Team:Cadets2Vets/HP/Silver

Cadets2Vets contacted the head of an environmental science internship program at Joint Base Lewis-McChord Department of Fish and Wildlife. Mr. Dennis Buckingham is an environmental scientist who oversees the training of soldiers who are separating from the Army and volunteers looking to advance their careers in environmental science. The program provides hands-on experience that gets interns out in the fields of JBLM to work on projects involving ecological restoration, monitoring of rare, invasive, or endangered species, fire management, and other opportunities. Cadets2Vets presented our project to 1 environmental scientist, 3 infantrymen, 1 artilleryman, and 1 helicopter pilot. We got a lot of good feedback, both in terms of effective presentation skills for audiences who are unfamiliar with molecular biology as well as feedback on the ticket system.

They provided a lot of insights regarding how soldiers could use our sensor. They asked whether the ticket could be made larger, so that the readout could be read more easily; if we could integrate a smartwatch or develop a camera into a watch to reduce the number of items they would have to keep track of; and if we could change the GFP output into something that could be visualized using night vision goggles. They also strongly suggested that we talk to CBRN soldiers -- Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear specialists who may know more about the current sensing technologies and how they are used. The soldiers did express concern about losing “sensitive items”, but we believe that because our technology will be low cost and available to consumers, that they wouldn’t have to worry about losing or breaking the device. We felt that it was very valuable to be able to talk to soldiers and understand how a biological sensor would fit into their duties.

The presentation at Center for Urban Waters reached out to students and faculty interested in environmental science. The faculty present included the Director of CUW, Dr. Joel Baker. Dr. Baker’s specialty is studying the transportation of organic contaminants in the environment and the movement of bioaccumulated chemicals in the food chain. After our presentation, Dr. Baker was interested in understanding the details of the assay which would add up to understand what the true cost of it was. The tickets are made from Whatman filter paper and a wax-based dye to create the wells. We explained that we currently use a commercial in vitro transcription/translation kit that was expensive, but one goal was to be able to generate our own cell free lysates. Protein lysates from bacteria can be made at large scale and they would be lyophilized and stable for an indefinite amount of time. Being able to make the reagents “in lab” would not only allow researchers to cheaply validate our work, it would allow the formation of new small businesses to offer this product for sale. Our arsenic sensor not only allows the military and community to take advantage of a low cost detection assay, but has economic value as well.

Team:Cadets2Vets/HP/Silver

Welcome to our Silver HP Page

Contemplating and Creating

Meeting with test America (Dennis bean)

Meeting with joint base lewis-mcchord
(Dennis buckingham)

Meeting with joint base lewis-mcchord (Dennis buckingham)

meeting with Urban Waters (Dr. Joel Baker)

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