extract their own DNA from a saliva sample following this <a href="http://ncdnaday.org/modules/forensics/5%20minute%20DNA%20Extraction.pdf" target="_blank">protocol</a> provided by North Carolina DNA Day. Take a look at our poster for the event <a href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/8/82/T--Pittsburgh--HPCarnegie.pdf" target="_blank"> here</a>.</p>
+
−
   
+
−
    <a href="#Top">Back to Top</a>
+
 
      
 
      
 
<span class="anchor" id="design"></span>
 
<span class="anchor" id="design"></span>
 
     <h1>Product Design</h1>
 
     <h1>Product Design</h1>
 +
    <p>Heavy metal sensors already exist. They're used in the laboratory, and lead tests for water can be purchased. We met with Professor Bain from the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Geology and Environmental Science to talk about some considerations for Hot Metal Switch. The meeting helped us better envision our ultimate sensor. Read more about our meeting <a href="https://2016.igem.org/Team:Pittsburgh/HP/Silver#design" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
 
      
 
      
−
    <p>Claire, Maya, Aife, and Praneeth met with Dr. Daniel Bain, a professor in the Department of Geology and Environmental Science, to discuss practical considerations in developing a thallium  sensor as an at-home screening test. Thallium levels in most water are minimal. Because thallium's water solubility is so low, it may be present in the water but not dissolved in the sample used to rehdrate the paper sensor. In addition, the EPA's MCL for thallium is only 50 parts per trillion, which is a low threshold. Thus, our sensor needs to be extremely accurate to detect thallium without producing false positives.</p>
+
     <a href="Top">Back to Top</a>
−
   
+
−
    <p>Thallium is not much of a problem in most areas of the world. Lead, on the other hand, is a huge concern for many people, especially for parents with small children. Lead levels are currently measured using ICP-MS, which costs ten to twenty-five dollars per test. In addition, water is not tested at the request of a single concerned resident. With our sensor, however, the cost of each test can be reduced to 35 to 65 cents (Pardee <i>et al.</i>). The simplicity of its usage will also make the device accessible to the general public. It can also be used to quickly screen water in water treatment facilities.</p>
+
−
   
+
−
    <p>While our thallium sensor is an interesting project, its main practicality lies in its circuitry, which can be adapted to sense more abundant metal pollutants such as lead.</p>
+
−
   
+
−
    <p>Thank you to Dr. Bain for talking to us. Read more about Dr. Bain on his profile <a href="http://www.geology.pitt.edu/people/daniel-bain" target="_blank">here</a>. </p>
+
−
   
+
−
     <a href="#Top">Back to Top</a>
+
 
      
 
      
 
<span class="anchor" id="risk"></span>
 
<span class="anchor" id="risk"></span>
 
     <h1>Risk Assessment</h1>
 
     <h1>Risk Assessment</h1>
 +
    <p>Lead is certainly dangerous, but how how often should we test for it in water? We built a model to evaluate the effect of lead contamination on children's development over time. The model was informed in part by a meeting with Dr. Troesken from the Department of Economics at the University of Pittsburgh, who met with us to discuss considerations of modeling a population. Read more about our model <a href="https://2016.igem.org/Team:Pittsburgh/Model" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
 
      
 
      
−
     </div></div>
+
     <a href="Top">Back to Top</a>
 +
   
 +
    </div>
 +
</div>
  
 
<!--
 
<!--

Latest revision as of 19:06, 16 October 2016

Thank you to our sponsors!

Office of the Provost Department of Bioengineering Department of Biological Sciences Department of Chemistry Swanson School of Engineering
IDT NEB Experiment

A summary of how our project serves the public. For more details about our activities, visit the silver medal criterion page. For more details about how we integrated human practices considerations into our project, visit the gold medal criterion page.

Contents

Public Engagement

Our team talked to a range of audiences, from preschoolers to parents, about synthetic biology and our project. From summer camps to the Carnegie Science Center, we spread the word about synthetic biology's potential to solve current issues including water pollution. Since the city of Pittsburgh has recently become more proactive about testing water for lead, we also talked about the dangers and possible causes of lead poisoning. Our goal was to provide the audience with a fuller understanding of synthetic biology and an appreciation for water testing for heavy metals, especially lead. Read more about our activities here.

Back to Top

Product Design

Heavy metal sensors already exist. They're used in the laboratory, and lead tests for water can be purchased. We met with Professor Bain from the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Geology and Environmental Science to talk about some considerations for Hot Metal Switch. The meeting helped us better envision our ultimate sensor. Read more about our meeting here.

Back to Top

Risk Assessment

Lead is certainly dangerous, but how how often should we test for it in water? We built a model to evaluate the effect of lead contamination on children's development over time. The model was informed in part by a meeting with Dr. Troesken from the Department of Economics at the University of Pittsburgh, who met with us to discuss considerations of modeling a population. Read more about our model here.

Back to Top