Discovery Day

Discovery day is a day-long enrichment opportunity hosted by Hamilton Health Sciences and the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame for high school students. mGEM (McMasterU) has agreed to host two different workshops (which are 60-75 mins with 16 high school students each session)
Wet lab will be responsible for the Gel Electrophoresis workshop, which will run twice in the day, at 10am and 12:30pm. Community Outreach will be running the concurrent Gram Staining Lab. All events will take place on May 28th, 2017.

Worshop Description

In this workshop you will have hands-on experience loading and running DNA through a gel via electrophoresis. We'll investigate the meaning of DNA digestion, with the opportunity to estimate and observe its effects through the gels.
The workshop should consist of these general parts:

• Lab safety
• Pipette training
• Scientific Background
• Running the gel
• Gel analysis

In this workshop, you will have hands-on experience in staining bacteria and distinguishing between different types of bacteria (Gram positive versus Gram negative) via the dyes. We will investigate the mechanism behind the staining effect, what different stain results can say about the types of bacteria detected, and emphasize the importance Gram staining holds in the realm of synthetic biology, health science and research applications.
The workshop should consist of these general parts:

• Lab safety
• Gram staining protocol
• Scientific Background & Biochemical Explanation
• Gram stain results analysis
• Applications to the world

Impact

In total, we presented our workshops to 73 people (8 teachers and 65 students) from secondary schools all over Ontario. Additionally, we forged connections with the teachers and school board personnel who attended, and are currently planning several high school outreach events for the year of 2017-2018, hosting similar workshops. Through this venture, we successfully expounded upon the value of synthetic biology, taught practical lab skills in students who otherwise would lack access to equipment and training, and inspired many on the path for science.

Feedback

Feedback was overwhelming positive, with review statements such as:

• “Mentors were amazing and it was a great opportunity for students to ask questions. The hands-on experience in the workshop was so valuable to them and they gained some really great lab skills.”
• “Was made to be very fun. I learned a lot as they explained the concepts very well. I really enjoyed that we got to take a picture of the various DNA samples home”
• “Excellent workshop! Practical lab skills with a lot of support. I only wish I could take all my students to this to reinforce their learning.”
• “Presenters were extremely well-spoken. Very interesting and hands-on. Build upon concepts I had learned in school and really expanded my knowledge. Exceeded my expectations. Excited my interest in iGEM and programs I would not have considered earlier.”

oGEM Meetup (Ontario iGEM)

What you see right here is a gathering of Canada’s future in the field of synthetic biology. More specifically, you’re looking at the members of oGEM 2017, Ontario’s chapters of iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) from Waterloo, McMaster, UofT, Queens, Ottawa, Guelph and Western.
Gathered here in Kitchener, Ontario on July 17th, this year’s oGEM annual meet-up was generously hosted by Waterloo iGEM, who really pulled out all the stops for an amazing conference. Complete with enlightening speakers from Ontario Genomics (oGEM’s generous sponsor) and startups, we received insight into how iGEM and synthetic biology fits into the world outside of academia, and learned the expanding role synthetic biology will play in the future. Also held were open discussions between teams about iGEM on topics ranging from how to build a good Wiki to collaboration opportunities to even science memes - dialogue which unleashed a cascade of helpful advice, funny stories and mutual lab-work oriented commiseration.
Although I cannot speak for anyone other than myself, the feeling that others are in the same boat when it comes to redoing (and redoing and redoing) PCRs and that others get (and actually laugh at) your bad synbio puns happens to be one of the best feelings in the world. The iGEM community spirit truly was present at oGEM 2017!

Following the speaker series and group discussions on Wikis and Wet Lab collaborations, we broke for lunch. And oh, what a heavenly lunch... Coffee, donuts, subways, and guess what? Even lobster soup. I don’t think I’ve eaten so well since my last trip home! Shout out to Waterloo for such amazing catering and hosting!
What was even better than the food though, was getting to connect on a personal level with other iGEMers from different chapters. oGEM this year has a very diverse set of chapters with varying levels of experience, thus leading to fresh perspectives on every aspect of running an iGEM chapter. McMaster iGEM’s delegates (pictured below from left to right; Eva Liu of Dry Lab, Aline-Claire of Human Practices, Jessica Chee of Wet Lab, and Co-Presidents Jinny Lee and Angela Dong) when conversing with all the other chapters wound up like Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas Eve - by being smack dab in the middle of the pack in terms of establishment experience, we gained insight into our past, present and future. We also gained exponentially greater respect for our mGEM forebearers - starting a club like iGEM from scratch is truly a superhuman feat.

Borne out of this difference in levels of chapter establishment came also a collaborative initiative designed to guide newer chapters while also sharing knowledge and advice between more established chapters. The oGEM Manual, brainstormed by Jinny Lee, is a multilaterally collaborative handbook on how to run an iGEM team. Covering everything from iGEM specific information like how to fulfill medal criteria and make a Wiki, to meta skills like team-building and leadership, to more technical aspects of running what is essentially a synbio start-up initiative such as grant-writing and sponsorships outreach, to the really technical such as how to design a plasmid and protocols for basic practical microbiology lab techniques, we hope that this guide will serve many iGEM teams well in the coming years.

After the lunch break (lobster soup, you will be sorely missed), project presentations commenced from each oGEM chapter. As seen from the photo above (featuring UofT iGEM representatives explaining their incredible project for designing an off-switch for CRISPR cas9), each team spent 15 minutes explaining and answering questions about their summer project via PowerPoint presentation, akin to how we will later present our findings at the November Giant Jamboree. Many different chapter aspects - wet lab, dry lab, human practices, community outreach and more - were covered and it was eye-opening to see the various creative ways each team approached their project. oGEM chapter projects are like a box of chocolates - you never know what innovations you’ll get next. DNAzymes, yeast prions, ice-binding bacterial biofilms... these are just a handful of the inspiring, mind-blowing projects oGEM chapters have embarked on this year.
Several Q&A sessions, photo ops, collaboration discussions and a whirlwind tour through Waterloo’s iGEM lab later, and the day was up. A truly fantastic experience, I almost didn’t want to leave (the 3 hour bus commute back to McMaster didn’t help either but hey, at least we’re not Ottawa with their 9 hour drive!). However, with contact info exchanged, collab opportunities forged and newfound friendships gained, parting is not such sweet sorrow... especially when we might all be bussing together in a literal party bus to the Jamboree in November.
Once part of the oGEM fam, always part of the oGEM fam. Until next time!