Team:WashU StLouis/Hardware
Hardware
Best Hardware Special Prize
As we further developed our project, we ran into several issues - the foremost of which was the lack of any equipment in our lab that we could use to test the effectiveness of our modified cells against UV-B radiation. Much of the equipment in lab which utilizes UV radiation does so at the UV-A and UV-C spectrums and not specifically at the relatively narrow range from 285-315 nm. This left us in bit of a pickle: how could we test our cells without our light source specifically emitting UV-B radiation? Our solution was to design a new piece of hardware, which we dubbed the Environmental Simulation System. The Environmental Simulation System (ESS) is a suite of useful unit operations which includes: (1) a lamp producing UV-B radiation; (2) a miniature orbital shaker; and (3) a temperature control system. First, we acquired a reptile lamp (found at a local pet store) which produces a very narrow wavelength of light found within the spectrum of UV-B radiation. We performed a series of experiments to demonstrate the effect of UV exposure under the lamp on DH5α cells, the results of which appear below: INSERT PICTURE HERE We also constructed a working orbital shaker based on a previously drafted design (ADD A HYPERLINK TO THE PREVIOUS LINK) which would allow us to grow liquid cultures outside the 37 degree room while being exposed to UV radiation. Finally, we built a simple temperature control loop into our ESS to incubate our cells at optimal growth temperatures. iGEM is about making teams of students making synthetic biology projects. We encourage teams to work with parts and build biological devices in the lab. But we are inclusive and want all teams to work on many other types of problems in synbio. Robotic assembly, microfluidics, low cost equipment and measurement hardware are all areas ripe for innovation in synbio.
Teams who are interested in working with hardware as a side project are encouraged to apply for the hardware award.
To compete for the Best Hardware prize, please describe your work on this page and also fill out the description on the judging form.
You must also delete the message box on the top of this page to be eligible for this prize.
Inspiration
You can look at what other teams did to get some inspiration!
Here are a few examples:
