Collaborations
For more information, see our Silver Human Practices page.
Gibson Ridge Software
Mr. Gibson meeting with our hardware committee.
Mr. Gibson, the CEO and Founder of Gibson Ridge Software, worked with the Lambert High School iGEM team, specifically with the Hardware/Software committee to provide advice and feedback on the Chrome-Q. He met with the team during each iteration of the design and helped troubleshoot the electronic circuit. He also gave direction and feedback for developing the software.
University of Georgia
Gaurav working with the plate reader at UGA.
By collaborating with the University of Georgia’s iGEM team, Lambert iGEM was able to complete the interlab measurement experiments. These were a series of detailed protocols involving the use of a plate reader to ensure accuracy within the fluorescence data. This allowed both teams to compare their data and openly discuss any unusual results that could have caused issues in the data analysis and interpretation. Specific errors were discovered and both teams were able to improve upon the technique demonstrating inter-laboratory studies to create a similar, comparable method of GFP measurement.
TAS Taipei
Lambert iGEM team in a conference call with TAS Taipei
Lambert iGEM sent Chrome-Q design files to TAS Taipei early in the design process. A video conference call was held and subsequent communications took place to offer help and receive feedback. Specifically TAS Taipei gave Lambert some tips on integrating human practices. Lambert was able to share information about working in underfunded labs.
Emory iGEM Team: Ethics Collaboration
Lambert iGEM team with the Emory iGEM team
The Lambert iGEM team was able to collaborate with the Emory iGEM team to discuss the ethics about CRISPR Cas9 along with a group of other Emory students and professors. Through this discussion, they were able to gain knowledge about the different perspectives of genetic modification and to what extent people are willing to justify experiments as ethical. Also, the Emory iGEM team led a tour of their labs to demonstrate their daily lab workings, allowing both teams to grasp the overall purpose of each other’s projects. Lambert used this ethics conference as a springboard for their own investigations into ethics. As a result the team developed a simple flowchart for the synthetic biologists to use when considering the ethics of their own projects. Members of the team also attended a Business Ethics Experience held by the University of North Georgia.
Lambert High School: Engineering and MSA
The Chrome-Q prototypes designed by the team were 3-D printed by the Lambert High School Engineering department. The final Chrome-Q prototype was ordered from Shapeways. The engineering department printed the 3-D fuge designs obtained from the Prakash Lab from their Paperfuge project. An engineering student at Lambert High School, Sahil Jain, modified one of the 3-D fuge designs to improve ease of usability. This final model was used to process cells for the final data collection.
iGEM Twitter Group
Thanks to Twitter, iGEM teams from all over the world are in a group chat where they can easily communicate and ask questions about iGEM, Jamboree, wiki, and much more! iGEM teams have easy access to other teams and can ask questions about their projects, send out surveys, or promote their apps/programs through this platform. A great and fun way to collaborate!
Chrome-Q
Lambert iGEM will continue to use the Chrome-Q instead of an expensive plate readers. Regardless of the project, the team will use chromoproteins as a reporter of the genetic sequences. As Lambert iGEM develops future projects, the team will improve the structure of the Chrome-Q. To add, the software will be further developed to be able to distinguish more color variations. To summarize, Lambert iGEM will expand the use of the Chrome-Q and app to accommodate the future projects.
Future Collaborations
The Lambert iGEM will continue to improve the 2017 project. They will collaborate with microbiologists at Emory and CDC, so the team can improve the genetic constructs that were not able to function. To add, they will continue to talk with Gibson Ridge Software to finish the app. Lastly, it is a goal of the Lambert iGEM team to send out the Chrome-Q to numerous labs. Dr. Dana Boyd Barr has shown interest in using the hardware for her labs in Thailand, Rwanda, and Peru.
