Difference between revisions of "Team:NYU Abu Dhabi/HP/Silver"

 
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         <a class="navbar-brand" href="https://2017.igem.org/Team:NYU_Abu_Dhabi">
 
           <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/0/0d/T--NYU_Abu_Dhabi--horizontal-logo.png" alt=""/>
 
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         <button class="tablinks" onclick="openTab(event, 'High School Workshop')" id="defaultOpen">High School Workshop</button>
 
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         <button class="tablinks" onclick="openTab(event, '<i>Synthetic Biology 101</i>')"><i>Synthetic Biology 101</i></button>
 
         <button class="tablinks" onclick="openTab(event, 'How do you start an iGEM Team?')">How do you start an iGEM Team?</button>
 
         <button class="tablinks" onclick="openTab(event, 'How do you start an iGEM Team?')">How do you start an iGEM Team?</button>
         <button class="tablinks" onclick="openTab(event, 'App')">App</button>
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<p class="section-content">
         On October 1, 2017, the NYUAD iGEM team invited high school students and teachers from Brighton College in Abu Dhabi, UAE, to experience an iGEM research environment. This one-day workshop provided the students with the opportunity to channel their interest in both biology and engineering. This is the first high school workshop that is tailored to exposing talented high school students to iGEM in the UAE.
+
         The NYUAD iGEM team invited high school students and teachers from Brighton College in Abu Dhabi, UAE, to experience an iGEM research environment. This one-day workshop provided the students with the opportunity to channel their interest in both biology and engineering. This is the first high school workshop that is tailored towards exposing talented high school students to iGEM in the UAE, and future NYU Abu Dhabi iGEM teams will continue hosting this workshop for students in and around Abu Dhabi. All of the materials we used are provided below.
 
</p>
 
</p>
  
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   <br>
 
   <br>
 
  <p class="section-content">
 
  <p class="section-content">
The workshop was kicked off by a presentation on iGEM and emphasized how the students can get involved by potentially joining future NYUAD teams or by creating their own team. Through this presentation, the students also learned the important connection between biology and engineering in the context of iGEM and the field of synthetic biology. This presentation was followed by the first workshop of the day: <i>GLO, Bacteria, GLO</i>, which taught the students how to transform pGLO DNA into the <i>E. coli</i> cloning vector using the heat shock method. The NYUAD team walked them through basic laboratory techniques including, lab safety, basic pipetting techniques and bacterial transformation, which is integral to an iGEM team’s success. The students then experienced the engineering environment through the second workshop <i>Arduino + LED</i>, which taught the students how to integrate many elements to create a device that included interactive design, programming, and circuitry. The students learned the basics of programming and circuit design by creating their own simple circuit using LEDs and Arduino, an open source electronic platform. After completing the workshop, the students also received a copy of the NYUAD team’s magazine <i>Synthetic Biology 101</i> as a source for further information about recent advances in synthetic biology.
+
The workshop was kicked off by a presentation on iGEM and emphasized how the students can get involved by potentially joining future NYUAD teams or by creating their own team. Throughout this presentation, the students also learned the important connection between biology and engineering in the context of iGEM and the field of synthetic biology. This presentation was followed by the first workshop of the day: <i>GLO, Bacteria, GLO</i>, which taught the students how to transform pGLO DNA into DH5α <i>E. coli</i> using the heat shock method. The NYUAD team walked them through basic laboratory techniques including, lab safety, basic pipetting techniques and bacterial transformation, which is integral to an iGEM team’s success. The students then experienced the engineering environment through the second workshop <i>Arduino + LED</i>, which taught the students how to integrate many elements to create a device that included interactive design, programming, and circuitry. The students learned the basics of programming and circuit design by creating their own simple circuit using LEDs and Arduino, an open source electronic platform. After completing the workshop, the students also received a copy of the NYUAD team’s magazine <i>Synthetic Biology 101</i> as a source for further information about recent advances in synthetic biology.
 
  </p>
 
  </p>
 
<p class="section-content">
 
<p class="section-content">
 
The NYUAD team is proud to have pioneered the first iGEM-specific workshop for high school students in the UAE. The workshop achieved the original aim of propagating the impact of iGEM in the region and encouraging interest in scientific research among high school students. In the future, the NYUAD team envisions similar workshops that can reach a larger audience in the UAE.  
 
The NYUAD team is proud to have pioneered the first iGEM-specific workshop for high school students in the UAE. The workshop achieved the original aim of propagating the impact of iGEM in the region and encouraging interest in scientific research among high school students. In the future, the NYUAD team envisions similar workshops that can reach a larger audience in the UAE.  
 
</p>
 
</p>
 +
 +
<p class="section-content">
 +
For further details, please download our <a href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/c/c2/Hsworkshop_ppt.pdf">powerpoint slides</a> and the <a href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/a/a9/Hswkshpcode.pdf">protocols</a> we used for both engineering and biology workshops.
 +
</p>
 
         </article>
 
         </article>
 
     </div>
 
     </div>
  
     <div id="Magazine" class="tabcontent">
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     <div id="<i>Synthetic Biology 101</i>" class="tabcontent">
 
         <article>
 
         <article>
  
 +
<p class="section-content">NYUAD iGEM team wrote and printed <i>Synthetic Biology 101</i>, a magazine on synthetic biology that deals not only with an overview of synthetic biology, but also a variety of topics ranging from iGEM competition, importance of food safety, NYUAD iGEM team project in 2017, and many more. We distributed the magazine personally to people who participated in our various human practices activities. The pdf version of our magazine was also shared online.</p>
  
 
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             <p class="section-content">
 
             <p class="section-content">
  
One Saturday evening, inspired by a TED talk that he recently watched on iGEM, a student from NYU New York emailed us: <i>How can I start my own iGEM team?</i> For a freshman minoring in genetics, iGEM must have seemed like Disneyland for him; a Jamboree of 4000 outstanding minds, representing 300 teams from five different continents, all gathered at the same place to share what they’ve accomplished in the past year. So, how can we answer his question?
+
One Saturday evening, inspired by a TED talk that he recently watched on iGEM, a student from NYU New York emailed us,<i> How can I start my own iGEM team?</i>. For a freshman minoring in genetics, iGEM must have seemed like Disneyland; a Jamboree of 4000 outstanding minds, representing 300 teams from five different continents, all gathered at the same place to share what they’ve accomplished in the past year. Moreover, when we hosted a <a href="https://2017.igem.org/Team:NYU_Abu_Dhabi/Engagement"> high school workshop </a> with students and teachers from Brighton College Abu Dhabi, we sensed a great interest from them in iGEM. What is the best advice we can give these potential iGEM participants?
 
</p>
 
</p>
 
<p class="section-content">
 
<p class="section-content">
  
Firstly, any school willing to take part in a contest of such caliber should be fully invested in it, monetarily. Bringing something new to the table, whether it’s cheap or not, requires serious prototyping, testing, and resources, which translates to a seemingly hefty bill. iGEM should be a student-led initiative, but it is also crucial to have instructors, who are experts in this field, to be a part of this project. What makes iGEM unique is that although the heart of the project is synthetic biology, engineering a device that runs parallel to the biology is also a must. Wouldn’t a 600hp engine be sweetly complimented by a car with a spyder exterior? Computer scientists shouldn’t also be left out – since a significant portion of the evaluation sheet includes elements from the Wiki page, it is wise to add one or two CS enthusiasts beforehand to the team.
+
Firstly, it should be noted that this competition is open to a diverse group of educational institutions. iGEM reunites synthetic biology enthusiasts all the way from the high school level up to graduate students and researchers. This mixture of people of varying expertise on this interdisciplinary field provides a perfect opportunity to learn from one another. A high school or an undergraduate student who is starting to learn about synthetic biology and desires to start an iGEM team should reach out to faculty or researchers who work in this field in order to obtain helpful guidance. Nonetheless, if an institution does not count with a group specifically dedicated to synthetic biology, it is still perfectly possible to participate. In this case, biology and engineering faculty can act as mentors.
 
</p>
 
</p>
 +
 +
        <p class="section-content">
 +
 +
Another important aspect to take into account is funding. Despite research in STEM generally requires access to costly equipment, reagents, and facilities, iGEM teams with heterogeneous access to resources have participated successfully in the competition. A concrete example of a team with scarce resources who succeeded at the Giant Jamboree is <a href="https://2014.igem.org/Team:Sumbawagen"> Team Sumbawagen </a>, who did not have access to a key piece of equipment for their project, but still worked hard in order to solve a significant issue of their community. Collaboration with other teams is key to overcome problems as the one Team Sumbawagen experienced; other institutions may have the required resources to test parts or perform other experiments for another group.
 +
</p>
 +
 +
        <p class="section-content">
 +
Of course, one of the most important parts of starting an iGEM team is having a good idea for a project. iGEM enthusiasts need to think about this carefully: what problem that affects a given community, large or small, can they solve by applying synthetic biology concepts? A large amount of research needs to go into how the project will impact everyone involved and the environment. Working closely with those who the project aims to benefit will help to understand what are their needs and how they should be addressed.
 +
</p>
 +
 
<p class="section-content">
 
<p class="section-content">
 
What’s next? Apply on behalf of your school for the contest, come up with a cool project idea involving Biobricks, keep dedications high, and take it a step further to Boston to show the world what you’ve accomplished!
 
What’s next? Apply on behalf of your school for the contest, come up with a cool project idea involving Biobricks, keep dedications high, and take it a step further to Boston to show the world what you’ve accomplished!
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         </article>
 
         </article>
 
     </div>
 
     </div>
   <div id="App" class="tabcontent">
+
   <div id="La La LAMP" class="tabcontent">
 
         <article>
 
         <article>
 
  <h2 class="section-header">Overview</h2>
 
  <h2 class="section-header">Overview</h2>
         <p class="section-content"> Our portable, Shiga Toxin device enables users to detect the impurities in their food on-the-go, without conducting tedious tests in a laboratory. Statistics say that roughly one in ten food poisonings happen due to this toxin, so wouldn’t it be great if we could have a huge database filled with results taken from different food sample across different continents? This would also be a breakthrough for scientists and researchers, who can use these statistics to further identify regions that are in serious threat due to Shiga toxin. General food vendors can use this to avoid impure food, and help others do it too, by reporting it via an application.
+
         <p class="section-content"> Our portable device enables users to detect the impurities in their food on-the-go. The WHO estimated that 1 in 10 individuals are affected by foodborne diseases globally each year. We have developed <i>La La LAMP</i>, a program which allows individuals to record and share their device results. Each experiment can be recorded by scanning its unique QR code, which is provided on the PDMS chip. We envision that this information sharing would enable scientists and researchers to better track trends in food safety, as well as enable the general public to take control of their food safety wherever they are in the world.
This app allows users to take their findings a step further, and document it! Each experiment conduced has its own unique QR code attached to the device, which can be read by the app and be uploaded to a database in the computer.  
+
 
</p>
 
</p>
  
 
  <h2 class="section-header">Installation Manual</h2>
 
  <h2 class="section-header">Installation Manual</h2>
  <p class="section-content">When you download the .zip file, you’ll be greeted with the files below.<br><br>
+
  <p class="section-content">
<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/8/8b/NYUAD_1.png"></img>
+
<div class="shadow-bottom">
<br>
+
<div id="pdf">
Extract the .zip file using Winrar oo 7zip, and open NYUAD IGEM.exe. This will open the following window:
+
<object data="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/7/7a/Nyuad_application_manual.pdf#toolbar=1&amp;navpanes=0&amp;scrollbar=1&amp;page=1&amp;view=FitH"
<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/4/4a/T--NYU_Abu_Dhabi--2.png"></img>
+
type="application/pdf"
Next, click on “Upload QR Code”, add the picture of the QR code from your device, which will show up on the box at the left. For this demonstration, I have created a unique QR code called “Testsb”, and uploaded it to the application. This will look as follows:
+
width="100%"
<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/5/54/T--NYU_Abu_Dhabi--3.png"></img>
+
position: fixed;
Click on “Scan!” (the green box). The QR code will be automatically inserted in the adjacent box.
+
height="100%">
<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/1/12/T--NYU_Abu_Dhabi--4.png"></img>
+
z-index: 1;
Check whether you got a positive or a negative result for your experiment and input it in the “Result” dropdown. Next, add your location and a few other comments (such as not a perfect product, or somewhere in between that can be explained only through text) in the “Comments” section. I will input one of my results below.
+
</object>
<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/8/82/5.png"></img>
+
</div>
I can now simply add all this information to the database. The application automatically reads the time, and displays it along other inputs in a tabular form.
+
</div>  
<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/f/f1/6.png"></img>
+
I decide to close my application, and open it again. I can add fresh new results to the database, but the previous one is also stored, which I will demonstrate soon. Now, I enter a few new information.
+
<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/3/3d/T--NYU_Abu_Dhabi--7.png"></img>
+
But where is all this information going? The program is currently equipped to save the results as a .txt file in the computer.
+
<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/9/95/T--NYU_Abu_Dhabi--8.png"></img>
+
These are the outputs stored from our previous input:
+
<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/7/7a/9.png"></img>
+
 
</p>
 
</p>
 +
<h2 class="section-header">Changelog</h2>
 +
<p class="section-content">The base starting file, which is also available on the first link below, is <b>Beta 3</b>. In Beta 4, users can now check the database of their previous logfile simply by uploading it to the application. The application with display all results in a rich textbox format. This version is available in the second link below.</p>
 
  <h2 class="section-header">Download</h2>
 
  <h2 class="section-header">Download</h2>
  <p class="section-content"> You can download our app via this <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1a_uY3cfYrDbXFoVnhjeHFuTGs/view?usp=sharing">link</a>.  
+
  <p class="section-content"> [External] You can download the beta version of our app <b>[Beta 3]</b> via this <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1a_uY3cfYrDTUpiQklpMGlNYkk/view?usp=sharing">link.</a><br> Also, latest updates to the app will be periodically added <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwQJfFRaPiBJMUFTLUZQRDlxZ0k">here.</a> <br>We highly encourage you to download the latest beta files from the <b>second</b> link, as we'll periodically keep updating it. Future changelogs will also be added there.
 
</p>
 
</p>
 
  <h2 class="section-header">Future Directions and Goals</h2>
 
  <h2 class="section-header">Future Directions and Goals</h2>
  <p class="section-content">We have all the information securely stored. A potential development on a large scale to this would be to add the results on a capable online server, which is accessible to all. The basic concept for that would still be the same, except the fact that data is now stored online rather than offline.
+
  <p class="section-content"> We envision our program to be accessible on mobile devices (iOS/Android). To this regard, we are working to export the records to a more navigable datasheet that can be categorized according to time, location, and other variables and accessed via the Cloud.  
 
</p>
 
</p>
  

Latest revision as of 19:55, 1 November 2017


The NYUAD iGEM team invited high school students and teachers from Brighton College in Abu Dhabi, UAE, to experience an iGEM research environment. This one-day workshop provided the students with the opportunity to channel their interest in both biology and engineering. This is the first high school workshop that is tailored towards exposing talented high school students to iGEM in the UAE, and future NYU Abu Dhabi iGEM teams will continue hosting this workshop for students in and around Abu Dhabi. All of the materials we used are provided below.


The workshop was kicked off by a presentation on iGEM and emphasized how the students can get involved by potentially joining future NYUAD teams or by creating their own team. Throughout this presentation, the students also learned the important connection between biology and engineering in the context of iGEM and the field of synthetic biology. This presentation was followed by the first workshop of the day: GLO, Bacteria, GLO, which taught the students how to transform pGLO DNA into DH5α E. coli using the heat shock method. The NYUAD team walked them through basic laboratory techniques including, lab safety, basic pipetting techniques and bacterial transformation, which is integral to an iGEM team’s success. The students then experienced the engineering environment through the second workshop Arduino + LED, which taught the students how to integrate many elements to create a device that included interactive design, programming, and circuitry. The students learned the basics of programming and circuit design by creating their own simple circuit using LEDs and Arduino, an open source electronic platform. After completing the workshop, the students also received a copy of the NYUAD team’s magazine Synthetic Biology 101 as a source for further information about recent advances in synthetic biology.

The NYUAD team is proud to have pioneered the first iGEM-specific workshop for high school students in the UAE. The workshop achieved the original aim of propagating the impact of iGEM in the region and encouraging interest in scientific research among high school students. In the future, the NYUAD team envisions similar workshops that can reach a larger audience in the UAE.

For further details, please download our powerpoint slides and the protocols we used for both engineering and biology workshops.

NYUAD iGEM team wrote and printed Synthetic Biology 101, a magazine on synthetic biology that deals not only with an overview of synthetic biology, but also a variety of topics ranging from iGEM competition, importance of food safety, NYUAD iGEM team project in 2017, and many more. We distributed the magazine personally to people who participated in our various human practices activities. The pdf version of our magazine was also shared online.

One Saturday evening, inspired by a TED talk that he recently watched on iGEM, a student from NYU New York emailed us, How can I start my own iGEM team?. For a freshman minoring in genetics, iGEM must have seemed like Disneyland; a Jamboree of 4000 outstanding minds, representing 300 teams from five different continents, all gathered at the same place to share what they’ve accomplished in the past year. Moreover, when we hosted a high school workshop with students and teachers from Brighton College Abu Dhabi, we sensed a great interest from them in iGEM. What is the best advice we can give these potential iGEM participants?

Firstly, it should be noted that this competition is open to a diverse group of educational institutions. iGEM reunites synthetic biology enthusiasts all the way from the high school level up to graduate students and researchers. This mixture of people of varying expertise on this interdisciplinary field provides a perfect opportunity to learn from one another. A high school or an undergraduate student who is starting to learn about synthetic biology and desires to start an iGEM team should reach out to faculty or researchers who work in this field in order to obtain helpful guidance. Nonetheless, if an institution does not count with a group specifically dedicated to synthetic biology, it is still perfectly possible to participate. In this case, biology and engineering faculty can act as mentors.

Another important aspect to take into account is funding. Despite research in STEM generally requires access to costly equipment, reagents, and facilities, iGEM teams with heterogeneous access to resources have participated successfully in the competition. A concrete example of a team with scarce resources who succeeded at the Giant Jamboree is Team Sumbawagen , who did not have access to a key piece of equipment for their project, but still worked hard in order to solve a significant issue of their community. Collaboration with other teams is key to overcome problems as the one Team Sumbawagen experienced; other institutions may have the required resources to test parts or perform other experiments for another group.

Of course, one of the most important parts of starting an iGEM team is having a good idea for a project. iGEM enthusiasts need to think about this carefully: what problem that affects a given community, large or small, can they solve by applying synthetic biology concepts? A large amount of research needs to go into how the project will impact everyone involved and the environment. Working closely with those who the project aims to benefit will help to understand what are their needs and how they should be addressed.

What’s next? Apply on behalf of your school for the contest, come up with a cool project idea involving Biobricks, keep dedications high, and take it a step further to Boston to show the world what you’ve accomplished!

Overview

Our portable device enables users to detect the impurities in their food on-the-go. The WHO estimated that 1 in 10 individuals are affected by foodborne diseases globally each year. We have developed La La LAMP, a program which allows individuals to record and share their device results. Each experiment can be recorded by scanning its unique QR code, which is provided on the PDMS chip. We envision that this information sharing would enable scientists and researchers to better track trends in food safety, as well as enable the general public to take control of their food safety wherever they are in the world.

Installation Manual

z-index: 1;

Changelog

The base starting file, which is also available on the first link below, is Beta 3. In Beta 4, users can now check the database of their previous logfile simply by uploading it to the application. The application with display all results in a rich textbox format. This version is available in the second link below.

Download

[External] You can download the beta version of our app [Beta 3] via this link.
Also, latest updates to the app will be periodically added here.
We highly encourage you to download the latest beta files from the second link, as we'll periodically keep updating it. Future changelogs will also be added there.

Future Directions and Goals

We envision our program to be accessible on mobile devices (iOS/Android). To this regard, we are working to export the records to a more navigable datasheet that can be categorized according to time, location, and other variables and accessed via the Cloud.