Welcome to iGEM 2017!

Your team has been approved and you are ready to start the iGEM season!

Before you start:

Please read the following pages:

Project Description

Most people fail to realize just how expensive, and environmentally detrimental current inks and its production methods are. For instance, the pigment Carbon Black is produced by the combustion of petroleum, leading to a great release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. As well, modern ink production methods involves mining for minerals and harvesting large amounts of plants. This process produces large amounts of Volatile Organic Compounds, more commonly known as VOC’s, which are harmful to the environment. Looking to the price, current inks found in markets range from $0.53 to $3.40.The price of ink can even be compared to that of Chanel no.5 perfume, which costs anywhere from $2.50 to $3.30. In addition to this, ink companies are known to spend over one billion dollars per year in testing and manufacturing ink products. It is simple to see why current ink production methods should change.

SynthetINK is our solution to these harmful effects of ink production. We are producing pigments in the bacteria Escherichia coli, using four constructs to create four different pigments in bacteria that will be extracted from the cells using an organic extraction. The pigment will be able to be used in a variety of applications, such as paint, printers, and textiles. Following extraction, the ink will be placed into a fountain pen as a proof of concept.

Looking into the human practices aspect of the project, our team has planned for a number of interviews to be conducted throughout the course of the season. We have interviewed a few experts in the industry and they have stated that they would be very interested in using our project in their businesses. We have also hosted a parent-teacher night to spread synthetic biology aspects to the community, as well as to display our project. Besides this, we intend to create a mathematical model of the growth of our bacteria and the expression of the genes and pigments produced.

Our hope is to successfully produce an ink at the end of the season to be showcased to the world.

Wiki template information

We have created these wiki template pages to help you get started and to help you think about how your team will be evaluated. You can find a list of all the pages tied to awards here at the Pages for awards link. You must edit these pages to be evaluated for medals and awards, but ultimately the design, layout, style and all other elements of your team wiki is up to you!

Editing your wiki

On this page you can document your project, introduce your team members, document your progress and share your iGEM experience with the rest of the world!

Use WikiTools - Edit in the black menu bar to edit this page

Tips

This wiki will be your team’s first interaction with the rest of the world, so here are a few tips to help you get started:

State your accomplishments! Tell people what you have achieved from the start.
Be clear about what you are doing and how you plan to do this.
You have a global audience! Consider the different backgrounds that your users come from.
Make sure information is easy to find; nothing should be more than 3 clicks away.
Avoid using very small fonts and low contrast colors; information should be easy to read.
Start documenting your project as early as possible; don’t leave anything to the last minute before the Wiki Freeze. For a complete list of deadlines visit the iGEM 2017 calendar
Have lots of fun!

Inspiration

You can also view other team wikis for inspiration! Here are some examples:

Uploading pictures and files

You can upload your pictures and files to the iGEM 2017 server. Remember to keep all your pictures and files within your team's namespace or at least include your team's name in the file name.
When you upload, set the "Destination Filename" to
T--YourOfficialTeamName--NameOfFile.jpg. (If you don't do this, someone else might upload a different file with the same "Destination Filename", and your file would be erased!)

UPLOAD FILES

Team:Lethbridge HS