Protocols

1. Protein transformations
2. Plasmid extractions
3. Digestion of plasmidial DNA
4. Ligation reaction
5. Gel electrophoresis
6. Directed mutagenesis PCR
7. PCR amplification
8. Gibson assembly
9. Pre-inoculum
10. Plate reader
11. Flow cytometer
12. Western blotting

Calendar

March

Proposed final project idea, determined name and confirmed that we were going to become a competing team this year.

April

27: Cultured squid bacteria to create our first bioluminescent wildtype
28: Proposed final ES curriculum to PYP coordinator

May

3: Cultured octopus bacteria to provide for more bioluminescent wildtypes.
5: Obtained first bioluminescent wildtype
16: Spoke with PYP coordinator and agreed to met in beginning of August to adjust activities to new schedule
21: Conducted the school Kermesse’s “Big Splash” Booth with science and iGEM-related additions. Gained S/. 480 (roughly $142)

June

Sent synthetic biology survey out to school and Peruvian communities

August

15: Conducted first Middle School DNA Extraction lesson
17: Held booth at school club fair, where we provided information on iGEM and the importance of synthetic biology
30: Sent final version of iGEM article to The Condor’s Nest

September

11: Conducted interview with Cristóbal de Losada about iGEM for Altavoz article

Safety

Have your team members received any safety training yet?

We have been educated in chemical awareness and precautions, proper lab attire, utilizing correct procedures while performing lab experiments, general lab hazards such as broken glass, and cautious use of heavy metals. Because we work in a high school, we operate under biosafety level 1 across the board. We teach new members safety techniques through hands-on learning experiences. We continually operate in accordance with BSL 1. In addition to these, we utilize careful and continuing education in lab safety. We also work solely with the K1 strain of E. Coli to cut down on the risk associated with bacteria
Before beginning our project, we all went through a training process to ensure that we were all safe during the time we spent in the lab. This training included:

• yearly safety training for staff (in house)
• safety training student
• all new techniques demonstrated by teacher and then practiced by students with direct supervision.
• all labs begin with safety lecture, reminders, considerations; all labs supervised by instructor
• experiments designed by students must include safety considerations and protocols must be approved by teacher prior to conducting experiments.