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Revision as of 05:31, 14 October 2017
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Project
Experiments
Modeling
Prototype
Human Practices
Safety
About Us
Attributions
Project
Experiment
Modeling
Prototype
Human Practice
Biosafety
About Us
Attributions
Human Practices
It’s not only what happens in the lab, but also what happens in our community.
hi
HUMAN PRACTICES SUMMARY
We used Human Practices research to guide and better understand our project. We contacted professors, engineers, researchers, companies, and wastewater treatment plants to compile information for our final constructs and prototype designs. Our Human Practices are separated into three categories: Research, Outreach, and Impact.
RESEARCH
To understand how people view nanoparticles, their usage and current regulations, we gathered public opinion from our local community. We sought advice from researchers in the fields of nanotechnology and environmental science to learn about how nanoparticles impact the environment and our lives. Lastly, we contacted nanoparticle manufacturers, waste collectors, as well as wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in both urban and rural settings to learn about current practices and possible future applications.
Water System Services
WWTP - Dihua Wastewater Treatment Plant
In order to learn firsthand about the effect of nanoparticles in WWTPs, we visited the Dehua WWTP (迪化污水處理廠). Here, we were given a tour around the plant, and were able to ask questions to the managers and people that work there. They confirmed with us that the current facilities are unable to remove nanoparticles from wastewater mainly due to their small size. In addition to this information, they kindly provided us with samples of sludge, effluent water, and the polymers they add during wastewater processing. Throughout the year we visited and talked to the Dihua WWTP several times about where and how our project could be implemented in their current system. These conversations and visits played a huge role in shaping our construct design, prototype design, mathematical modeling and overall purpose for our project. (Whole team activity)
Here is a video we made about the different steps in the Dihua Wastewater treatment plant.
Boswell Wastewater Treatment Plant
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Tap Water Museum
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Nanoparticle Manufacturers and Disposal Services
Apex Nanotek
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Figure 1-1 Third person from the left: CEO of Apex Nanotek Corporation. NPs present in foundation (bright white dots).
Figure 1-2 Commercial product of Apex Nanotek: Silver Spring Shower Head.
Figure 1-3 Tap water under SEM
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THEPS Environmental Protection Engineering Company (中港環保工程股份有限公司)
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Nanoparticle Researchers
Dr. Eric Lee
Before we started to conduct experiments, we emailed Dr. Eric P. Lee, senior member of technical staff at Maxim Integrated, and TAS alumnus, to ask him some general questions about our approach of our project. We told him about our two approaches, one with E. coli receptors that bind to the capping agents of nanoparticles, the other with biofilm that traps nanoparticles. Dr. Lee suggested that our membrane receptor must be specific to a particular capping agent. He also commented that the biofilm approach was a good idea since we could trap multiple types of nanoparticles regardless of their capping agent. (Interviewed by Emily C.)
Dr. Gwo-Dong Roam
We interviewed Professor Roam of National Central University and former general director of the Environmental Analysis Labs (EAL) of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency to learn more about the background and potential threat of nanoparticles. Dr. Roam informed us that the most common nanoparticles used in Taiwan include: TiO2, ZnO, Ag, Au, Fe, Carbon Nanotubes, Fullerenes, Clay, and Graphene. He also told us that the toxicity of a nanoparticle is directly related to its size. With the increased use of nanoparticles in society, Dr. Roam believes that more attention should be placed on waste management, risk assessment and regulations.
After our first visit to the Dihua WWTP, we learned that the sludge removed from wastewater is either 1) sent to landfills, 2) used as fertilizer, or 3) incinerated. We asked Dr. Roam if sludge containing aggregated nanoparticles will still be harmful to the environment if disposed of using current methods. He said that all of these sludge disposal solutions were still harmful to the environment, but were better than letting the nanoparticles flow into bodies of water. He also said that there are currently no regulations or guidelines as to which sized nanoparticle are toxic to the environment or animals and that it was unclear as to which type of nanoparticle will become toxic when it is mixed in sludge form. He advised us to target removal of nanoparticles in the discharge of water in the wastewater treatment before it is released to the ocean. (Interviewed by Candice L. and Justin Y.)
Figure 1-4 Professor Gwo-Dong Roam of National Central University and former general director of the Environmental Analysis Labs (EAL) of Taiwan EPA.
Figure 1-5 Materials that Dr. Roam provided the team with.
Tom Brown and DEF
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Public Opinion
Survey Results
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Bioethics Panel
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OUTREACH
In Outreach, we raised awareness of the beneficial qualities and harmful consequences associated with nanoparticles. We also educated the general public about nanoparticle usage, synthetic biology, and science in general. Lastly, we communicated with other iGEM teams to share ideas and collaborate on experiments.
Education
Kindergarten - Observing the “invisible”
Our iGEM team also hosted over 120 kindergarten students to teach them the power of observation and the basics of science. For example, we taught them how to use microscopes to look at anti-counterfiting measures on paper money and how to use refraction lenses to see that white light is made up of various colours. (Whole Team activity)
7th Grade Introduction to Synthetic Biology
We introduced iGEM and the basics of synthetic biology, to all 200+ students in seventh grade. They learned how to use micropipettes, as well as how to load and run dyes through an agarose gel. We also gave students different real world problems. Using paper biobrick parts, students put together constructs that would solve the given problems. (Whole Team activity)
Spring Fair - Spreading Public Awareness of Nanoparticles
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Research Symposium - Poster and Oral Presentations
At our school’s annual spring fair, we manned a booth where people could create their own glitter slime by mixing polyvinyl alcohol and sodium borate solutions. The slime was meant to simulate the biofilm we creating to trap nanoparticles (in this demo, glitter) in wastewater treatment plants. We also asked people to take our survey in order to record opinions on bioethics and concerns about nanoparticles. We also showed a few SEM images of everyday products that contain nanoparticles such as: instant noodles, toothpaste, makeup, and bacteria. (Whole team activity)
NCTU Conference
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Public Outreach
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Here's a video we made for this event.
Collaborations
NYMU_TAIPEI
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CGU_Taiwan
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IMPACT
Even though we can’t implement our project in an actual wastewater treatment system, we still wanted to make a difference! We decided on two areas where we could make an immediate impact: 1) Raising funds for a water purification charity (Water is Life), organizations that emphasize on environmental protection (Taiwan Environmental Protection Union) and 2) Creating an action plan to highlight current obstacles in effective nanoparticle regulation and propose new policy solutions.
Fundraising and Donation
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Policy Brief - Nanoparticle Regulation Issues and Case Studies
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